My tortoise won’t accept nutrients?

[hmain76]

Hello!
I have a Hermann’s tortoise that is about 4 years old. I’ve had him for about 9 months and he is my first reptile. He’s been acting kind of strange lately and I don’t know why.
It started about a week ago when I noticed he wasn’t eating very much of his food.
I got him kale and green leaf lettuce for that week but he is very dramatic and gets mad at me if I give him just kale. I thought it being mixed with something else would change his mind but it did not.
So I got him collard greens and butter crunch lettuce, both of which are his absolute FAVORITE. He will wake up out of a dead sleep when he smells collard greens lmao. For the last three days though, he hasn’t even touched them which is incredibly out of character for him.
He’s never really liked the vitamin D powder so I have to be sneaky about how I give it to him by putting it on his favorite foods only but he won’t eat it. I tried putting some of the powder on a green pepper and he still didn’t want it.
Im worried because he’s not eating in general but he’s also not getting the supplements he needs.
The last two days, he’s been spending almost all of his time under his little tree trunk shaped hide. He usually walks all around and digs and climbs but he’s just hiding in there all day so he’s not getting any UV light either. I don’t know what to do about that because I don’t want to take away his hiding spot but he needs to get that light.
I noticed today that on his sides, the scutes are sort of pulling away? It doesn’t look like they’re peeling or cracking. It’s like bending outwards.

Can someone tell me what’s going on and how to help my little buddy? I’m a first time tortoise mom and I’m worried about him.

 

[wellington]

It's likely the time of year. When fall and winter arrives we get these kinds of posts all the time
What are the temps, basking, all over and night?
How long is the lights on for?
As for the food, just a tiny pinch 2-3 times a week of the supplements.

 

[hmain76]

It's likely the time of year. When fall and winter arrives we get these kinds of posts all the time
What are the temps, basking, all over and night?
How long is the lights on for?
As for the food, just a tiny pinch 2-3 times a week of the supplements.

I live in the northern Midwest so he’s been inside for about two months now though. He’s in the same enclosure as he is outside except the bottom isn’t grass from the yard, it’s a tarp liner with lots of coconut fiber bedding (about three inches) so he hasn’t experienced any real weather changes. Would that still affect him though? Like does he know the seasons are changing even though he isn’t outside to feel it?
I have a heat light and UV light on a timer from 7am-7pm (mimicking the natural sunlight as much as I can. The room he’s in has windows to the outside but we only get sun from 8am-6pm but I like to give him more hours of light in case he sleeps in and misses some of it) and a ceramic heat lamp that is on at all times.
his enclosure has an “outside” part that has fenced sides and a fenced top that comes off. This part is usually around 65-70.
Then he has an “inside” part with solid walls and a solid roof that is completely dark. He can access this area at all times but he typically only goes in there at bedtime.
That part is around 60-65 during the day because he’s not usually in there during the day. At night when he goes to bed, I move the ceramic heat lamp into his bedroom so he can be nice and warm at night. I’m not sure what it is in the middle of the night but when I go to bed (around midnight) it’s around 70 and when I wake up (6am-9am depending on the day) it’s around 68. It stays pretty consistent in his bedroom at night because of the walls.

The supplements I have are a powder that I usually sprinkle on his food. I tried giving him big pinches but he won’t eat his food if I do that. The only way I can get him to eat the powder is if it’s a little tiny pinch every other day but he’s not eating anything at all now, even when it doesn’t have the powder.
I also have pellets. I’m not sure what they are exactly, they came with him and it’s supposed to be some sort of complete nutrient supplement.
I usually tuck them in the little bends of kale or fold it inside the collard greens because he won’t just eat them straight but he’s not getting those either now.

 

[wellington]

Any food pellets he sure to soak them until soft.
Yes, even though he is inside, with constant same temps, they will still try to hibernate or slows down.
Give him daily warm water soaks to keep him hydrated.
Make all day temps not lower then 75-80 with basking of 95-100. Only let temps fall lower at night. Into the 60's is fine at night.
Only for now try feeding romaine. Most torts love it. It will also help hydrate him. As he starts to eat, add in the other better foods.

 

[hmain76]

Any food pellets he sure to soak them until soft.
Yes, even though he is inside, with constant same temps, they will still try to hibernate or slows down.
Give him daily warm water soaks to keep him hydrated.
Make all day temps not lower then 75-80 with basking of 95-100. Only let temps fall lower at night. Into the 60's is fine at night.
Only for now try feeding romaine. Most torts love it. It will also help hydrate him. As he starts to eat, add in the other better foods.

Oh thank you! I honestly didn’t know I was supposed to soak the pellets until they were soft. I feel so bad now!

I will try to insulate the sides to keep the temps up more during the day or maybe get a second heat lamp. Do you think it being warmer at night than day is confusing him?

I will pick up some romaine today. Should I cut the pieces smaller so it’s easier for him? I usually keep the pieces kind of big (like the width of a coffee cup) because he likes the crunch and he gets more crunch that way. Do you think it would help if I cut it up in to tiny pieces so he doesn’t use as much energy?

Also, would giving him a strawberry help or hurt him? This might sound a little crazy but he seems sad and I want him to know that I love him.

(thank you so much for all of your help so far and for responding so quickly!!)

 

[wellington]

He will never know you love him. He is a tortoise, does not have human emotions.
Showing your love though is in doing everything that is the best for him.
It doesn't help that the nights are warmer then the day. That does need to be turned around. No strawberries, fruit is bad for him. Hopefully he will eat the romaine and you can get him starting to eat again and back on the right track. You could give him some chopped and some not.
But get the temps straightened out.