We got a baby Russian from ATC in August. He has never been very active or had much appetite and it was evident from pretty early on that he was struggling. I’ve read though lots of the posts about struggling baby tortoises and have been soaking him in carrot/butternut squash puree mixed with water (not thick at all) twice daily. I make the puree myself from organic carrots and squash and cook it VERY soft and blend it until it is a velvety paste that is then mixed with the water. We had soaked him just in water before, but started with the puree after about 2 weeks and being concerned. We had been taking him outside quite a bit when it was warm and had a safe protected area where he could wander/eat/whatever. Our yard has been not been treated with any chemicals for 9 years and there is lots of dandelion, plantain weed, violets, clover, and grasses. As he continued to struggle I decided that the trips in and outside maybe were stressing him out and we started just leaving him in his enclosure so that he could get used to it. I’ve made some changes to the enclosure several times in an effort to help him. We had provided him with a terra cotta pot to hide in one area that was heated and that we kept especially moist. He never went near it (and generally doesn’t move around a lot). Since then I added 2 humid hides and would start placing him in the entrance of the hide in the evenings when we turned the lights off. Here are the various temps:
Coldest anywhere in enclosure is 67-71 degrees F
Warmest directly under light has sometimes been as much as 113 (but other close areas are 80 or lower so he has the option of steering clear). Generally it is lower because we mist the enclosure several times a day and the temp in the hottest area is usually around 105.
I will also attach pictures of his setup, but he also has the option of going through a little tunnel area to a side of the box that is not lighted.
The humid hide ranges from about 80-95. It has heating pads under (but he is never closed in) and on one side. It is warmer during the day because the overhead light shines on it. He has never gone in it during the day of his own volition. He will hang out deeper in if I place him at the entrance in the evenings.
He tends to like places that are adjacent to very warm spots but where he (especially his head) is in the shade. I would say that he likes about 83 degrees for his hanging out time, which seems very cool.
Temperatures are measured with a laser thermometer. There are also temperature and humidity gauges in both boxes, but they don’t capture ground level at all really.
His substrate is only coconut coif now. For a while I had a mix of coconut coif, cedar, topsoil near where some plants were planted. He seemed unable to burrow in the mixed medium so I changed it all to the coconut and I think he likes it better because he burrows a lot more than he used to.
I’ve tried to give him a variety of foods to eat, but he shows a very strong preference for baby romaine or red leaf lettuce. He occasionally will eat a little endive and once ate a radish leaf, but he won’t touch mustard greens, chicory, savoy lettuce, kale, turnip greens, carrot tops, etc. Regarding yard plants, he won’t touch them although he nibbled on some plantain and a little clover when he first came. He has a cuttle bone and we sprinkle a little TNT on his food about every 3 days. The TNT used to get him interested but now it doesn’t seem to matter. Also, he only eats when he is in his soak (except a few times a while ago). As soon as we let him out he seems totally uninterested. We also have two shallow water dishes which he also shows no interest in. He is able to climb in and out of them no problem when he wants to.
We have a zoo med 160 watt bulb. For a while we were leaving the top open and I added a ceramic heater overhead in order to keep the temperature high enough. He actually seemed to be doing better than but the humidity was really low. We also have a zoo med 80 bulb in a different fixture but it definitely doesn’t keep it warm enough unless it is very close to the surface. As mentioned above, I also have heating pads under/around the humid hide so it doesn’t get cold at night when the light is off.
He weighed 23g when we got him. Since then he has ocellated between 21 and 26 g. We weigh him each morning before he goes in his soak. I keep track of his poo schedule, which is always in the soak. I’ve only actually seen him pee a few times in the soak also. The last time he pooped was October 19. That same day he had a bunch of baby romaine. Since then he hasn’t gone to the bathroom or eaten. His weight has been 26 g. steadily for the last 3 days.
