unhappy/bored tortoise gone walkabout?

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Oliviatheleo

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Hello everyone;
has there ever been a study about tortoise happiness?
Our leopard tortoise, Olivia, Has been walking her pen constantly for the past 2 weeks. I have seen her walk around at times but never like this. she has been doing it for hours each day. We have never seen her this active before. She is just walking along the wall. some times quickly and most of the time slowly. Today we keep looking at her and we have not seen her still one time for the past 6 hours. She is probably taking a brake when we are not looking but usually when you look at her she is just sitting in one spot. Lately she is always on the move.



These are Olivia's living conditions:

Her home is over 1000 square feet in area. Its like a long block letter U about 14 feet wide and maybe 100 feet long.
She has a igloo tortoise (Dog) house that she seems to be fond of and has used for 6 years now.
Her property is full of saint augustine grass and weeds plus hibiscus flowers that fall from 5 bushes we planted just for her. And my wife gives her kale salads at least twice per week. so food or food variety shouldn't be the problem.
She also has a water bowl big enough to crawl into and it gets cleaned regularly.

So is she all of a sudden very un happy? Can a tortoise walk too much? Like is this similar to a couch potato all of a sudden trying to run a marathon and having a heart attack?
What is all the walking for and does she know she is just covering the same ground the whole time or does she think she is getting some place? I would hate to think she is so unhappy she would want to walk to death like some mysterious whale beaching. (we are not actually certain Olivia is a she)
 

kimber_lee_314

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RE: unhappy/board tortoise gone walkabout?

How big is she? Sometimes my females act like this when they want to lay eggs. For some reason the other side of the yard always seems "better" to them. I have to put them on the DT side (after putting them away) and then more often than not - they dig a nest. Just a thought. Goog luck!
 

Tom

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RE: unhappy/board tortoise gone walkabout?

Does she live alone? If yes, then my best guess is that it is too hot where you are and she's trying to find somewhere to cool off.

Where are you? Is there lots of shade? Shade cloth? Sprinklers? Misters? Next time she does this run a sprinkler in her pen for a while. Really flood the thing and make some puddles. See if she stops pacing.
 

Oliviatheleo

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RE: unhappy/board tortoise gone walkabout?

kimber_lee_314 said:
How big is she? Sometimes my females act like this when they want to lay eggs. For some reason the other side of the yard always seems "better" to them. I have to put them on the DT side (after putting them away) and then more often than not - they dig a nest. Just a thought. Goog luck!

Can she lay eggs with out "contact" with a male Leo?
 

Oliviatheleo

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RE: unhappy/board tortoise gone walkabout?

Tom said:
Does she live alone? If yes, then my best guess is that it is too hot where you are and she's trying to find somewhere to cool off.

Where are you? Is there lots of shade? Shade cloth? Sprinklers? Misters? Next time she does this run a sprinkler in her pen for a while. Really flood the thing and make some puddles. See if she stops pacing.

I thought you had something there but today it has not gone much over 80 and its been over cast and rainy all day. And today she seemed worse.

She does have some shade though.
 

Jacqui

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RE: unhappy/board tortoise gone walkabout?

Oliviatheleo said:
kimber_lee_314 said:
How big is she? Sometimes my females act like this when they want to lay eggs. For some reason the other side of the yard always seems "better" to them. I have to put them on the DT side (after putting them away) and then more often than not - they dig a nest. Just a thought. Goog luck!

Can she lay eggs with out "contact" with a male Leo?

Yes they can, it doesn't happen often, but it can happen.
 

wellington

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RE: unhappy/board tortoise gone walkabout?

Maybe try adding some new things to the enclosure for her to explore. Logs, rocks, even maybe move things that might already be in there.
 

Oliviatheleo

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RE: unhappy/board tortoise gone walkabout?

wellington said:
Maybe try adding some new things to the enclosure for her to explore. Logs, rocks, even maybe move things that might already be in there.

Thats a good idea.
I know she is smart enough to recognize us because she walks up to us to kinda beg for a snack when she sees us but hides in her shell when there is a stranger in front of her. MAybe olivia would like some other things to inspect and then it will look like its a new place to her
I'm gonna get some leo size boulders and a few more plants. Give her a slightly different landscape. The poor thing has been looking at the same ol same ole since 2004.
 

ascott

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RE: unhappy/board tortoise gone walkabout?

I wonder what other critters walk around outside of the enclosure/yard? Could she be watching critters and be bothered/intrigued by them?

Around here there are a whole plethora of wildlife as well as cats...I know that one of the CDTs gets really interested and spunky when one of the cats gets too close to his yard---he will charge in the direction of the cat--yes, charge...and if I shoo the cat along his entire demeanor changes and he appears relaxed again....

The other CDT here will pace like crazy when he is due for a walk about the property....which I do with him about once a week or so and he will stroll, nibble, check out what I am doing, then I check out what he is doing, he strolls and nibbles and when he has had enough--he heads back to the gate entrance to his yard and goes into his burrow and appears satisfied for a bit...

I would suggest you perhaps keep an eye on what is going on around or near his yard and see if you notice any changes---even changes we find subtle appear to really annoy these very routine creatures...
 

Oliviatheleo

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RE: unhappy/board tortoise gone walkabout?

ascott said:
I wonder what other critters walk around outside of the enclosure/yard? Could she be watching critters and be bothered/intrigued by them?

Around here there are a whole plethora of wildlife as well as cats...I know that one of the CDTs gets really interested and spunky when one of the cats gets too close to his yard---he will charge in the direction of the cat--yes, charge...and if I shoo the cat along his entire demeanor changes and he appears relaxed again....

