Why is he doing this?

[Kerryann]

My tortoise seems to have her own unique behaviors, but when you put up barriers where she can't see out she tries to claw at the enclosure also. A lot of people said that if we put her in an enclosure she could see through she would claw to escape. We put her in a glass reptile tank and she will follow me around but doesn't try to escape. We put up a mural or picture on the back of the tank and she claws at that now. We had planned to block more of her view but haven't based on how she has behaved. I used to bathe her in a white dish and she clawed at the sides like a crazy girl, but now that I have her in clear glass she relaxes more. She also will constantly try to escape her exercise area if I am outside of it but if I go and sit inside with her she just climbs around on me. Lot's of rambling later, I guess I am saying maybe he wants to see out?

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

My tortoise seems to have her own unique behaviors, but when you put up barriers where she can't see out she tries to claw at the enclosure also. A lot of people said that if we put her in an enclosure she could see through she would claw to escape. We put her in a glass reptile tank and she will follow me around but doesn't try to escape. We put up a mural or picture on the back of the tank and she claws at that now. We had planned to block more of her view but haven't based on how she has behaved. I used to bathe her in a white dish and she clawed at the sides like a crazy girl, but now that I have her in clear glass she relaxes more. She also will constantly try to escape her exercise area if I am outside of it but if I go and sit inside with her she just climbs around on me. Lot's of rambling later, I guess I am saying maybe he wants to see out?

Interesting. Yeah, the received wisdom when it comes to boxies and torties is to use opaque pens, otherwise the turtle will continually try to walk through it. I'm sure that's based on some truth, but when you consider stories like yours, it seems like having a transparent enclosure might be better, at least for some individuals. I don't know how one would know in advance which type of turtle you have: one that would do better in an opaque or transparent pen.

I kept boxies in clear tanks for years without problem, but now I keep Russians in plastic bins - usually without problem, although as I said, they do seem to want to climb out sometimes. When I put them outside, though, one of the barriers I use is clear, and they try to walk through that for a while, too, although they soon give up and go somewhere else. So, maybe it's just that Russians dislike being fenced in more than any other turtle!

I'm not sure which is best. I still think an opaque wall is a good default, and then switch to glass if need be. Partly because of observations and what others have said, but also because plastic is cheaper than glass or acrylic, so it would be easier to start with that, and then upgrade later if you have to.

 

[lauren43201]

My RT does the same thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WGCremAHyU
That enclosure was approved by the folks in this forum, so it's either a "Hey look at me!" or just typical Russian behavior.

He usually does this on his food dish, and he'll decide halfway through clawing that hey, pooping would be a GREAT idea right about now. So then he poops and steps all over it, gets it all over his dish. Then I get to clean it.

...

Yep, typical Russian.

Bahahaha! Sounds like a fun time for you, who has to clean up the mess! But okay, that's good it's typical. Mine basically sits there and instead of kinda climbing up the wall like yours he just files his nails down on the wood. I guess he's just breaking in the new home by leaving some marks on the wall.

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LOL, i really enjoyed reading all of the other posts of your all torts doing the same thing. atleast now i know im not alone!