Nicortiz

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Hi! I hope you guys can offer some help.
I’ve had my Russian tortoise most of my life - he’s around 18 years old now and has been completely fine until the past few weeks. Usually he’ll hibernate and slow down a bit because we have cold winters here in NYC- but the past few weeks we noticed that he still hadn’t come out of hibernation. When we looked at him we noticed his eyes were a bit puffy and we immediately brought him to the vet.
They cited a vitamin a deficiency, and took blood and gave him an injection. About a week passed and they still weren’t any help. He won’t eat or drink or even move at all. We brought him back two days ago and he was given a round of antibiotics and IV to hydrate him - but he’s still not moving.

I tried a carrot juice soak, and we’ve tried giving him all types of foods and other supplements. We bought turtle eye drops from chewy and oral supplements that we’ve been giving him and there’s been no improvement whatsoever.

Usually his diet consists of green leafy vegetables / spring and Italian mixes and the soft turtle pellets. He doesn’t like the hard ones and we have cuttlebone in his tank but he doesn’t like it much. He’s also usually a really good eater but now it’s like he is starving himself to death. I have no idea what to do and I don’t want him to die.
 

method89

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can you post pictures of him and his enclosure, lights etc...

also I would stop bringing him to the Vet. most don't know how to treat tortoises.
 

Nicortiz

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Hi thank you! Here is a photo of his enclosure. I have him sitting in a carrot bath at the moment which seems to be the only way to get him to drink / eat any kind of nutrients at the moment. This is also an up close photo of his eyes and then the lamps we have been using which were recommended by a previous vet
 

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method89

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those eyes look bad. probable cause is the lights. ask yourself, would you like to sleep in a room with a red light on at night? as long as it doesn't go below the mid 60's at night he won't need it. Next i would get rid of the blue light and replace it with a flood light or even a CHE and then get a uvb strip light. Like i said, don't listen to vets.

How was he hiberated? what is your procedure?

His enclosure is way to small. an adult russian needs a 4'x8' are to walk around in order to function properly. It can be smaller if he has an outdoor enclosure as well, but not by much.
 

method89

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Give this a good read:
 

Nicortiz

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those eyes look bad. probable cause is the lights. ask yourself, would you like to sleep in a room with a red light on at night? as long as it doesn't go below the mid 60's at night he won't need it. Next i would get rid of the blue light and replace it with a flood light or even a CHE and then get a uvb strip light. Like i said, don't listen to vets.

How was he hiberated? what is your procedure?

His enclosure is way to small. an adult russian needs a 4'x8' are to walk around in order to function properly. It can be smaller if he has an outdoor enclosure as well, but not by much.
He doesn’t walk in his enclosure usually at all, he’s kind of a lazy turtle. but we do take him out for exercise in the warmer months in an outdoor enclosure and a bigger one we just keep in the house if he does want to run around a bit.
Hibernation is usually just him eating a bit less frequently throughout the winter. Again we keep his lighting the same but he just eats a bit less often in the winter months by choice, we don’t change anything as far as lighting/feeding schedule goes.

I just ordered the zoo med double lamp from chewy to replace these - And a uvb bulb 25W UVB 5.0. Is this adequate?
 

method89

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is the uvb a CFL bulb? if so, no do not get that one. you want something like this:

1622769516116.png
 

method89

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zoo med double lamp? can you post a picture?
 

method89

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also, thats not hibernation, thats just winter slowdown. hibernation or more accurately brumation is when they "go to sleep" and actually don't eat or move around at all. This is usually done outside or in a controlled enviroment
 
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