Intro from Nor Cal and help

[Couscous]

Hello, TFO members and trusted advisors! My name is Pennie and I live in Sonoma County in Northern California. I have a 5 year old Testudo Graeca Soussensis that I've had since she was a hatchling. I've learned so much from reading everyone's posts here, and before this I was following the TortoiseTrust which helped me develop proper husbandry for my little Couscous.

Now I'm a little anxious and seeking reassurance or guidance on what's normal for a hibernating tort. Couscous really began winding down a couple of weeks ago and seems to have gone into a state of suspended animation. I was soaking, sunning, and offering food (which she didn't touch) up until a couple of days ago when she went into her outdoor hide and didn't come out or respond to any of my offerings. I assumed she wanted to do what tortoises do this time of year and hibernate, which she's never done before. I brought her indoors when the temps dropped to the 50's/40's and she went into her indoor hide and appears to be asleep. Now I'm concerned because I just checked on her and she's not responsive, and her eyes seem sort of sunken in! I weighed her and she's not lost any weight (1.5 lbs), but I'm not sure what, if anything to do! Last year at this time she slowed way down, but I would put her in the sun or under her lights and she was sluggish, but would nibble a couple of days out of the week and sleep the restView attachment 31127. She's been otherwise healthy and active and I've had her since she was a hatchling. Any advice or comforting words are appreciated!

 

[dmmj]

Sunken eyes are not a good sign, it could be dehydration. I hate to ask this but are you sure she is still alive? ASAP I would put her under a heat source and see if she responds to that.

 

[Yvonne G]

Welcome to the Forum, Pennie!

Because of the eyes, I would put Couscous in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes. Lots of people get their hibernating tortoises up during their sleep and soak them. This way you can be sure he's still alive.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[kanalomele]

Welcome to tfo from your neighbor in Sacramento. I would definitely soak your tort. It will not hurt to give it a nice warm soak. Check and make sure there is no crusty slimy gunk around the nose or eyes and let us know how it goes.

 

[Couscous]

Thanks all for the welcome and the suggestions. I've soaked her every day, and I honestly can't tell what's up. Her head is pulled in, and it appears her eyes are slightly open, and sunken in :-( It doesn't look good, but then she seems to have moved ever-so-slightly when I picked her up.
I'm going to put a red warming light on her and see what happens. She hasn't had any discharge from her mouth or nostrils, and otherwise has been very healthy with a good appetite. Will warming her up if she's hibernating do her any harm? I assume that her internal organs have all powered down, so to speak, and I don't want to stress her if she's really just deep in hibernation.

 

[mainey34]

I agree with above. I would not hibernate. Give warm soaks.

 

[TortieLuver]

Welcome and sorry to hear about your concern. I agree that if by chance there is another issue, you wouldn't want to hibernate a tortoise. Do you have a herp tort vet? They usually offer pre-hibernation checkups to ensure they are healthy for hibernation. I didn't see a picture but I'm on my son's iPod and sometimes they don't come up...if you didn't perhaps a picture of the eyes would help us help you.

 

[sibi]

The sunken eyes means your tort is in distress. Take her to a vet who knows about torts asap. Something is not right here. She needs to be checked for worms and parasites too. Keep us posted. Sorry if I sound negative, but I really don't want to see anything happen to your tort.

 

[Couscous]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and support. I soaked her again and put her under a warming lamp, but she's gone. :-( It's all very unexpected as she was seemingly healthy up until Tuesday of this week! Someone said that sometimes the first sign of illness is death in torts, and that they can have something and never show outward signs. I hadn't planned on hibernating her, but she began slowing down and cleaning out a week or so before this, and I just thought she was doing what she did last year when her metabolism seemed to be in kind of an awake hibernation - not very active, eating sparsely, sleeping a lot. I've decided to bury her tomorrow and perhaps in a year I'll be able to retrieve her shell...we'll see how I feel about it then. Thanks again. Maybe someday I'll get another tort. Funny how attached one can become to a shelled reptile, but then you all understand those feelings. I'm grateful to have this forum and your support. Peace. ~ Pennie

 

[pam]

Sorry for your loss

 

[kanalomele]

I just wanted to post my condolences here as well for you Pennie. When you are ready there will be another tort who can give you many years of companionship. Remember what was said to you on the fb group. Often times the first indication of a problem is death. These beautiful creatures are designed to conceal illness. Wishing you all the best.

 

[sibi]

I'm so sorry. It looks like there was nothing you could do...you did all you can and we mourn with you. Don't give up on another tortoise...he/she will fill the void you now feel. Wish you the best.

 

[mainey34]

Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss...