Princess Nova
Member
Hello everyone ! I’m new to this app but have gotten most of my information and research on tortoises from here, so I trust the community.
I have a problem with my female Russian tortoise and would love to get some help or opinions. I have had her for over a year, and just recently she has started sucking her head in quickly and blowing air out her nose, like sneezing or “blowing” her nose almost? The other day I could have swore I saw a bubble come out (I haven’t seen anything else yet). I’m hoping it’s not respiratory infection!
She’s also acting very odd and different than usual. (I’ll attach pictures), She is in an open top tortoise table with 2 floors, 4”x2.5”. Lately she will retreat up her ramp into the second floor where it is dark, and huddle in the corner. She has missed meals doing this! In hopes of making this stop, I pull back the “roof” of the top floor to let light in, but she insists on finding a dark corner and staying there. She gets very cold sometimes by doing this, and I always place her underneath her heat lamp when she does. I thought maybe she’s trying to hibernate? What could she be doing this for?
She is from a pet shop, and the guy there said she was about 5, but she looks very small to me for a 5 year old. I weigh her every month, this month she weighs 1 lb., 2 oz., an ounce less than last month, yet she was on an empty stomach when I weighed her.
And lastly some information I often see people ask for is:
Diet - I feed her mainly spring mix, and occasionally switch it up with kale, mustard greens, collard greens, and turnip greens.
She loves her carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, squashes and zucchini, and more. The more variety I can give her, the better. I do sprinkle ReptiCalcium with D3 on her meals a few times a week. She usually doesn’t eat more than 1 or 2 times a day.
VERY occasional fruit such as apple, banana, tomatoes, etc.
Fresh bottled water is always provided and accessible to her in a bowl buried in the dirt.
Substrate - At the moment I’m using very basic top soil as substrate. When it dries, it’s not very deep at all. I have noticed that it is very dusty (which I’m thinking could be the whole problem here) and dry, and despite what I have recently seen on this app, Russians are supposed to have dry substrate with little humidity. I haven’t found one set substrate that I like the most. I would LOVE to know what kind of substrate you use and how it works for your RT! We are crunched on money so please take that into consideration.
Heat and Light - 12 on 12 off light cycle. She has heating in the day of course, and also night time as our house is set at 67 degrees (F). Sometimes she sleeps underneath her night lamp, sometimes she doesn’t. She is also provided with her necessary sun light lamp.
Her basking area is at around 90 degrees (F), the rest is about 80 and the upstairs that she won’t stop hiding in is room temp at high 60’s - low 70’s.
Soaking - I soak her roughly 2-3 times a week for 15-20 minutes in the sink, with nice warm water. Usually she poops and pees while being soaked, but I do also have to spot clean her enclosure. She clearly drinks while being soaked, and I won’t let the stream from the tap pass over her face too much as I don’t want her to get any water in her nose.
If you can help it would be MUCH appreciated! I hope I provided enough information, sorry it’s long, I’m just very confused and stress out at why she’s acting so weird. If you have any questions I will try my best to answer them. Thank you!
I have a problem with my female Russian tortoise and would love to get some help or opinions. I have had her for over a year, and just recently she has started sucking her head in quickly and blowing air out her nose, like sneezing or “blowing” her nose almost? The other day I could have swore I saw a bubble come out (I haven’t seen anything else yet). I’m hoping it’s not respiratory infection!
She’s also acting very odd and different than usual. (I’ll attach pictures), She is in an open top tortoise table with 2 floors, 4”x2.5”. Lately she will retreat up her ramp into the second floor where it is dark, and huddle in the corner. She has missed meals doing this! In hopes of making this stop, I pull back the “roof” of the top floor to let light in, but she insists on finding a dark corner and staying there. She gets very cold sometimes by doing this, and I always place her underneath her heat lamp when she does. I thought maybe she’s trying to hibernate? What could she be doing this for?
She is from a pet shop, and the guy there said she was about 5, but she looks very small to me for a 5 year old. I weigh her every month, this month she weighs 1 lb., 2 oz., an ounce less than last month, yet she was on an empty stomach when I weighed her.
And lastly some information I often see people ask for is:
Diet - I feed her mainly spring mix, and occasionally switch it up with kale, mustard greens, collard greens, and turnip greens.
She loves her carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, squashes and zucchini, and more. The more variety I can give her, the better. I do sprinkle ReptiCalcium with D3 on her meals a few times a week. She usually doesn’t eat more than 1 or 2 times a day.
VERY occasional fruit such as apple, banana, tomatoes, etc.
Fresh bottled water is always provided and accessible to her in a bowl buried in the dirt.
Substrate - At the moment I’m using very basic top soil as substrate. When it dries, it’s not very deep at all. I have noticed that it is very dusty (which I’m thinking could be the whole problem here) and dry, and despite what I have recently seen on this app, Russians are supposed to have dry substrate with little humidity. I haven’t found one set substrate that I like the most. I would LOVE to know what kind of substrate you use and how it works for your RT! We are crunched on money so please take that into consideration.
Heat and Light - 12 on 12 off light cycle. She has heating in the day of course, and also night time as our house is set at 67 degrees (F). Sometimes she sleeps underneath her night lamp, sometimes she doesn’t. She is also provided with her necessary sun light lamp.
Her basking area is at around 90 degrees (F), the rest is about 80 and the upstairs that she won’t stop hiding in is room temp at high 60’s - low 70’s.
Soaking - I soak her roughly 2-3 times a week for 15-20 minutes in the sink, with nice warm water. Usually she poops and pees while being soaked, but I do also have to spot clean her enclosure. She clearly drinks while being soaked, and I won’t let the stream from the tap pass over her face too much as I don’t want her to get any water in her nose.
If you can help it would be MUCH appreciated! I hope I provided enough information, sorry it’s long, I’m just very confused and stress out at why she’s acting so weird. If you have any questions I will try my best to answer them. Thank you!