Sleeping position

[Marcus Harrison]

Hello,

I have noticed my tortoise sleeping with her legs out stretched on the floor and her neck out flat on the floor, she has her eyes shut and I have to quickly check if she is alive (obviously she is but it doesn't look like it sometimes).

Is she just comfortable? She has done it a couple of times this week, if she's alright it's actually kind of cute but a little scary.

Thankyou for your answers

 

[Marcus Harrison]

Merry Christmas too!

 

[MPRC]

My tortoises usually sleep outstretched, only my 2nd smallest tortoise sleeps shelled up every time. I sometimes wonder if it lets them absorb more radiant heat at night.

 

[Marcus Harrison]

My tortoises usually sleep outstretched, only my 2nd smallest tortoise sleeps shelled up every time. I sometimes wonder if it lets them absorb more radiant heat at night.

Oh no, not at night, during the day.. she just gets a bit bored and goes to sleep.

 

[MPRC]

She could be absorbing heat during the day also

My redfoots aren't usually asleep during the daylight hours, they get up around 8am and put themselves to bed around 5-6pm.

 

[Big Charlie]

I've seen that too. It doesn't look comfortable, does it? Charlie doesn't sleep like that at night, but I've seen it once or twice during the day, so it might have something to do with absorbing heat, or maybe they are just very relaxed.

 

[Markw84]

They need to do that to expose the softer skin to UVB. That is where UVB is used most efficiently to produce pre-vitamin D. Softer, thinner skin is much more able to absorb UVB

 

[Marcus Harrison]

They need to do that to expose the softer skin to UVB. That is where UVB is used most efficiently to produce pre-vitamin D. Softer, thinner skin is much more able to absorb UVB

Thanks guys, merry Christmas.

 

[drgnfly2265]

Bowser slept that way a lot when he was little. When I first got him it would scare me and I would move him a little to make sure he was ok, lol.

 

[Patty P]

Hello,

I have noticed my tortoise sleeping with her legs out stretched on the floor and her neck out flat on the floor, she has her eyes shut and I have to quickly check if she is alive (obviously she is but it doesn't look like it sometimes).

Is she just comfortable? She has done it a couple of times this week, if she's alright it's actually kind of cute but a little scary.

Thankyou for your answers

I have a three month old Hermann's tortoise. He sleeps like what you just described fairly often when he snoozes under the basking lamp. It scared me at first too!