RT won't eat and sleeps a lot

[Suhana]

So I have a 2 y/o RT. I got her from the pet store. She likes eat turnip greens but lately she isn't eating those and I do soak about once a week. During winter I keep her in a aquarium like tank that has a heat lamp and a UVB bulb but during summer (now) I keep her outdoors in an enclosure.

 

[JoesMum]

Welcome. Pictures of your enclosure will help.

We also need to know the 4 important temperatures: warm side, cool side, night minimum and directly under the basking lamp. It's usually a temperature problem

 

[Suhana]

Warm Side: High seventies
Cool Side: Low sixties
Directly Under Basking Lamp: 90s
Night Minimum: 60s


The outdoor enclosure is under a tree receives a good amount of sunlight, gets really hot in GA (in 90s right now)

 

[JoesMum]

Outdoors right now it is possibly too hot. They can do a summer hibernation called aestivation when things get too warm.

Do soak your tort daily at the moment to keep it hydrated. Offer food when things are cooler at the start and end of the day. Leave it out if you don't rise early so your tort can help himself

 

[Suhana]

Another Q.
Do you think I should re-think her outdoor enclosure?

I read here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
that there is an option to have some sort of underground enclosure. Do you think this is a good idea to keep her in something like this so is isn't too hot?

Also are the indoor enclosure temps good?

 

[Tom]

Offering an underground shelter is a great idea for russians in any hot climate.

Here is one of mine:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/semi-underground-russian-box.98590/

It stays low 80s in there on a 100 degree day. This keeps them much more active in general since they have an easy means to escape the intense heat of the day and the cool chill of the night.

 

[Suhana]

So as I said earlier I got her from a pet store. And I have read that pet store bought tortoises in general may have parasites because of conditions during transport. Should I be worried about this?

 

[Tom]

So as I said earlier I got her from a pet store. And I have read that pet store bought tortoises in general may have parasites because of conditions during transport. Should I be worried about this?

Yes you should be worried. Russians com in with all sorts of nasty tortoise diseases. Use caution and exercise strict quarantine procedures. This is just one reason why CB tortoises are recommended over WC.

IF, and ONLY if, you can find a good reptile vet with lots of tortoise experience in your area, then I would take a couple of fecal samples a couple of weeks apart and have then analyzed. It something turns up, a good experienced vet will know what to prescribe and how.

It is not worth your time or money to attempt this with a vet that is not experienced with tortoises, and in some cases it can be detrimental. Be careful.

 

[Yvonne G]

I think you're misinterpreting the "underground enclosure" thing. A tortoise sometimes has a burrow in its outdoor enclosure. The tortoise still has access to the whole outdoor enclosure, but his "shelter" is underground. It's a place he retreats to in order to cool off.

 

[Suhana]

I think you're misinterpreting the "underground enclosure" thing. A tortoise sometimes has a burrow in its outdoor enclosure. The tortoise still has access to the whole outdoor enclosure, but his "shelter" is underground. It's a place he retreats to in order to cool off.

My tortoise doesn't really burrow or dig around so much. So I think I will give that underground enclosure a shot.

 

[Suhana]

Thanks so much for your help guys. She ate some iceberg lettuce (I know you're not supposed to feed RTs that just gave it a shot) a few hours ago so she might be dehydrated.

 

[Suhana]

Yes you should be worried. Russians com in with all sorts of nasty tortoise diseases. Use caution and exercise strict quarantine procedures. This is just one reason why CB tortoises are recommended over WC.

IF, and ONLY if, you can find a good reptile vet with lots of tortoise experience in your area, then I would take a couple of fecal samples a couple of weeks apart and have then analyzed. It something turns up, a good experienced vet will know what to prescribe and how.

It is not worth your time or money to attempt this with a vet that is not experienced with tortoises, and in some cases it can be detrimental. Be careful.

I contacted the pet store where I got my tortoise from and they said all their tortoises are CB should I still be worried? Thanks for your help.

 

[Tom]

I contacted the pet store where I got my tortoise from and they said all their tortoises are CB should I still be worried? Thanks for your help.

Is it a chain store like Petco or Petsmart? What size is your tortoise? Can you post a pic?

Few pet stores sell CB russians, but it would be awesome if that is indeed the case.

 

[Suhana]

Is it a chain store like Petco or Petsmart? What size is your tortoise? Can you post a pic?

Few pet stores sell CB russians, but it would be awesome if that is indeed the case.

It is actually Petsmart.


Sorry they're kinda blurry.