Sulcata avoids cool ramp

[Dave Beck]

Greetings and Happy New Year!

I have a 1 year old sulcata named Edgar. Edgar is a very lucky tort, I think. He has a prime spot in an eight foot wide bay window in my home office, where I work each day and keep him company. Half of his 2' x 6' open-top habitat has a heated stone floor, with a 15" diameter recessed pool, also benefitting from the heated stone. The walls of his tat are 8" tall, and the front wall is clear glass, so he can see his grandpa at work (Edgar is actually my daughter's tort). He also has a basking fixture in the unheated half of the tat, as well as a comfy cave retreat. He has been using all of these features most of his life, and is a happy and active little guy.

Santa recently brought Edgar an 18" diameter platform, with a ramp roughly 1:3 pitch to the 9" high platform. While grandpa was assembling this thing, Edgar actually kept getting in the way, trying to climb the ramp. Now that it is all together, and even with his basking lamp relocated to the platform, the little guy doesn't seem to like it. The ramp and the platform are covered in a half-inch of brown natural fiber (the stuff you might use to line a hanging planter basket). Soft, and great traction. If I place him in the middle of the ramp, facing up, he just turns around and heads back down... same even if I place him on the platform under his basking lamp.

Any thoughts on encouraging Edgar to use his new feature will be appreciated! Grandpa and Santa have some time invested...

Dave in Cincinnati

 

[Jodie]

You could coax him with food. It might just take him time to adjust and explore.

 

[ascott]

I wonder if the lack of a sight barrier at the end of the ramp and deck create kinda of like an infinity pool effect? Like having no shelter for protection...and if the tort does not warm up to the addition in the next couple of days...I would truly consider moving that basking light back to or to a new place down in the flat area so the tort does not get backed up from not being able to bump his internal temps....

May I also mention, while that is a lovely window spot---it can also turn deadly rather quickly when summer heat comes on....so you may also want to plan for some way to shelter him from the heat (especially with all of the fun heating you already have set up for him in the tile flooring and such

 

[Gillian M]

Happy New Year and a warm welcome the forum.

I agree with Jodie: I noticed that very many new owners of torts fall into a trap...torts do not like change and it takes them a lot of time to adapt and get used to a new place/home/environment/temperatures etc. Please be patient, and do not take what I said personal...I do not mean you here. Good luck.

 

[Dave Beck]

Thanks for the quick replies.

I will definitely try the food.

He's been in the window his whole life. It catches only morning direct sun, and the glass has a special film which does a great job of eliminating 80% of the heat, and 99% of UV (for me). Edgar seems happy and healthy in his man-made tat. He does some things which I hear are not common in captivity... such as chirping/croaking sounds, and whistling. Since I have the attention of a couple of obviously knowledgeable and interested contributors... have either of you any experience with these sounds? Is it really uncommon?

 

[tortadise]

Hate to say this. But it's probably because it's cold next to the winter up on the ramp. What are the temps in the room? The whistle, chirp sounds may be beginning respiratory infection from being so close to the window and in an open enclosure.

 

[Tom]

He does some things which I hear are not common in captivity... such as chirping/croaking sounds, and whistling. Since I have the attention of a couple of obviously knowledgeable and interested contributors... have either of you any experience with these sounds? Is it really uncommon?

These are all symptoms of respiratory infection. RI is usually caused by temps that are too cold. Most people keep this species too cold.

What are your four temps? Warm side, cool side, basking area and over night low?

What size is your tortoise now? Pics?

 

[Jodie]

I agree. What are your 4 temps? Warm side, cool side, basking and night low? Do you have a humid hide for him and do you soak him? Tom beat me. Lol

 

[Dave Beck]

All good thoughts.

Heated stone is near 100, pool is high 80's. Non-heated side and ramp in mid-70's (with option to bask under lamp in corner of that side), and hide is high 70's... it is under the platform, which is warmed by the basking lamp. His hide is not moist, but he is in and out of his pool several times per day... tends to stay in for an hour or so at a time... and, he gets a daily "potty break" in a utility tub with dribbling shower, which he loves to play under.
His chirping/whistling comes when his is happiest... when soaking in his warm pool, and in the early morning when he just wakes up, yawns, and is looking around before venturing out into the wilderness of his 'tat. I've heard the chirping referred to as a male mating call. The whistling is not a wheezing or the like... it is a very distinct two quick tones, about the same each time, much like a bird. I really don't think he's sick... he's been doing it for a few months, and we've not seen any runny nose, etc.

He's a little larger than a Big Mac, at roughly 13 months old.

I will lure him with some food, and report back soon.

Gotta tell ya, he's been a fun little pet. Low maintenance, virtually no smell, and way more active than I expected. Wish we'd discovered sulcatas before going through the nasty hamsters, rats, parakeets, and bunnies that all kids seem to require.

 

[WillTort2]

It's clearly a case of an inferior species!

Replace that tort with a Russian and all of those reluctance to climb issues will disappear.

But seriously, I think he feels too exposed on the ramp and on the platform. Add a hide on the platform and put a roof over the ramp. Then you will see more active use of these areas.

 

[leopard777]

you can put the feeding bowl up there , place him there to feed everyday , he will know where to go for food next time

 

[Dave Beck]

Vladimir Putin ruined anything Russian for me. I'm more a Mandela fan, I guess...

 

[leigti]

I would put a solid guard rail on the ramp. High enough so he can't see over it. It will make it much safer. I also don't think the temperatures should be in the 70s. But you'd have to look in the sulcata section for that info. If he gets cold and wet he will get a respiratory infection.

 

[Yvonne G]

I had the same idea as leigti. I really like the aesthetics of the post and rope fencing, however, it may feel a little scary to a baby tortoise, and make him think he's not safe being there. I'll bet if you replace the fencing with something solid, then put him up topside, he'l happily learn to go up and down on his own.

 

[Anyfoot]

I wouldn't worry too much, He will be bigger than that platform before long . I assume you know how big sulcata's get. How big is he now.
Looks really good though. One of my redfoot torts whistles. Not as much as when I 1st got her though, I had 2 others that did it when I first get them but now they don't do it any more. I don't think who ever had them before had the humidity high enough.

 

[ascott]

Thanks for the quick replies.

I will definitely try the food.

He's been in the window his whole life. It catches only morning direct sun, and the glass has a special film which does a great job of eliminating 80% of the heat, and 99% of UV (for me). Edgar seems happy and healthy in his man-made tat. He does some things which I hear are not common in captivity... such as chirping/croaking sounds, and whistling. Since I have the attention of a couple of obviously knowledgeable and interested contributors... have either of you any experience with these sounds? Is it really uncommon?

http://www.quijano.net/tq/turtlesounds.html

Tortoise DO make sounds....and not all sounds equal illness....

 

[Dave Beck]

Good news, y'all! Edgar D. Tort began using his ramp a few days after my first post. He runs up and down it several times a day now, and he likes to stop in the middle and stick his head through the fence. He will not bask up there, so I've moved his heat lamp back to his favorite spot at ground level.

Interesting thing happened recently… A very large chicken hawk smacked the picture window above Edgars 'tat. It stumbled around in the front yard for a few minutes, and then flew away. Do chicken Hawks eat torts? Poor Ed!

 

[leigti]

It sounds like they do. when youtdoor enclosure make sure it is secure.