View Full Version : Climbing the walls!!
Hi all - sorry it's been awhile but I have a box turtle behavioral question for you. Davis has been "climbing the walls" or at least seemingly trying to lately. A lot. The temp is steady at 80 deg (when light is on). When I take him out of the tank he just runs and hides. His eating is good. Does this seem typical of their behavior (in captivity)?
Chad
ps - though I don't have his specific breed of box turtle identified, I think he is a 3-toed box turtle. He has 3 rear toes, has yellow markings on his throat. His shell is olive/brown but no real markings other than that on the shell.
[QUOTE=Chad;5866] I have a box turtle behavioral question for you. Davis has been "climbing the walls" or at least seemingly trying to lately. A lot. The temp is steady at 80 deg (when light is on). When I take him out of the tank he just runs and hides. His eating is good. Does this seem typical of their behavior (in captivity)? QUOTE]
It sounds to me like he is stressed, either from temperature or no place to hide or both. There are several things you can do. How big is the cage? It needs to be big enough for a temp. gradient. Make sure you have a range of temperatures inside the cage. Make sure he has several comfortable hiding places, with different temperatures so he can hide whenever he wants to, and doesn't have to choose between being hiding or thermo-regulating. Box turtles in nature hide quite a lot, especially when they aren't actively looking for food. Since captive turtles get all the food they need without hunting for it, they like to spend a lot of time hiding and napping. Frequently when turtles exhibit this behavior it can be solved by offering more hides.
The other thing is that they don't understand the concept of glass. If he's in a tank with clear sides, he may want to get out and just doesn't understand why he can't walk through that stuff. Try covering the sides of the glass high enough that he can't see out.
gtpfreak42
06-06-2007, 23:10
Yeah!! that whole "invisible force field" thing just freaks them out.
Also, if male, the turtle on the other side of the mirror may cause aggression. My box turtle "Puck" likes to fight with anything shiny enough to hallucinate a reflection. (Seriously... metal chair legs, pots and pans, chrome ANYTHING, the back of a computer, a piece of glass that has darkness on the other side, etc. etc. etc.)
The area should be in a quiet place without a lot of traffic. Puck will flinch away from shadows and actually RUNS from children. Even if he only hears them.
Also, box turtles like to wade (not swim), so a shallow dish of water that he can climb into (and out of) is a good thing for the cool side of the enclosure.
You haven't said how long you've had the turtle.
Puck also tends to "bump" into things repeatedly (kinda like a bulldozer bumping into things). He has made a couple of holes in the wall and moved large objects by just "Bumping" them out of the way. I have had to rescue him from underneath piles of stuff that he has toppled onto himself (fortunately not too heavy and he has a good hardhat).
Thanks all for the replies - sorry it's taken so long for me to get back.
I've had Davis since late February. He does have a couple of hiding spaces - one a hollowed out "halfpipe" I guess you could call it. He also has a pretty big piece of wood he can burrow under and hide somewhat. He also has a pretty good water dish that I change daily.
Heat - when I first got him, there wasn't any gradient. He had an overhead heat lamp on one side and an under tank mat on the other. I have since changed so that there is heat on one side and none on the other. I do need to buy a second thermometer to measure the heat on the "cool" side. I turn off the overhead heater during the night so it cools off quite a bit (down to 70d at least) from 80d.
The glass thing may be an issue, but since that has just started recently, I'm not convinced. He almost seems to want to get out of his tank but when I do, he just runs and hides out.
I don't know...I do know that I need to get him outside more. We're thinking of buying a plastic child's pool and putting him outside a lot more (with appropriate shade and protection of course. Maybe he just needs to get out and stretch his legs?
before you get him outside read the thread about "a new tort under the u.v." her turtle got lost:( i like cecilias idea about taping a big flag to his shell when he goes out)..just be careful..i know you allready said you were going to ...
I don't know...I do know that I need to get him outside more. We're thinking of buying a plastic child's pool and putting him outside a lot more (with appropriate shade and protection of course. Maybe he just needs to get out and stretch his legs?
The child's plastic pool, with shade, water, & deep mulch to burrow into, is a good idea as long as you fashion a wire mesh lid that fits over it. Without it, not only stray dogs and cats but raccoons and possums, even large crows, will pose a real threat. Even if you plan to bring him in at night, there are times that we simply forget and then remember around 11pm, which leaves plenty of dark time for prowling predators to kidnap and munch him.
The child's plastic pool, with shade, water, & deep mulch to burrow into, is a good idea as long as you fashion a wire mesh lid that fits over it. Without it, not only stray dogs and cats but raccoons and possums, even large crows, will pose a real threat. Even if you plan to bring him in at night, there are times that we simply forget and then remember around 11pm, which leaves plenty of dark time for prowling predators to kidnap and munch him.
That is just to horrid to even think about! But it is true! I been thinking about getting one of them concret tubs or something huge that I can set into the ground and put some type of wire fencing around it that is also sunk into the ground about a good 2 feet or so into the ground....and then put some chicken wire on top and attaching it using zip cord.
Melissa S.
That is just to horrid to even think about! But it is true! I been thinking about getting one of them concret tubs or something huge that I can set into the ground and put some type of wire fencing around it that is also sunk into the ground about a good 2 feet or so into the ground....and then put some chicken wire on top and attaching it using zip cord. Melissa S.
Turtles and tortoises all do better outside, but they really have to be protected. The weather up here is so changeable, and they can overheat easily on even a cool sunny day if they don't have enough shelter. They can catch pneumonia if they get too cold or too wet, or get shell rot if their substrate doesn't drain well. If they are outside with an earth substrate, even if you have wire sunk around the enclosure to keep them from digging out, they can still be attacked by rats digging up from underneath, especially if they are hibernating and unable to protect themselves.
My biggest worry is always raccoons- they are really smart carnivores with hands. They can open almost any kind of cage. I would never trust anything as flimsy as chicken wire to keep out a hungry mother raccoon with kits to feed. I would use hardware cloth on wooden frames, at least if I was going to keep them outside over night.
A turtle-keeping friend told me once that someone he knew with an outdoor pond of exotic turtles kept an electric fence around his pond to protect from the raccoons. One night the fence malfunctioned, and that one night was all it took. He said the next day most of the turtles had been killed. I'll never forget how he put it- "They were all shucked like oysters."
Wow, the thought of shucked oysters.....:(
I don't imagine that I would let him out for that long at a time, but the point of forgetting about him is well taken. Things happen, and one time is all it takes. I don't have any intention of letting him stay outside overnight, but if I let him stay out during the day more than an hour or so, I will definately take all of this into consideration. I know that him being outside, even for an hour or so a day, would be beneficial to him.
Being outside in the sun (with appropriate shelter & protection) is the best thing you can do for him. He'll be really happy. For a day-time boxie playpen, those plastic kiddie pools are really convenient. I have used them in the past. You can throw several shovelfuls of garden dirt into it, set in a shallow water dish, make a wire top, and put a board over one side for shade. I like to throw birdseed into it to start some greens growing.
:( Me is so sad!
Don't give up hope yet, Melissa. He may come wandering back any day. Keep searching.
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