Russian Tort - 3 days burrowed

CraigIN

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Hello everyone - I'm a new russian tort owner and noticed that he is still not coming out from being burrowed. He has plenty of room and has a nice UVB bulb and a basking area. The temp is approx 85-88 degrees under the basking area. 40-50% humidity. I've been giving him fresh food to eat and fresh water but nothing at this point. Should I be worried?
 

CraigIN

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I have had him for 4 days. I only know by approximation that he is 4-6 years old. He is about 4.5 inches
 
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Well, it's possible he's still getting used to things, sometimes it takes them a few days. Are you saying he hasn't come out AT ALL or that he's just spending most of his time burrowed? Has he been basking at all? Is he burrowed in a hide or just dug down in the substrate? I think those answers matter and hopefully someone more experienced than I will see this thread and chime in! If not, I would double check my temps - warm side, cool side, basking (I'm not sure 85 basking is warm enough). I would review the Beginners Mistakes thread and also the Russian care sheet. But, if he's coming out to eat and bask, but spending the rest of the time burrowed - I would say that's pretty normal when they are in a new home. If he burrowed when you arrived and he hasn't come out - that is totally different.
 

CraigIN

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Well, it's possible he's still getting used to things, sometimes it takes them a few days. Are you saying he hasn't come out AT ALL or that he's just spending most of his time burrowed? Has he been basking at all? Is he burrowed in a hide or just dug down in the substrate? I think those answers matter and hopefully someone more experienced than I will see this thread and chime in! If not, I would double check my temps - warm side, cool side, basking (I'm not sure 85 basking is warm enough). I would review the Beginners Mistakes thread and also the Russian care sheet. But, if he's coming out to eat and bask, but spending the rest of the time burrowed - I would say that's pretty normal when they are in a new home. If he burrowed when you arrived and he hasn't come out - that is totally different.
He stays burrowed and hasn't eaten. I have taken him out multiple times to guide him in his new place but he returns. He goes under his hide and burrows under the substrate. He doesn't seem to be interested in food or heat. It's about 91 degrees on top of the hide that he can go on.
 
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He stays burrowed and hasn't eaten. I have taken him out multiple times to guide him in his new place but he returns. He goes under his hide and burrows under the substrate. He doesn't seem to be interested in food or heat. It's about 91 degrees on top of the hide that he can go on.
First thing I'd do is give him a soak so he doesn't dehydrate. If you haven't done that yet, just get a bowl or tub big enough to hold him that he can't see thru or out of, fill it with warm (not super hot) water that covers his legs and bottom of his shell. It should be deep enough he can dunk his head down to drink if he wants but not over his head! Maybe post some pictures of him and his enclosure and I'm sure others will be along to offer ideas. But I think the first thing is to soak him then review the care sheets to make sure the temperatures are right. He needs a cooler side, a warm side and a basking area. If a tortoise isn't warm enough, they won't eat.
 

CraigIN

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I gave him a nice soak to hydrate - he seems to be fairly happy but always looking for a spot to hide in. He is still refusing food. This time during the soak, he did dip his mouth a few times! Here are pictures of his setup and his soak. He looks healthy too right?

PS - The bulbs are not resting on the top of the cage - I cut through so the UVB rays make it through. The bulbs are the Reptisun 10.0 UVB and the Exo Terra 100W Daylight basking spot.Water is fresh and chemical free, I've been trying to feed him different mixed greens and a tomato. He has yet to eat. His previous habitat was about 4x as small - hence why he probably was buried a lot.

My main question is - he wouldn't starve himself right? He will eventually come out to the fresh food that I change out every day? lol
 

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Eduardo Hernandez

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No, your tort will not starve themselves. They take a while to get used to their new territory, so give him a few days to get used to you.

Just want to point out a few things:

There seems to be some white things in the substrate? May I ask what are they?
Your water dish is too tall and steep, a terra cotta bowl works better and there is no risk of tipping over.
Start thinking about upgrading, these torts can walk miles in the wild, so we tend to recommend an enclosure thats at least 8 feet by 4 feet.
 

CraigIN

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No, your tort will not starve themselves. They take a while to get used to their new territory, so give him a few days to get used to you.

Just want to point out a few things:

There seems to be some white things in the substrate? May I ask what are they?
Your water dish is too tall and steep, a terra cotta bowl works better and there is no risk of tipping over.
Start thinking about upgrading, these torts can walk miles in the wild, so we tend to recommend an enclosure thats at least 8 feet by 4 feet.
I'm actually building a 8x4 ft enclosure as we speak. The substrate is reptisoil so I'm guessing it's some sort of sand or carbon. I will switch out the water bowl. The light is okay?
 
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I'm actually building a 8x4 ft enclosure as we speak. The substrate is reptisoil so I'm guessing it's some sort of sand or carbon. I will switch out the water bowl. The light is okay?

As long as the Reptisun 10 isn't the coil or short tube kind that screws in, they can damage the tortoise's eyes. If it's a long tube (like you see in commercial buildings), then that is okay. One thing I'd point out is that you want to make sure the uv light is the appropriate distance from the tortoise (you can read it on the light instructions) otherwise it doesn't help him. I have struggled with lighting myself so I know it's kind of frustrating but once you get it set up and working right - it gets much easier. I'd also avoid tomato - Russians shouldn't have fruit because it can cause all sorts of intestinal problems. When I got my first tortoise, I was on here asking 100 different questions and reading everything. I have Hermanns and I still read EVERYTHING Chris (Garden State) and Gary (GB Tortoise) post. Hermanns and Russians have similar care requirements so I would suggest you search for their posts. The care sheets are on the species pages. Anyway - you want to be concerned with four temperatures - warm side, cool side, basking and night. His basking spot should be mid 90s to 100, then the temperature will slowly drop as you move away from the light. The cool side you want to be in the 70s. They do not need night time heat unless the room gets cold (like below 60) and then you should only use a CHE on a thermostat so that you're not subjecting him to high night time temps. The care sheets on this forum will give you a lot of info on what to aim for. I know this isn't exactly what you asked, but I'm sharing this because one thing I learned is that if the temperatures are not right, the tortoise will not be active and will not eat properly.
 

CraigIN

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So I took the cover off the temporary enclosure and got a light stand - lowered the basking area so it's approximately 95 degrees. He sat under it for about an hour then went to go eat food! WOOOOOOOOOO!
 
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So I took the cover off the temporary enclosure and got a light stand - lowered the basking area so it's approximately 95 degrees. He sat under it for about an hour then went to go eat food! WOOOOOOOOOO!
YAY!!! That's great news. It's amazing the effect temperatures can have on them. Congrats.
 
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