Hello, fellow tortoise owners. I have been having issues with my tortoise wall banging for 3 weeks now. My tortoise is a male Hermann tortoise (2+ years old). Their previous caretakers only gave him Mazuri pellets and colored pellets to eat rather than feeding him leafy greens when he was young, so he is extremely picky when it comes to food. He doesn't like lettuce and will only eat it after starving himself for a few days. He also runs into the wall a lot. In the past, his previous caretakers catered to his needs and put him to walk outside. It seems that whenever there is the faintest hint of sunlight, he goes nuts and starts walking all over. His enclosure is relatively big for his size, and the walls are opaque. I tried adding more decorations and bedding for him to keep him entertained, but nothing seems to be doing the trick. Signs show that he is extremely bored with his enclosure. To combat this, I take him out for walks around the house for 30 mins usually, but it just fuels his desire to escape his enclosure. I have tried quite a lot of strategies now, but nothing seems to do the trick. How can I fix his picky eating habits and prevent him from wall banging? I also believe that the previous caretakers used to shelter him with a female golden Greek tortoise (3+ years old), and he used to get freaked out and mount her all the time. They are separated now, but maybe that would explain some of his behavior? Any input would be greatly appreciated!
Tortoise Wall Baning
- Thread starter HappyBlueberry
- Start date
What are the dimensions of your enclosure?
As you've already seen, letting him walk around the house only makes this worse, and its also not safe, and can't be made safe.
Post a pic of the enclosure and we can make recommendations.
One thing to work on will be to have a large, secure outdoor enclosure for favorable weather, when the time comes. Let the weeds and grasses grow up in that area so he has shade and cover.
Introduce new foods by mixing them in with old favorites. Soak some Mazuri, chop up a tiny amount of the greens you want him to eat, and mix it all up together. Over time, weeks and months, gradually add in more and more of the new stuff. Most tortoises are not going to walk up to a pile of unfamiliar food and eat it. New foods have to be slowly introduced over time.
To expand on floors not being safe:
tortoiseforum.org
Should My Tortoise Be Allowed To Roam around on the Floor of my Room?
Ascott said: To let a tort roam our habitats or not? Always a question that will offer up a bunch of opinions, stories of what happened to some, stories of how dumb it is and success stories....so if you see the trend here, it is that folks do alot of different things based on their own lives...
tortoiseforum.org
Thanks for the advice, I’ll send over a picture of the enclosure when I get back.
Also forgot to mention that we are in Minnesota. Sounds ridiculous given the -30 degree Farenheight weather, however, we keep the temperatures high and ensure they don’t freeze. I am still deciding whether or not the should be put up for adoption given our extremely unconventional circumstances.
Attachments
Enclosure looks way to small. Not enough substrate and wrong water dish.
What kind of light/heat?
What kind of light/heat?
Sicarius538
Member
Lettuce isn’t good for him either. Offer kale and dandelion mixed with the mazuri pellets. Also he needs a much larger enclosure, that’s why he’s bumping the walls.
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately both the set ups in the pics are far too small for any adult, even smaller species like this, the tub looks smaller than 4x2ft, which means it’s smaller than what a brand new hatchling should even be in. I understand a lot of folks have struggles with their indoor space, often people are mislead when it comes to the kind of size these animals need.
I’m going to include some links below that can hopefully offer up some set up ideas for you!
This thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc, definitely double check bulb types, I believe you’re using an all in one heat and uvb bulb, they aren’t the best choice for a few reasons, I can definitely expand if you need), correct levels, appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and the tortoise table link
tortoiseforum.org
This includes lots of inspiration for an adult set up both indoors and out! The indoor bit has some good ideas to tackle indoor space whilst still providing the needed roaming room!
tortoiseforum.org
Lastly, this one here can be good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying
tortoiseforum.org
I really hope they can help!
I’m going to include some links below that can hopefully offer up some set up ideas for you!
This thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc, definitely double check bulb types, I believe you’re using an all in one heat and uvb bulb, they aren’t the best choice for a few reasons, I can definitely expand if you need), correct levels, appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and the tortoise table link
Housing adult Russian and Hermans indoors
Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information an example of an appropriate indoor set up for an older Herman/russian. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure, I understand being from the uk myself, that some climates make it difficult to...
tortoiseforum.org
This includes lots of inspiration for an adult set up both indoors and out! The indoor bit has some good ideas to tackle indoor space whilst still providing the needed roaming room!
Enclosure inspiration
Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...
tortoiseforum.org
Lastly, this one here can be good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying
Common keeping errors
Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...
tortoiseforum.org
I really hope they can help!
The indoor enclosure needs to be a minimum of 4x8 feet for a Testudo tortoise to spend the winter indoors. Minimum. Outdoor enclosures for fair weather should be even larger. Tortoises are awesome pets, but they do require very large enclosures.
Lots of people in Northern climates keep tortoises like this. You just need a large enclosure in a heated room for the colder months, and really, the tortoise should brumate over the winter months anyway.
If you don't have the space, or if you are just not that into it, then rehoming the tortoise would be the best course of action. If you have the space, and you want to keep him, we are happy to help you figure it all out.
Ok, sounds good! I’ll see what their care givers say and get back to you.
Welcome to The Forum!
First - it is really good that you are concerned about the welfare of this tortoise. Thank you for caring! Anything any of us say is intended to be entirely for the tort's best interests. I'm/we/re not trying to pick on you. Please take everything said as constructive criticism, again, with the tortoise's health the highest priority.
Then -
Captive Tortoises need us to look out for hazards. The first pic (that is sort of in green tones) has what looks to be a jacket in it. There is a thread here, on The Forum, from the last few days where the owner had a big Vet bill dealing with their tortoise having an intestinal blockage from eating fabric. So, that needs to go a.s.a.p.!
An aside, a FYI - Reptiles can't generate their own heat and rely on their environment to warm them up and keep them warm. Its difficult for us mammals to think in these terms because we DO generate our own heat. If we get chilly, we put on a sweater or jacket to keep our body heat in, but for a tortoise, putting a cover like that jacket on only serves to insulate it against the heat it needs. The nice comfy-for-us sweatshirt blocks the heat that the tortoise needs.
And - all the plastic can easily create intestinal blockages. - plastic doesn't digest and just accumulates. It can cut the intestinal walls, or block the intestine from functioning. If the tortoise is REALLY LUCKY it will manage to expel it - but you can't count on that. More times than not the tortoise dies from the damage the plastic does.
In the pink-toned pic there are some suction cups (look like things that hold heaters and such for an aquarium), and continuing the aquarium theme, some plastic neon colored "plants", some floor decorations (a barrel, a chunk of coral, maybe other similar aquarium decorations), the pink feeding dish, a mat of some sort (looks like ones for little kids to tumble on), and a gray clip-type holder.
It is imperative that all of that goes away immediately. Having that stuff around a tortoise is like sitting a four-year-old human on the kitchen counter where all the sharp knives are located. It is just a matter of time before something very bad happens. Please remove all of the plastic before the tortoise swallows pieces of it. Especially the mats and "plant" and suction cups (those are the most prone to having bites taken out of them), but all of it needs to go a.s.a.p.
It should only take fifteen minutes to pull all that dangerous stuff. Get it out of the enclosure a.s.a.p. What you see as interesting toys are really lethal health-hazards, and can so quickly/easily be removed so that he's safe.
If you have a small box that is large enough he can turn around in with the opening pointed out into the enclosure, or a big terracotta flowerpot that can lay on its side, put that inside the enclosure to make a hiding place for him. Any sort of cove/burrow-like "house" that he can get inside of, where it is dark-ish, would be really good. See how he's under that dark door-mat... he's just trying to make his own "hide". (That mat needs to go, too, though. Its too dangerous to have in there with him.) Tortoises' protection mechanisms are to hide under bushes and things, and to pull their legs and head inside their shells - they feel exposed, stressed, to not have a place to get away from prying eyes.
