Stressed/Agitated DT

[Blackhat918]

Hi. I am new to the forum and have a question about my 11 year old desert sulcatta tort - Titus. This is my first winter with him (got him about 6 months ago from a person that lost their house and couldn't keep him any longer).

Lately, he has taken to pacing and agressively searching the yard/patio like he is lost. He has destroyed every bush in my back yard and knocked down everything on my patio in search of I don't know what. He has a burrow, seems to be eating all right, nothing new has been introduced but he seems very stressed/agitated.

Could this be a seasonal thing or is there something else I should be looking at?

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Yvonne G]

It sounds to me as if he is reaching sexual maturity. How big is he?

On the other hand, this is what sulcatas do. They "march" around the perimeter of their habitat and knock over anything in their way (they can't go around an obstacle).

As long as he's eating and otherwise seems healthy, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You might try tossing him a branch off a mulberry tree or grape vine when he seems overly distressed. That usually calms my Dudley down. They love something different.

Welcome to the forum. I'd love to see pictures of your tortoise. You might already know this, but I feel I must remind you that the sulcata tortoise comes from a part of the world where it doesn't get cold enough for them to have hibernated, so you have to keep him warm this winter.

 

[Blackhat918]

It sounds to me as if he is reaching sexual maturity. How big is he?

On the other hand, this is what sulcatas do. They "march" around the perimeter of their habitat and knock over anything in their way (they can't go around an obstacle).

As long as he's eating and otherwise seems healthy, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You might try tossing him a branch off a mulberry tree or grape vine when he seems overly distressed. That usually calms my Dudley down. They love something different.

Welcome to the forum. I'd love to see pictures of your tortoise. You might already know this, but I feel I must remind you that the sulcata tortoise comes from a part of the world where it doesn't get cold enough for them to have hibernated, so you have to keep him warm this winter.

He is 26" long, 22" wide, 13" tall and about 150 lbs. We live in Phoenix so he should be warm enough throughout the winter, however, I have a pig blanket to use if need be.

FYI - we've had him since March and this behavior has just started. Short of finding him a girlfriend, is there anything I might try to calm him?

 

[Yvonne G]

No, its just something that they do. My Dudley has worn a path down the side of his fence. Looks like a 4-wheeler has been driving back and forth through there.

The only thing you can do, like I said before, is try to distract him by giving him something else to do. They love to eat mulberry leaves and grape leaves, so when I notice that Dudley is especially ornery, I'll cut a big branch off the mulberry tree and put it in his path. He stops to eat and forgets he was pacing.

Some people give their large tortoises something to play with. You can try a large red beach ball, or a big cement tortoise figure.

But, believe me when I say, you don't want to get him a female to distract him. Once they've bred, they are never satisfied again. And having only one female would be hell on the female. They are aggressive breeders.

By the way, I love your little terrier. Very cute.

 

[Laura]

nice looking bulldozer!
you might have to build some walls to protect your plants. Block them off. It wont get better.
Distraction is the key.

 

[dmmj]

Once they've bred, they are never satisfied again. And having only one female would be hell on the female. They are aggressive breeders.

Maybe that is why I never get a second date?

 

[Annieski]

Once they've bred, they are never satisfied again. And having only one female would be hell on the female. They are aggressive breeders.

Maybe that is why I never get a second date?

Perhaps it's due to mild pyramiding or an overgrown beak. JK

 

[Tom]

I've got to agree with Yvonne and Laura here. Seems pretty typical to me. No matter how big their area is, they pace the perimeter and destroy anything in their path. My babies do this in a 15x30' pen and my adults do this on five acres. They go from top to bottom and back again in five minutes. Its around 200 yards, each way.

When winter does come you will need some sort of shed with some heat in it, unless he has a really deep burrow to retire to. The burrow thing is pretty risky on many levels. Here's a couple of ideas, but there are many ways to do it.
http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Heated-Den-Boxes

 

[Kristina]

Once they've bred, they are never satisfied again. And having only one female would be hell on the female. They are aggressive breeders.

Maybe that is why I never get a second date?

Perhaps it's due to mild pyramiding or an overgrown beak. JK

This is the reason I almost cried when I accidentally got banned... What would I do without you guys?

 

[Missy]

Yep I agree with it being normal, Tank is only 2 and he does it.

 

[tortoisenerd]

FYI-A desert tortoise is different from a Sulcata (and you have a Sulcata, also known as african spur-thigh tortoise). Welcome to the forum, good luck, and congrats on the new family member!