New "owner" of a 9 yr old russian tortoise sleeping a lot and not eating.

[Reeselovespizza]

Hello, I just got a 9yr old Russian tortoise from a person that had him since he Hatched. He has been very healthy and very active. I've had him for 2 weeks now and he's been sleeping a lot and not eating as often. the previous owner said that he wasn't a big eater to not worry. I have two thermometers one on the warm side and it's always bettewn 95-100, and the cool side in the 70s is this okay?i do not have a night heater for him and the temperature is in the low 70s. I feed him lots of green leaves and his calcium bites. Please help with any advice? Thank you

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome

You have come to the right place for advice

First off, let me give you a couple of guides that you should read to understand your tort and its care better:
Beginner Mistakes: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Russian Care Sheet: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Then let me reassure you that torts handle change badly. Hiding away when they get a new home is not unusual. It can take weeks, months sometimes, for them to decide everything is safe.

The way to deal with this is to establish a routine so that your tort learns what to expect and when.

1. Put the lights on a timer so they go on and off at the same time each day.

2. Soak your tort first thing for a good 20 minutes in warm water before he's warmed up properly- very important if he's not eating properly

3. Put food in the enclosure and clean up while he soaks

4. Pop your tort back in and walk away - don't stand watching; it's intimidating.

He'll soon learn that you're the provider of yummy greens and come running.

 

[JoesMum]

Part 2:

Apart from change, the other reason for less activity is frequently to do with the enclosure.

Pictures of your tort, his home and the lighting will help us to pinpoint any areas that need addressing. We love pictures anyway

Of particular concern are the lights - especially UVB. Compact, coil type UVB hurts tort eyes and should not be used. Tube UVB and Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) are fine. An MVB is a combined basking & UVB source. You need a separate basking bulb with tube UVB.

You shouldn't need supplementary heat at night. Your overnight minimum sounds fine.

You need to be sure of the daytime temps.

It should be 95-100F directly under the basking lamp and a little cooler on the warm side. A temperature gun style thermometer is much better for measuring these accurately than what you have.

 

[Yvonne G]

To add to what Joe's Mum told you, tortoises can't digest their food unless they can warm up their inner core to at LEAST 80F degrees. If he's sleeping on the cool side of the habitat, he's probably not warm enough.

 

[Reeselovespizza]

Part 2:

Apart from change, the other reason for less activity is frequently to do with the enclosure.

Pictures of your tort, his home and the lighting will help us to pinpoint any areas that need addressing. We love pictures anyway

Of particular concern are the lights - especially UVB. Compact, coil type UVB hurts tort eyes and should not be used. Tube UVB and Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB) are fine. An MVB is a combined basking & UVB source. You need a separate basking bulb with tube UVB.

You shouldn't need supplementary heat at night. Your overnight minimum sounds fine.

You need to be sure of the daytime temps.

It should be 95-100F directly under the basking lamp and a little cooler on the warm side. A temperature gun style thermometer is much better for measuring these accurately than what you have.

"Wow" thank you! so much JoseMum and YvonneG for this great information. I shall take pictures of his closure for better help as well. This is a great site.

 

[CathyNed]

Hey there. Im have a Russian too. They can take a while to feel comfortable in a new enclosure and are creatures of habit. You have come to the right place for advice. Plenty of knowledgeable keepers here who will steer you in the right direction. My russian has been very lethargic lately and the advice ive gotten here has been extremely helpful. Hope fully in a few days you will notice a change. Pay attention to your set up regarding lights /heat and the advice you are given here.

 

[Reeselovespizza]

Hey there. Im have a Russian too. They can take a while to feel comfortable in a new enclosure and are creatures of habit. You have come to the right place for advice. Plenty of knowledgeable keepers here who will steer you in the right direction. My russian has been very lethargic lately and the advice ive gotten here has been extremely helpful. Hope fully in a few days you will notice a change. Pay attention to your set up regarding lights /heat and the advice you are given here.

Thank you CathyNed. I've notice that, he also keeps digging him self on the corner and will stay there pretty much all day. I do take him out and let him walk around or living room with supervision. I will be taking pictures of his enclosure so I can get better recommendations. This is an awesome site I've been reading a lot these past few days. It's just been hard to navigate on the site to post things for help.

 

[Yvonne G]

It gets easier with time and use.