help Inactive tortoise.

[sarah05chiariello]

we got a new enclosure for our 4 year old Russian nikka. its called a tortoise house by zoo med. she seemed ok and liked it for the first month. But the past few weeks now she's been staying in her hide she won't eat or sun bath we wake her slowly at least once a week to bath her a put fresh food but she goes back to her hide... any ideas on what we should do.

 

[leigti]

Try taking the divider out, it ends up with a lot of wasted space. I started with one zoom med Tortoise house and then I got another one and connected the two. It is much easier to regulate the temperature if you have to of them, then you can have a warm and in a cooler and. To get more light into the enclosure I replaced the solid board on the top with plexiglass. And I took out both dividers. If I can figure out how I will try to download a picture of what I did. Your Tortoise may be more active if she has more room to move around. I use this as an indoor enclosure, and I have an outdoor enclosure for the one months.

 

[Yvonne G]

Those Zoo Med tortoise houses just aren't big enough. I'll bet your tortoise will really perk up if you can set up a nice, large, safe outdoor habitat...someplace you can put him on nice days. They really aren't meant to be cooped up indoors all the time, especially russians.

 

[TortoiseRN]

I agree with Yvonne. Russians like to move around a lot. I keep my Russians in their own 32 square foot enclosures.

 

[sarah05chiariello]

Thanks. definitely something we are in the process of planning but can't start it till we move into our new house. could possibly make something temporary till we move. I read you can attach two of the zoo med houses together could that possibly be big enough till we move and keep it outside?

 

[lismar79]

Double check your temps too. I recently had an issue with mine hiding much more and not eating much. I went back and re-checked everything and the temp was higher in her table. I didn't even think about the change as the weather has gotten warmer outside and inside my house. Long story short I got a smaller 50 watt heat che taking the 100 w out and she is back to running everywhere and eating like a champ. Heat went from high 80 with 110 basking to a much better 70's with a 95 basking

 

[sarah05chiariello]

yes we checked temps was getting a little hotter in her new home with her 100 watt light like you said, change of weather...and since we put our 10month old Russian into a new and bigger pin we gave him our adult Russians light and gave our female his 50 watt light so temps are just about perfect after the switch for both..we have been slowly waking her to do her soaks and taking her outside to maybe boost her appetite see how that goes after a week, if no progress im going to be worried. have had her for almost four year she's been happy active and healthy. she has gone threw a big growth spirt so making some blue prints for a large outdoor pin for summer..maybe tortoise table type so when we move its portable. need to do her first beek trimming shes due for one could this be the cause of her not eating?