The other CDT here will pace like crazy when he is due for a walk about the property....which I do with him about once a week or so and he will stroll, nibble, check out what I am doing, then I check out what he is doing, he strolls and nibbles and when he has had enough--he heads back to the gate entrance to his yard and goes into his burrow and appears satisfied for a bit...

I would suggest you perhaps keep an eye on what is going on around or near his yard and see if you notice any changes---even changes we find subtle appear to really annoy these very routine creatures...



Thats a good thought but olivia cant see out of her yard. Except if something tall, like a person, is walking by then she can see that because of the height. But her fence is solid. I don't think she can hear well enough to notice anything.

Olivia does get annoyed easy. If I am walking around cleaning the pool she either goes about her business or approaches me for a snack. But if I'm trimming the grass in her yard or on the other side of it she makes a tortoise type dash to her house.

I suppose some animal could be coming to visit her at night in her house and thats making her nervous. But there is no sign of that happening- Doesn't mean its not happening though.

Its a good thought. I'll try to be more observant of any signs. Like from stray cats or some other creature.
 

kimber_lee_314

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RE: unhappy/board tortoise gone walkabout?

Oliviatheleo said:
kimber_lee_314 said:
How big is she? Sometimes my females act like this when they want to lay eggs. For some reason the other side of the yard always seems "better" to them. I have to put them on the DT side (after putting them away) and then more often than not - they dig a nest. Just a thought. Goog luck!

Can she lay eggs with out "contact" with a male Leo?

Yes - they can and do. I have two Texas tortoises that lay eggs every year with no male around at all. I've had leopards do this we well.
 

Oliviatheleo

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RE: unhappy/board tortoise gone walkabout?

kimber_lee_314 said:
Oliviatheleo said:
kimber_lee_314 said:
How big is she? Sometimes my females act like this when they want to lay eggs. For some reason the other side of the yard always seems "better" to them. I have to put them on the DT side (after putting them away) and then more often than not - they dig a nest. Just a thought. Goog luck!

Can she lay eggs with out "contact" with a male Leo?

Yes - they can and do. I have two Texas tortoises that lay eggs every year with no male around at all. I've had leopards do this we well.

I thought only certain birds did that. But now that I have given it some thought I can see how wrong I am.

Olivia seemed much more calm today. I have not had a chance to change anything yet. She went back to her normal routine of sitting in one spot in the shade for most of the day. The only time I saw her move was when I was trimming her hibiscus and she walked up to me and begged for flowers and leaves.

Something about a tortoise begging for treats is just so cool. She can't make a sound but has this hopeful stare. Like a hopeful statue. Then I take one step to hand her some treats and shoop! right into the shell. But only for a few moments till she remembers why she came over to me in the first place. Then she gobbles them up without a hint of thanks.
 

Terry Allan Hall

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RE: unhappy/board tortoise gone walkabout?

Oliviatheleo said:
wellington said:
Maybe try adding some new things to the enclosure for her to explore. Logs, rocks, even maybe move things that might already be in there.

Thats a good idea.
I know she is smart enough to recognize us because she walks up to us to kinda beg for a snack when she sees us but hides in her shell when there is a stranger in front of her. MAybe olivia would like some other things to inspect and then it will look like its a new place to her
I'm gonna get some leo size boulders and a few more plants. Give her a slightly different landscape. The poor thing has been looking at the same ol same ole since 2004.

If you can find some clay pipe large enough for her to crawl through, build her a tunnel by half-burying it in the ground, but leaving both ends open, and pile dirt over the top, to make a climbable mound...my 3 seem to really like crawling through and/or over the two "tunnels" I made them.

Or, if large enough pipe can't be found, made it out of bricks and mortar (probably a winter project). :cool:
 

Tom

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Where are you and can we see pics of the enclosure? That might give us some ideas. What size is the enclosure? Are you sure of the sex? Post some photos of the tail and anal scutes and lets verify. Males often want to wander more than females. Females often wander to find a suitable nesting site. Is it possible your tortoise sensed the coming rain and was looking to move to higher ground?
 

Oliviatheleo

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RE: unhappy/board tortoise gone walkabout?

Terry Allan Hall said:
Oliviatheleo said:
wellington said:
Maybe try adding some new things to the enclosure for her to explore. Logs, rocks, even maybe move things that might already be in there.

Thats a good idea.
I know she is smart enough to recognize us because she walks up to us to kinda beg for a snack when she sees us but hides in her shell when there is a stranger in front of her. MAybe olivia would like some other things to inspect and then it will look like its a new place to her
I'm gonna get some leo size boulders and a few more plants. Give her a slightly different landscape. The poor thing has been looking at the same ol same ole since 2004.

If you can find some clay pipe large enough for her to crawl through, build her a tunnel by half-burying it in the ground, but leaving both ends open, and pile dirt over the top, to make a climbable mound...my 3 seem to really like crawling through and/or over the two "tunnels" I made them.

Or, if large enough pipe can't be found, made it out of bricks and mortar (probably a winter project). :cool:


that is a cool idea. Kinda like a tortoise playground piece. Olivia's property is right next to our pool so we try to keep her landscape neat in appearance. Maybe if I cover it with dirt I can put grass on it an make it look like a hill.

But to keep everyone who was interested in this informed of the situation.
It seems the terrible tortoise tantrum that had begun so quickly has ended the same way. the past few days she has been just like her old self. Not sure if she just got it out of her system or gave up the quest because of its futility.

What ever it was I'm glad its over. this morning when I was cleaning the pool, instead of ignoring me and running back and forth, she walked up the to the wall by the pool and begged for treats again. she ate some flowers and went back to her normal routine of nothing while sitting in the shade. then went inside.


If it doesn't start up again I'm going to keep a mental note of the time of ear and see if this happens again next year. I'd still love to know what was going on in her little tortoise brain.
 
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