Russian Tortoise Sleeping A Lot

[olivia1j]

I got my Russian tortoise about a month ago. He is about a year old. I have noticed that he seems to sleep all the time. I will give him a 30-40 minute soak every morning and then feed him. He eats normally and poops normally. But whenever he is not eating or out with me, he seems to be sleeping. He sometime burrows and sometimes doesn’t. Some days he sleeps under his heat lamp and some days he sleeps elsewhere. I’m attaching a photo of his enclosure. He does have UVB lighting. Thank you!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

What are his temperatures like? (ambient, basking, night time) It could be that he is preparing for brumation.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I got my Russian tortoise about a month ago. He is about a year old. I have noticed that he seems to sleep all the time. I will give him a 30-40 minute soak every morning and then feed him. He eats normally and poops normally. But whenever he is not eating or out with me, he seems to be sleeping. He sometime burrows and sometimes doesn’t. Some days he sleeps under his heat lamp and some days he sleeps elsewhere. I’m attaching a photo of his enclosure. He does have UVB lighting. Thank you!View attachment 381151 View attachment 381152

Hello and welcome!

Off the bat just a heads up on the water dish you’re using! They’re a known hazard, I’d get yourself a clay terracotta saucer asap, sit it flush with the substrate. What size enclosure is this if you don’t mind be asking?

Would you mind including a little more information to help us advise?

He looks to be older than a year in the photo, did you get him from a pet store?
What are your temperatures like? Ie basking temp(directly under the bulb), overall day temps, night temps?
What kind of basking bulb are you using specifically? Packaging photos are good if you have any
What kind of uv is that you’re using?
What level is your humidity currently? Is it just cypress mulch you use for substrate?

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

He looks to be older than a year in the photo, did you get him from a pet store?

Oh, I missed it. He is definitely a adult, probably wild caught by the looks of the shell.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Oh, I missed it. He is definitely an adult, probably wild caught by the looks of the shell.

Agreed

 

[olivia1j]

What are his temperatures like? (ambient, basking, night time) It could be that he is preparing for brumation.

I dont know the exact temps but basking is about 1 & 1/2 ft above a 75watt heat lamp at high. Ambient is under a uvc lamp and my room is about 76-80F. Then at night I shut off the lights and my room is down to 74-76.

 

[olivia1j]

Hello and welcome!

Off the bat just a heads up on the water dish you’re using! They’re a known hazard, I’d get yourself a clay terracotta saucer asap, sit it flush with the substrate. What size enclosure is this if you don’t mind be asking?

Would you mind including a little more information to help us advise?

He looks to be older than a year in the photo, did you get him from a pet store?
What are your temperatures like? Ie basking temp(directly under the bulb), overall day temps, night temps?
What kind of basking bulb are you using specifically? Packaging photos are good if you have any
What kind of uv is that you’re using?
What level is your humidity currently? Is it just cypress mulch you use for substrate?

Hi! Thank you for your reply.
I will get him a new water dish right away, thank you so much.
The enclosure is 9ft by 2ft. I did get him from a local pet store, they said he is 1-2 yrs, I know that may be incorrect. I don't know the exact temps but basking is about 1 & 1/2 ft above a 75watt heat lamp at high. Ambient is under a uvc lamp and my room is about 76-80F. Then at night I shut off the lights and my room is down to 74-76. I am attaching the photo of the basking bulb and the uv lamp. I am just using cypress for humidity. Thank you for your help!

 

[olivia1j]

Oh, I missed it. He is definitely a adult, probably wild caught by the looks of the shell.

How old do you think? Do I need to change anything or do anything specific?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi! Thank you for your reply.
I will get him a new water dish right away, thank you so much.
The enclosure is 9ft by 2ft. I did get him from a local pet store, they said he is 1-2 yrs, I know that may be incorrect. I don't know the exact temps but basking is about 1 & 1/2 ft above a 75watt heat lamp at high. Ambient is under a uvc lamp and my room is about 76-80F. Then at night I shut off the lights and my room is down to 74-76. I am attaching the photo of the basking bulb and the uv lamp. I am just using cypress for humidity. Thank you for your help!

