Tortoise clawing neck
- Thread starter oreomike
- Start date
Greetings to Sweden & Welcome to the Forum.
Im going to say this is pretty much normal tortoise “scratching” behavior. I know that when I soak or spray down our 100 pound Sulcata this is exactly the same movement that I observe. Stretching & scratching.
Make sure that you have a good large enclosure, good substrate & lighting, and giving it a good soaking in warm water a few times a week.
There is a lot of info on How to Care for Russian torts under the species section here on the Forum
Good luck!
Im going to say this is pretty much normal tortoise “scratching” behavior. I know that when I soak or spray down our 100 pound Sulcata this is exactly the same movement that I observe. Stretching & scratching.
Make sure that you have a good large enclosure, good substrate & lighting, and giving it a good soaking in warm water a few times a week.
There is a lot of info on How to Care for Russian torts under the species section here on the Forum
Good luck!
It looks like there's some swelling of the skin on your tortoise's lower jaw. It would be a good idea to take him to a vet to see if there's something going on there.
I think it mostly looked like that cause he was scratching himself, image below is how he normally looks
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NO...he's trying to fling substrate only he's on carpet...was that just for the photo op? If so I'm sorry, but other than what I just said I dunno...he's awful pretty
OMG! I got all excited and saw a Dale Junior video coming up! LOL
Thomas tortoise
Well-Known Member
Can we see a picture of his enclosure?
I kind of agree with Maggie here. Ever see a dog try to "bury" its food with its nose in a crate with just a towel on the bottom. They look like their are trying to nuzzle a thick leaf litter layer or some dirt to cover their uneaten food, but there is nothing there.
What substrate do you use? Some of them can be irritating. Is it damp?
What type of UV bulb are you using? Some of those irritate their eyes.
What substrate do you use? Some of them can be irritating. Is it damp?
What type of UV bulb are you using? Some of those irritate their eyes.
I use a mixture of sand and coconut fiber which I wet and let sit for an hour then i mix it and put it in their cage, as to their UV Bulb I use a Mega-Ray Mercury Vapour Lamp which I got when I bought them from my pet shop.
Nagh. I think it’s normal - a little stretch & scratch. Im hoping the towel/carpet was just for the “photo op” & I’m hoping the tort doesnt make this action all day long.
Ut ogh……sand substrate isnt recommended.
Ut ogh……sand substrate isnt recommended.
The towel is something I use when I take care of him after taking a bath and the tortoise does it once in a while, usually a good 30-60 minutes inbetween
Thomas tortoise
Well-Known Member
Get rid of the SAND ASAP! that could be the problem. Also get rid of the mercury vapor bulbs. I believe they burn the tortoises eyes and pyramid the tortoises shell.
What should i replace the sand and mercury vapor bulb with?
Much of the care info shared around the world is old and just plain wrong. Most of the people keeping tortoises have received that info and passed it on to others for years, and don't seem to get the idea that knowledge has advanced and we know more now. We've learned from decades of trial and error, yet most of the tortoise keeping community keeps making the same errors. Sand, small enclosures, dehydration, grocery store foods, wrong lights, etc...
Sand is a possible skin and eye irritant and should never be used as part of tortoise substrate. Coco coir is fine, but its messy and must be kept damp and hand packed.
MVBs (the Mega Ray) cause excessive desiccation of the carapace which contributes to pyramiding. Not a big issue with a fully grown tortoise, but bad for babies. MVBs have also shown themselves to be unreliable and the UV levels can fluctuate from way to high, to no UV at all. A Solarmeter 6.5 is a must for anyone relying on one of these bulbs for UV.
Here is all the current and correct care info for your species:
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...
tortoiseforum.org
Questions are welcome.
Thomas tortoise
Well-Known Member
Replace the sand with eco earth or fine grade orchid bark. And for heating you can use a ceramic heat emitter. And for UVB i believe it should be a T5 HO flourescent UVB tube bulb. In case I got any thing wrong @Tom.
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