dry tortoise shell?

[Yingg]

If it’s the indoor enclosure, I’d replace the substrate and make sure all the dishes, hides etc have a good clean

i don't have any replacement on hand sadly, and it would cost $50-60 for more, along with shipping time. it's not dirty or anything either, it's just... dirt??? she doesn't poop and i clean her food every day. is there anything else i can do?

will the ants hurt her? i feel like they wouldn't because in the wild, tortoises live in areas with ants (ants are everywhere..).

 

[Yingg]

man i don't even know, she barely eats, doesn't poop, won't walk like she usually does. and i don't know what's wrong. i mention to my mom every day and say, "she hasn't eaten today", so maybe she will finally understand my worry...

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

i don't have any replacement on hand sadly, and it would cost $50-60 for more, along with shipping time. it's not dirty or anything either, it's just... dirt??? she doesn't poop and i clean her food every day. is there anything else i can do?

will the ants hurt her? i feel like they wouldn't because in the wild, tortoises live in areas with ants (ants are everywhere..).

I’d try and dig out as many as you can find, they can definitely be a problem for the tortoise, especially whilst they sleep. What kind of ants are they? Like just small black ants?

man i don't even know, she barely eats, doesn't poop, won't walk like she usually does. and i don't know what's wrong. i mention to my mom every day and say, "she hasn't eaten today", so maybe she will finally understand my worry...

I almost wonder if she’s trying to go into early brumation, but admittedly I lack experience there so hard for me to say, but I’m curious what others think to that possibility.
It’s either that or maybe a blockage has got her bunged up, she has managed to poop a tiny bit though, even just little, so it might not be, but if she doesn’t start improving, and continues to become less active with no appetite, it could be worth some further investigation.

Let’s see what the others say when they see the updates, hang tight❤️

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Some ants can hurt her. They don't usually settle in the indoors enclosures - they are coming from elsewhere, try to find their "track of life".

Cotton balls with boric acid (Terrano Ant Baits) and sugar syrup or food grade diatomaceous earth can prevent them from getting in the enclosure (use outside of the enclosure, of course).

Early brumation is possible, yes. What are the timers for lights in the indoors enclosure and nighttime low temperature there?

 

[Yingg]

I’d try and dig out as many as you can find, they can definitely be a problem for the tortoise, especially whilst they sleep. What kind of ants are they? Like just small black ants?

I almost wonder if she’s trying to go into early brumation, but admittedly I lack experience there so hard for me to say, but I’m curious what others think to that possibility.
It’s either that or maybe a blockage has got her bunged up, she has managed to poop a tiny bit though, even just little, so it might not be, but if she doesn’t start improving, and continues to become less active with no appetite, it could be worth some further investigation.

Let’s see what the others say when they see the updates, hang tight❤️

thank you ❤️ and yes, normal tiny black ants. i'll try digging them out

 

[Yingg]

Some ants can hurt her. They don't usually settle in the indoors enclosures - they are coming from elsewhere, try to find their "track of life".

Cotton balls with boric acid (Terrano Ant Baits) and sugar syrup or food grade diatomaceous earth can prevent them from getting in the enclosure (use outside of the enclosure, of course).

Early brumation is possible, yes. What are the timers for lights in the indoors enclosure and nighttime low temperature there?

thank you for the tips!

light: basking 7am-7pm (follows sun) (90-95f basking)
normal light: 7am- 8pm
nighttime low: 75, usually it's around 79-83 though.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

thank you for the tips!

light: basking 7am-7pm (follows sun) (90-95f basking)
normal light: 7am- 8pm
nighttime low: 75, usually it's around 79-83 though.

Sounds good to me. If she's really trying to brumate you can adjust lights to be on for 14 hours: basking from 6 to 8, ambient light from 6.30 to 7.30.

 

[EppsDynasty]

I agree with your concern but we must always be aware we could be worrying for no reason .... Trust me I do that quite often. Especially when our 'Tort Care Confidence' isn't really there yet. The lights need to be on at a minimum of 14 hours, I run my indoor lights for 16 hours. @zovick is a legend and SHOULD not be dismissed, he may not be right but he knows more than most of us combined, so please don't make the mistake of not listening.
A couple questions ... What town are you in? and How long does she spend outside?
If she is being exposed to cool temps and humid air outside it could be triggering the Brumation thoughts in her head. We had a cool spell here and it changed our torts behavior enough for us to notice, they are dinosaurs and have certain intuition about Brumation. could call @Littleredfootbigredheart. I'm not certain of Brumation but they will stop eating no matter what ya do.

 

[Yingg]

I agree with your concern but we must always be aware we could be worrying for no reason .... Trust me I do that quite often. Especially when our 'Tort Care Confidence' isn't really there yet. The lights need to be on at a minimum of 14 hours, I run my indoor lights for 16 hours. @zovick is a legend and SHOULD not be dismissed, he may not be right but he knows more than most of us combined, so please don't make the mistake of not listening.
A couple questions ... What town are you in? and How long does she spend outside?
If she is being exposed to cool temps and humid air outside it could be triggering the Brumation thoughts in her head. We had a cool spell here and it changed our torts behavior enough for us to notice, they are dinosaurs and have certain intuition about Brumation. could call @Littleredfootbigredheart. I'm not certain of Brumation but they will stop eating no matter what ya do.

i'm in california. it is dry. she spends time 4-7 every day, and 1-7 pm weekends outside. there is also no cold air, it gets up to 100 around here. it is the opposite of the "brumation" requirements i suppose.

it wasn't my intention to ignore zovick, i suppose i am just careful about whose advice i take after having some strange experiences with vets. my apologies.