Can you soak too long?

[Laurie]

Tootsie roll hadn't pooped in five days, her appetite has decreased, but she still is eating. She stays buried a lot though, other than that she has been acting normal. So I set her up in a new cat littler pan (found at target on sale for .99 cents!) I've had her unit, under a light for over 45 minutes now. This is all that came out should I soak her longer or try again tomorrow?

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[jaketheskate]

Has she been eating?

 

[Utah Lynn]

Hi Laurie. My adult male is doing the same thing. I have to assume that this is normal for this time of year.

 

[Tim/Robin]

I would not soak any longer. Your tortoise will poop when it needs to. Don't get hung up on when it poops, as long as it is still active and eating. Do you track its weight with a good gram scale? If so, how often? What is the trend in the weight? Regularly tracking weight will help you pick up on a problem before it gets severe. But you must remember to watch for trends. Your tortoise's weight will fluctuate some, depending on hydration and bowel fullness.
A decrease in appetite is common this time of year, especially for a Russian. Has the temperature in the enclosure dropped some?

 

[Laurie]

I took her out of the soak, I started to feel bad for her. She is eating, but not everyday. She is buried almost all the time. I've dug her up a few times to soak, sometimes she eats before re-burying, sometimes she doesn't. She appears to be ok other than that. Her nose is clear and her eyes are bright and she is alert.

I do track their weights. Tootsie weighed in at 110 grams last week, she was 100 grams two weeks before that. I haven't seen her eat that much recently so I assumed the weight gain was maybe the result of constipation. I brought her inside for the winter about three weeks ago. I have two other Russians that are running around like maniacs, so she's just acting differently from them. They are all in separate enclosures and I monitor the temps daily, even have a spreadsheet (can you say OCD)

Basking 95
Cool side is 72-73
Warm side 75-80
Night time is dropping to 64

These have been pretty constant. I've recently lost a baby hermanns so I think I may be getting a little over paranoid with the rest.

Thanks guys.

 

[Laura]

its probably the time of year.. if she is cooler of does not have 14 hours of light a day,, she is slowing down and getting ready for sleep. You dont want them to be eating if they are going to sleep, you want an empty gut.. so warm her up and set her lights on timers.

 

[bigred]

The cooler weather slows them down