VERY Weird Behavior

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Myrtle

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Hello there. I have bought a female Red Foot in December. Myrtle exhibited normal behavior and she spent a lot of time in her log. She ate normally and in the morning she was given Zoo Med Forest Tortoise, while later in the day she was given assorted greens and such. In early February, I noticed that every morning she was in her little tub. I would feed her, and she would not touch the water bowl again until next morning. (I don't know if the water-bowl thing has anything to do with what is happening now, but I put it in just in case) A few days ago we bought a replacement light bulb, since our last one died. The replacement is UVA 40w, while the old one is UVA 60w. We also bought some T-Rex tortoise food. (the colorful little pellets.) I fed her the T-Rex stuff at night, and in the morning, and then she went crazy later in the day! For 2.5 days, she has been running around like crazy, into the bowl, out of the bowl, into the corner, etc... She is also throwing herself onto the walls of the enclosure. I have taken her out multiple times, and she would constantly be on the move when I did. She doesn't even sleep in her little log anymore, which is really strange. I'd see her sleeping in the tub, in the center of the tank, but never in the log. She is also spending lots of time in the tub. Could she have worms, or some type of infection? I hate seeing her like this,and I don't know what to do. Her feces and pee is normal looking, and she does eat. In fact, she acts civilized when she eats, but crazy at all other times. Please Help!
 

LindaF

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Do you monitor the temps? You cut back on the wattage, perhaps she is trying to find a warm place. Or perhaps she is just a happier tort now and that is why she is more active? How is your humidity? If it is too low perhaps that is why she is soaking all the time?
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Myrtle:

Welcome to the forum!! May we know your name and where you are?

First thing is the light. UVA isn't what we want for our tortoise. Its UVB that we want. Barring a UVB light you would be better off with a plain old incandescent bulb for light.

It sounds to me as if the tortoise is trying to get away from a perceived or felt threat (maybe the light). Can you shoot us some pictures of her habitat?
 

coreyc

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Welcome to the forum:) Has she been to the vet ? Getting a check up and fecal check is always a good thing with a new animal ( tort ) :)
 

Laura

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they prefer darker then some torts.. more forrest type.. does she have plenty of 'shade' hides so she doenst feel so exposed? and Id have checked for pinworms..
 

Myrtle

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Thanks for the response guys! I just took Myrtle to the vet and found out what the problem was. She is more active due to the higher springtime temp, and the substrate wasn't sufficiently deep enough for her to burrow in. She is in good health and has already started burrowing. Thanks again for your help and concern.

Sincerely, Daniel :tort:
 

Madkins007

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Temps are often the first question, and I notice you did not mention them in the original post. As for burrowing, Red-foots really don't burrow. They sometimes snuggle into the substrate, but this is not as major of a behavior as some other species.

Red-foots are pretty easy, but have some specific needs. There are some websites that can help, like the Tortoise Library in my signature. They can help you with things like lighting, diet, etc.
 
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