The terracotta saucer in the greenish pic is excellent! It will help wear off his nails to some extent and makes a great water dish or feeding place. That is a wonderful thing to have in his enclosure! Good job!
Always have a dish of water that he can walk into available. They don't drink like dogs, so a high-sided dish is unusable for a tortoise. They need to be able to crawl inside and sit in the water.
I hope these help you out. Its important that he not be around so much plastic or cloth.
Please ask questions. We are all here to help.
.
.
First - it is really good that you are concerned about the welfare of this tortoise. Thank you for caring! Anything any of us say is intended to be entirely for the tort's best interests. I'm/we/re not trying to pick on you. Please take everything said as constructive criticism, again, with the tortoise's health the highest priority.
Then -
Captive Tortoises need us to look out for hazards. The first pic (that is sort of in green tones) has what looks to be a jacket in it. There is a thread here, on The Forum, from the last few days where the owner had a big Vet bill dealing with their tortoise having an intestinal blockage from eating fabric. So, that needs to go a.s.a.p.!
An aside, a FYI - Reptiles can't generate their own heat and rely on their environment to warm them up and keep them warm. Its difficult for us mammals to think in these terms because we DO generate our own heat. If we get chilly, we put on a sweater or jacket to keep our body heat in, but for a tortoise, putting a cover like that jacket on only serves to insulate it against the heat it needs. The nice comfy-for-us sweatshirt blocks the heat that the tortoise needs.
And - all the plastic can easily create intestinal blockages. - plastic doesn't digest and just accumulates. It can cut the intestinal walls, or block the intestine from functioning. If the tortoise is REALLY LUCKY it will manage to expel it - but you can't count on that. More times than not the tortoise dies from the damage the plastic does.
In the pink-toned pic there are some suction cups (look like things that hold heaters and such for an aquarium), and continuing the aquarium theme, some plastic neon colored "plants", some floor decorations (a barrel, a chunk of coral, maybe other similar aquarium decorations), the pink feeding dish, a mat of some sort (looks like ones for little kids to tumble on), and a gray clip-type holder.
It is imperative that all of that goes away immediately. Having that stuff around a tortoise is like sitting a four-year-old human on the kitchen counter where all the sharp knives are located. It is just a matter of time before something very bad happens. Please remove all of the plastic before the tortoise swallows pieces of it. Especially the mats and "plant" and suction cups (those are the most prone to having bites taken out of them), but all of it needs to go a.s.a.p.
It should only take fifteen minutes to pull all that dangerous stuff. Get it out of the enclosure a.s.a.p. What you see as interesting toys are really lethal health-hazards, and can so quickly/easily be removed so that he's safe.
If you have a small box that is large enough he can turn around in with the opening pointed out into the enclosure, or a big terracotta flowerpot that can lay on its side, put that inside the enclosure to make a hiding place for him. Any sort of cove/burrow-like "house" that he can get inside of, where it is dark-ish, would be really good. See how he's under that dark door-mat... he's just trying to make his own "hide". (That mat needs to go, too, though. Its too dangerous to have in there with him.) Tortoises' protection mechanisms are to hide under bushes and things, and to pull their legs and head inside their shells - they feel exposed, stressed, to not have a place to get away from prying eyes.
The terracotta saucer in the greenish pic is excellent! It will help wear off his nails to some extent and makes a great water dish or feeding place. That is a wonderful thing to have in his enclosure! Good job!
Always have a dish of water that he can walk into available. They don't drink like dogs, so a high-sided dish is unusable for a tortoise. They need to be able to crawl inside and sit in the water.
I hope these help you out. Its important that he not be around so much plastic or cloth.
Please ask questions. We are all here to help.
.
.
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