My six year old herman is getting sore legs. I am not hibernating her this year as she laid an egg a few weeks ago and to be honest she has never been hibernated by her previous owners so she will be used to staying up. What is bothering me I have to leave her in the day in a pen with the light and heater on. When I get home it is clear she has been scrabbling in a corner for ages. Last week I notices a sore on both back legs which I can only presume is caused by her shell rubbing on her legs. I have taken her out of her pen when I get home and left her our all yesterday. But that is not ideal and I worry she isn't getting the lamp/heat she needs. I bathe her sores every night to keep them clean. But how can I stop her scrabbling in the corners x x x hugs x x x she has a nice hidy hole she spends time in x x

Can you just clarify the light and heating please?
Is this a UV/heat bulb and an extra heat sorce?
Or a spotlight and UV tube?

She has a lighting tube which is a reptisun 36inch 10uvb and a separate heat lamp with a ceramic bulb which was new this spring as I am told by the previous owner. The heat is at one end of her pen and the lighting tube runs the length of it to one side. She has a hide at the furthest corner away from the heat source x x x hugs x x

She might well be getting too hot, tortoises will climb the sides of an enclosure if they are too hot or too cold.
Can you not put the heat sorce on a dimmer switch?
I used to have a spotlight and seperate tube, so my husband put the spotlight on a dimmer switch, so I could turn the heat down when I was out. Or in your case you could leave the UV tube on when your out.

Thanks sandy I will try that tomorrow... She is sitting in the room now quite happy. Which I guess is the other frustrating thing.... Scrabbling to get out... But Off to hide when out of her run. Could it be a possibility she is missing her mate who has in fact hibernated x x hugs x x

I personally dont think they miss other tortoises. Not over a short time anyway.

Hi Stellanne

Are you sure she is carrying eggs again? Cola always lays 2 clutches one about 3-4 weeks after her first. The only way to find out would be an xray I suppose..

Also is her house deep enough? I found that Tango used to climb the corners/walls all the time because she could see the top of the table but since they have been in their new much deeper table she has been fine.

Jeanette x

It could be something to do with the table depth. As you know Jeanette bubble is a big tort.... Too big really for the table she came with. Not sure if there are more eggs but she isn't pacing like she was doing before so not really thinking there are more eggs. It was a bit tricky putting in the extra depth of soil for laying cos she was too near the metal top. X x x x hugs x x