So I love this little guy. My kids love him. I feel like I’m doing everything that you guys have suggested, but something isn’t right. One more thing, his bottom shell does not usually feel soft or cushiony. Yesterday or the day before I noticed when I picked him up that it seemed to push in like a pillow. The outside underneath is not squishy but it feels like it is covering a bloated pillowy area under it and his head pushes out when I gently touch it down a little. This doesn’t seem right…maybe like he’s bloated?? I probably should have led with that.
Thoughts??? BTW, he is in the picture sitting with his head on a pile of greens. That is where I left him after his soak. It even got pretty hot their earlier (100+) and he didn’t move so I misted him.
Coldest anywhere in enclosure is 67-71 degrees F
Warmest directly under light has sometimes been as much as 113 (but other close areas are 80 or lower so he has the option of steering clear). Generally it is lower because we mist the enclosure several times a day and the temp in the hottest area is usually around 105.
I will also attach pictures of his setup, but he also has the option of going through a little tunnel area to a side of the box that is not lighted.
The humid hide ranges from about 80-95. It has heating pads under (but he is never closed in) and on one side. It is warmer during the day because the overhead light shines on it. He has never gone in it during the day of his own volition. He will hang out deeper in if I place him at the entrance in the evenings.
He tends to like places that are adjacent to very warm spots but where he (especially his head) is in the shade. I would say that he likes about 83 degrees for his hanging out time, which seems very cool.
Temperatures are measured with a laser thermometer. There are also temperature and humidity gauges in both boxes, but they don’t capture ground level at all really.
His substrate is only coconut coif now. For a while I had a mix of coconut coif, cedar, topsoil near where some plants were planted. He seemed unable to burrow in the mixed medium so I changed it all to the coconut and I think he likes it better because he burrows a lot more than he used to.
I’ve tried to give him a variety of foods to eat, but he shows a very strong preference for baby romaine or red leaf lettuce. He occasionally will eat a little endive and once ate a radish leaf, but he won’t touch mustard greens, chicory, savoy lettuce, kale, turnip greens, carrot tops, etc. Regarding yard plants, he won’t touch them although he nibbled on some plantain and a little clover when he first came. He has a cuttle bone and we sprinkle a little TNT on his food about every 3 days. The TNT used to get him interested but now it doesn’t seem to matter. Also, he only eats when he is in his soak (except a few times a while ago). As soon as we let him out he seems totally uninterested. We also have two shallow water dishes which he also shows no interest in. He is able to climb in and out of them no problem when he wants to.
We have a zoo med 160 watt bulb. For a while we were leaving the top open and I added a ceramic heater overhead in order to keep the temperature high enough. He actually seemed to be doing better than but the humidity was really low. We also have a zoo med 80 bulb in a different fixture but it definitely doesn’t keep it warm enough unless it is very close to the surface. As mentioned above, I also have heating pads under/around the humid hide so it doesn’t get cold at night when the light is off.
He weighed 23g when we got him. Since then he has ocellated between 21 and 26 g. We weigh him each morning before he goes in his soak. I keep track of his poo schedule, which is always in the soak. I’ve only actually seen him pee a few times in the soak also. The last time he pooped was October 19. That same day he had a bunch of baby romaine. Since then he hasn’t gone to the bathroom or eaten. His weight has been 26 g. steadily for the last 3 days.
So I love this little guy. My kids love him. I feel like I’m doing everything that you guys have suggested, but something isn’t right. One more thing, his bottom shell does not usually feel soft or cushiony. Yesterday or the day before I noticed when I picked him up that it seemed to push in like a pillow. The outside underneath is not squishy but it feels like it is covering a bloated pillowy area under it and his head pushes out when I gently touch it down a little. This doesn’t seem right…maybe like he’s bloated?? I probably should have led with that.
Thoughts??? BTW, he is in the picture sitting with his head on a pile of greens. That is where I left him after his soak. It even got pretty hot their earlier (100+) and he didn’t move so I misted him.