I’ve had floki for 3 months and after reading all the info I’m not hibernating him but he seems to be doing it himself. He’s buried most of the time. I get him out and soak him daily How can I keep him awake throughout the winter( we’re in the uk). He lives in a tortoise table temps all good through the day. What should the night time temp be? Tia
Sleepy Russian baby
- Thread starter Floki1
- Start date
Hello and welcome.
Your baby needs 27C/85F day and night. And it also needs 35-37C/95-100F directly under the basking lamp. The lights must be as bright as possible and on for 13 hours.
At night your tortoise needs complete darkness, but still needs the warmth so you need a Ceramic Heat Emitter and a thermostat to achieve this.
Without night heat your tort will be too cold to get going the next day.
This can only be achieved by having a closed chamber (enclosure with a roof) to keep the heat and humidity in.
You must not give your tortoise choices. Have the lights on a timer so they are always on for the correct amount of time.
First thing in the morning, haul your tort out and give him a 20+ minute soak in warm water. While he’s soaking, tidy the enclosure and place food, have your breakfast, clean your teeth...
Replace your tort. Russians spend 60% of their time underground in the wild so digging in isn’t unusual, but hopefully by forcing your tort to start the day he will at least eat properly.
Please can we see photos of your enclosure and lighting in case there are any improvements that would help?
If you’re using the android app, it’s not coping with photos right now, so you will need to login to the forum on your device’s browser to upload them.
https://www.tortoiseforum.org
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Your baby needs 27C/85F day and night. And it also needs 35-37C/95-100F directly under the basking lamp. The lights must be as bright as possible and on for 13 hours.
At night your tortoise needs complete darkness, but still needs the warmth so you need a Ceramic Heat Emitter and a thermostat to achieve this.
Without night heat your tort will be too cold to get going the next day.
This can only be achieved by having a closed chamber (enclosure with a roof) to keep the heat and humidity in.
You must not give your tortoise choices. Have the lights on a timer so they are always on for the correct amount of time.
First thing in the morning, haul your tort out and give him a 20+ minute soak in warm water. While he’s soaking, tidy the enclosure and place food, have your breakfast, clean your teeth...
Replace your tort. Russians spend 60% of their time underground in the wild so digging in isn’t unusual, but hopefully by forcing your tort to start the day he will at least eat properly.
Please can we see photos of your enclosure and lighting in case there are any improvements that would help?
If you’re using the android app, it’s not coping with photos right now, so you will need to login to the forum on your device’s browser to upload them.
https://www.tortoiseforum.org
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- Joined
- Apr 3, 2013
- Messages
- 10,876
Hi
Welcome! Babies stay buried much of the time; remember they are a popular food source in the wild. No tortoise wants to end up as a snack!
But like JoesMum said, you want to get the setup right.
Have you read the Russian care sheet on Russian babies? https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/why-does-my-russian-tortoise-stay-buried.59575/
But like JoesMum said, you want to get the setup right.
Have you read the Russian care sheet on Russian babies? https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/why-does-my-russian-tortoise-stay-buried.59575/
Hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and Floki. 
Have you read https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
and https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
Have you read https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
and https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
Welcome! Glad to have you here.