No problem at all!
Bulbs looks fine and temperatures sound good, but is it digital monitoring you have measuring this? I ask because analog gauges can be inaccurate if you have those, inactivity could be down to temperatures in the enclosure being too cool, I’d make sure your basking temperature under your basking bulb is reaching 95-100f too, it’s important to help them digest their feeds

 

[olivia1j]

No problem at all!
Bulbs looks fine and temperatures sound good, but is it digital monitoring you have measuring this? I ask because analog gauges can be inaccurate if you have those, inactivity could be down to temperatures in the enclosure being too cool, I’d make sure your basking temperature under your basking bulb is reaching 95-100f too, it’s important to help them digest their feeds

I do not have a digital temperature scanner. I am just going off of the temperature of my thermostat. I will get a digital thermometer asap to get the actual temperatures. If it is too cold in his cage, would you recommend getting more heat lamps at lower voltages to make it warmer?

 

[COmtnLady]

Try putting a sheet of plastic over the top to hold the heat and humidity in.

Heat rises; your room is 70F or whatever, so the hotter air rises up and out of the enclosure because its lighter, more active.
Covering the top will change the dynamics, so you'll have to measure to make sure it isn't suddenly too hot, or, better yet, humidity level. You can find usable temp guns at places like Harbor Freight for twenty bucks, or online at the usual suspects'.

With a sheet of clear plastic you'll still be able to see him, and its easy to fold back to access his enclosure.

 

[olivia1j]

Try putting a sheet of plastic over the top to hold the heat and humidity in.

Heat rises; your room is 70F or whatever, so the hotter air rises up and out of the enclosure because its lighter, more active.
Covering the top will change the dynamics, so you'll have to measure to make sure it isn't suddenly too hot, or, better yet, humidity level. You can find usable temp guns at places like Harbor Freight for twenty bucks, or online at the usual suspects'.

With a sheet of clear plastic you'll still be able to see him, and its easy to fold back to access his enclosure.

Thank you for all your help! I will do that. I just want to make sure he is okay.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I do not have a digital temperature scanner. I am just going off of the temperature of my thermostat. I will get a digital thermometer asap to get the actual temperatures. If it is too cold in his cage, would you recommend getting more heat lamps at lower voltages to make it warmer?

Yeah definitely get yourself some digital monitoring and ideally an infrared temp gun, use both these tools to make sure your basking temperature is correct, then check the parameters of the enclosure during the day, if things are too cool I suggest installing a CHE(ceramic heat emitter) in the middle, it’s a non light emitting heat bulb that makes up ambient heat and offers night heatno need for multiple basking lamps, ceramics would be the way to go, ran on a thermostat

 

[olivia1j]

Yeah definitely get yourself some digital monitoring and ideally an infrared temp gun, use both these tools to make sure your basking temperature is correct, then check the parameters of the enclosure during the day, if things are too cool I suggest installing a CHE(ceramic heat emitter) in the middle, it’s a non light emitting heat bulb that makes up ambient heat and offers night heatno need for multiple basking lamps, ceramics would be the way to go, ran on a thermostat

Thank you so much for all your help. I really appreciate it. I just want to make sure he is happy and healthy.

 

[COmtnLady]

Welcome to the Forum!

We are all Tortoise nerds and to see a new owner who is willing to try for the best life her Tort makes us happy!

What's his name?


.

 

[olivia1j]

Welcome to the Forum!

We are all Trotise nerds and to see a new owner who is willing to try for the best life her Tort makes us happy!

What's his name?


.

His name is Tortilla (Taylor's Version)

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

How old do you think? Do I need to change anything or do anything specific?

It is hard to say. He is old enough to not need a closed chamber in my opinion, but the growth lines look like he hasn't completely slowed down growing. Could you send a photo of his tail area and the underside of the plastron? It might help with making a guess on his age.

As he is an adult, he is going to need a minimum space of 4 by 8 feet in the future.

 

[olivia1j]

It is hard to say. He is old enough to not need a closed chamber in my opinion, but the growth lines look like he hasn't completely slowed down growing. Could you send a photo of his tail area and the underside of the plastron? It might help with making a guess on his age.

As he is an adult, he is going to need a minimum space of 4 by 8 feet in the future.

Here are the photos!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Here are the photos!View attachment 381461View attachment 381462

I think personally you have an adult male here, though I’ll admit looks slightly female on the first photo, but definitely looking male when seeing the second one. If I had to guess, and its just an educated guess, I’d say around 7-10 years old, others may see differently

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I agree with @Littleredfootbigredheart he is showing some male characteristics already, which would indicate that he is sexually mature. But also he still has a bit of growing to do.