Hibernation????

[Matthew Torrey Jr]

Hi Guys!
My tortoise rarely moves around and sleeps all the time. Is he hibernating? Also he hasn't really gone to the bathroom. And if he is hibernating should I still be soaking him???

 

[mark1]

unless you are intentionally hibernating him , he shouldn't be ..... I've never hibernated a Russian , but any turtle I've ever had needed around 40 degrees to properly hibernate ...... to keep him awake , lots of light , warmth , and humidity ... the light should be bright and as full of a spectrum as you can provide , not sure what kind of heat a Russian tortoise prefers , I keep box turtles 80-90 degrees .... and humid , wet his enclosure down like rain ...... It seems a lot of these Russians are wild caught , i'd imagine it would take some work to break the cycle of hibernating ......

 

[Matthew Torrey Jr]

Okay thanks! Are those things I have noticed in my tortoise problematic?

 

[mark1]

can be , is he eating ? you need to soak him and keep him eating and going to the bathroom .......... do you keep him outside for part of the year?

 

[Gillian M]

Hi @Matthew Torrey Jr and welcome to the forum.

Please note that torts do not like change, therefore they take time to adjust.

Any pics of your tort and his enclosure?

 

[Matthew Torrey Jr]

Here's his enclosure I haven't seen him eat. I was feeding him kale and I didn't see him eat so I switched to tortoise pellets.

 

[cmacusa3]

Here's his enclosure I haven't seen him eat. I was feeding him kale and I didn't see him eat so I switched to tortoise pellets.

Looks like he's not be kept warm enough and that's the reason for the bad appetite.

 

[Matthew Torrey Jr]

Should I switch him to the warm side with the heat mat and light??

 

[cmacusa3]

Should I switch him to the warm side with the heat mat and light??

What type of temps do you have in the enclosure? I only see one light.

Also is that the food sitting on the mulch? He could accidentally eat some of the substrate

 

[Matthew Torrey Jr]

I do not know the exact temperature of the heat may but the dimensions I'm pretty sure are 12 by 8 inches. And I also don't know with the light.

 

[cmacusa3]

It's important to figure out the temps. My observations are that he's not warm enough and this is the reason he's not eating. Let's see what others think.

 

[Matthew Torrey Jr]

Okay thanks! I have an extra heater from my gecko so I'll check.

 

[mark1]

Okay thanks! I have an extra heater from my gecko so I'll check.

imo , heat from lights or those ceramic heat bulbs is better for turtles and tortoises than mats ..... the substrate looks pretty dry ....... i have to think they have care instructions on this site for russian tortoises , you should read it .

 

[Matthew Torrey Jr]

Without substrate the temp is 98-99 just on the bottom of the tank where the heat mat. But the temperature is around 90-92 with the substrate. I just moved his hide over to the warm side. And soaked him.

 

[mark1]

aside from basking , every turtle I've ever had preferred around 83 degrees ....... Russian may be different ....... but kept too hot is as stressful as too cold .......

 

[Matthew Torrey Jr]

Okay I'll try to change that.
Thanks!

 

[Matthew Torrey Jr]

This is what Ted does most of the day

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Are his eyes always closed like that?

 

[Matthew Torrey Jr]

Yea but then he opens them when he hears me.

 

[JoesMum]

Your Russian needs 100F directly under the basking lamp with ambient of 75-80 by day.

It should not drop below 65F at night.

If it's not being active and eating then you MUST soak your tort for at least 30 minutes every day in warm water to keep it hydrated.

Your tort risks getting very sick indeed, so you need to be measuring temperatures accurately. Use a temperature gun type thermometer like this (they're inexpensive from hardware stores and Amazon)


Pictures of your enclosure and lighting are the best way for us to spot problems.