Wild sulcatas

[Kapidolo Farms]

I doubt the tortoises know why they bask. It just feels good. Whether they are programmed to sit in the sun because it allows them to thermo-regulate or get UV is something we can't know. I wonder why I enjoy the sun so much when I know it will give me cancer.

They do seem to have what I think of as some consciousness. So they would seem to be driven by a knowing need to get into the sun. They more than likley don't think, I need to raise my body temp to digest the food in my gut, but I would think they have some sort of inherent (genetic based signalling) that indicates to them the drive to reach more high temps.

And you are right it's not always about thermo-regulation. A really great field observation assisted with internally planted temp probs strongly suggest that basking may be done by some aquatic turtles in-spite of thermo-regulation. That is they basked and had no measurable change in body temp.

The thinking may not be that they consider they ought to bask for food digestion. The prompt may be much more a dichotmy of do this or do that, the classic kid's game of warmer cooler.

 

[Big Charlie]

They do seem to have what I think of as some consciousness. So they would seem to be driven by a knowing need to get into the sun. They more than likley don't think, I need to raise my body temp to digest the food in my gut, but I would think they have some sort of inherent (genetic based signalling) that indicates to them the drive to reach more high temps.

And you are right it's not always about thermo-regulation. A really great field observation assisted with internally planted temp probs strongly suggest that basking may be done by some aquatic turtles in-spite of thermo-regulation. That is they basked and had no measurable change in body temp.

The thinking may not be that they consider they ought to bask for food digestion. The prompt may be much more a dichotmy of do this or do that, the classic kid's game of warmer cooler.

Charlie is often out basking when it is 60 or 70 degrees when he could stay in his 80 degree heated box for a little while longer. He wants to get out as soon as it is light enough.

 

[HI Tortoise Rescue]

While we were visiting family in Arizona a few years ago, I spoke to a lady who wanted me to rescue her Sulcata, saying that it was "ruining her yard." Well, her back yard was nothing but hard-packed dirt, & I wondered why she thought it could be ruined, but as soon as I stepped out, my foot crashed through into a burrow. Her entire yard was criss-crossed with burrows! I ended up leaving a big pile of greens near one of the holes, & grabbed the big female the next morning, when she came up to feed. It took some doing to get her back to Hawaii, as planes no longer carry them as cargo, & I had to put her in a pen that had heavy wire mesh on the bottom to keep her from escaping. So I can personally vouch for the fact they are incredible diggers!

 

[Big Charlie]

While we were visiting family in Arizona a few years ago, I spoke to a lady who wanted me to rescue her Sulcata, saying that it was "ruining her yard." Well, her back yard was nothing but hard-packed dirt, & I wondered why she thought it could be ruined, but as soon as I stepped out, my foot crashed through into a burrow. Her entire yard was criss-crossed with burrows! I ended up leaving a big pile of greens near one of the holes, & grabbed the big female the next morning, when she came up to feed. It took some doing to get her back to Hawaii, as planes no longer carry them as cargo, & I had to put her in a pen that had heavy wire mesh on the bottom to keep her from escaping. So I can personally vouch for the fact they are incredible diggers!

I wonder if the tort dug so much because there was no other place to escape the heat. I haven't seen Charlie digging when he has a cool place to lie in during the summer. I've never seen him dig in the winter. Do your torts dig much in Hawaii?

 

[HI Tortoise Rescue]

She had already dug down more than six feet, which was more than far enough to escape even the Arizona heat - I think she just liked to dig!

Do they dig out here? Yes, given the opportunity. I've set up one pen for the known diggers that has 4" wire mesh all along the bottom, for the female I mentioned, & two others. The rest of them have pens on grass, but with rip-rap (rocks & gravel) about a foot down, so they can dig, but not tunnel.

Ken