Hello,
I have a 4 year old male Russian tortoise who is refusing to eat. He has been solidly off his food for around a month now. At first I thought it was due to him shedding however his appetite has not returned. Visually, I can't see anything wrong with him but his weight is down and he will not eat. I've tried tempting him with treats without success.
Following a visit to the vets this week he's had a full check up, x-rays and bloods which all came back normal. I was concerned he may have an obstruction in his gut as he does tend to scavenge on things he shouldn't given the opportunity. He has apparently got a little bit of poo and gas which looked normal to the vet.
He's still strong and it is extremely difficult to open his mouth for me to try force feeding him. All he's interested in is going to bed. Surely he shouldn't be trying to hibernate given his table temps...
I've started soaking him daily for 10 minutes in warm water with added reptoboost but it doesn't seem to be pepping him up. I'll avoid hibernating him this year if needs be.
Any advice on next steps would be greatly appreciated. I have put enclosure info below:
Enclosure - tortoise table with MV bulb. Light on for 14 hours a day (previously 12 hours) with a basking temp of 35-36C. Ambient temps of around 18-22C depending on weather. He has an outdoor run for hot days however hasn't been outside for a couple of weeks now.
I have a 4 year old male Russian tortoise who is refusing to eat. He has been solidly off his food for around a month now. At first I thought it was due to him shedding however his appetite has not returned. Visually, I can't see anything wrong with him but his weight is down and he will not eat. I've tried tempting him with treats without success.
Following a visit to the vets this week he's had a full check up, x-rays and bloods which all came back normal. I was concerned he may have an obstruction in his gut as he does tend to scavenge on things he shouldn't given the opportunity. He has apparently got a little bit of poo and gas which looked normal to the vet.
He's still strong and it is extremely difficult to open his mouth for me to try force feeding him. All he's interested in is going to bed. Surely he shouldn't be trying to hibernate given his table temps...
I've started soaking him daily for 10 minutes in warm water with added reptoboost but it doesn't seem to be pepping him up. I'll avoid hibernating him this year if needs be.
Any advice on next steps would be greatly appreciated. I have put enclosure info below:
Enclosure - tortoise table with MV bulb. Light on for 14 hours a day (previously 12 hours) with a basking temp of 35-36C. Ambient temps of around 18-22C depending on weather. He has an outdoor run for hot days however hasn't been outside for a couple of weeks now.