Russian Tortoise Sleeping Constantly

[Charsuibun]

Over the past couple of days my Russian has been acting off - I thought she was back to normal but it seems over the past two days she seems to have become completely lethargic.

Usually she sleeps in a corner under her heat lamp and wakes up when it turns on, however the past few days she's been going into her hide and I've had to wake her up to eat. She then takes herself straight back to bed, hardly eating anything.

I thought maybe her temperatures were too hot combined with the ambient temperature (the heat lamp was set for 30c and it's been about 28/29c the past few weeks), I turned it down a bit but that hasn't made much of a difference.

I've been feeding her a mixture of -

endive
romaine lettuce
raddichio
courgette
plantain
diascia
petunia
mazuri pellets
dandelion

usually she loves food and constantly wants more, but she's barely eating anything now.

I've been soaking her more frequently so she's not getting dehydrated, but she's always hated baths and will stress herself out trying to get out. I don't know if she drinks or not.
I noticed a wet patch in her substrate earlier so I'm fairly certain she's still urinating, but I've not seen her poop in a while.

I did have a vets appointment for tomorrow, but stupidly I cancelled it because I thought she was okay.
Is this normal behaviour for horsefields or am I right being concerned?

For further information: She's about 3 years old and I've had her for a little over a year. None of her set up has changed and she was last checked for parasites back in March.

 

[TechnoCheese]

It’s likely because of your basking temp. It’s not too hot, but rather MUCH too cold. Your tortoise needs a basking spot temp of 37-40 degrees.

 

[Charsuibun]

It’s likely because of your basking temp. It’s not too hot, but rather MUCH too cold. Your tortoise needs a basking spot temp of 37-40 degrees.

The dial for my lamp only goes up to 32, and its usually set to 30/31 - I'm guessing I should get her a new thermostat?

 

[TechnoCheese]

The dial for my lamp only goes up to 32, and its usually set to 30/31 - I'm guessing I should get her a new thermostat?

I wouldn’t use a thermostat at all. Just get a heat bulb, and Raise or lower it until the temp is correct.

 

[Kasia]

Over the past couple of days my Russian has been acting off - I thought she was back to normal but it seems over the past two days she seems to have become completely lethargic.

Usually she sleeps in a corner under her heat lamp and wakes up when it turns on, however the past few days she's been going into her hide and I've had to wake her up to eat. She then takes herself straight back to bed, hardly eating anything.

I thought maybe her temperatures were too hot combined with the ambient temperature (the heat lamp was set for 30c and it's been about 28/29c the past few weeks), I turned it down a bit but that hasn't made much of a difference.

I've been feeding her a mixture of -

endive
romaine lettuce
raddichio
courgette
plantain
diascia
petunia
mazuri pellets
dandelion

usually she loves food and constantly wants more, but she's barely eating anything now.

I've been soaking her more frequently so she's not getting dehydrated, but she's always hated baths and will stress herself out trying to get out. I don't know if she drinks or not.
I noticed a wet patch in her substrate earlier so I'm fairly certain she's still urinating, but I've not seen her poop in a while.

I did have a vets appointment for tomorrow, but stupidly I cancelled it because I thought she was okay.
Is this normal behaviour for horsefields or am I right being concerned?

For further information: She's about 3 years old and I've had her for a little over a year. None of her set up has changed and she was last checked for parasites back in March.

Basking temp is one thing but the other is constant 30 deg ambient. I think its called estavation - he is hiding from heat. Mine russian can stay hiding for a week or more in the summer. He comes out every morning because its cooler, eats a bit and goes back hiding in a coolest spot or digs himself into the substrate. If he does not eat bath him daily to keep him hydrated. I put mine out into the garden in the evening when the sun is low. He eats and is quite active. I noticed that my russian likes ambient about 20 deg or lower, he is active all day and uses basking area. When its 30 outside I know he will not spend more then 10 mins in the morning under it.

 

[Charsuibun]

Basking temp is one thing but the other is constant 30 deg ambient. I think its called estavation - he is hiding from heat. Mine russian can stay hiding for a week or more in the summer. He comes out every morning because its cooler, eats a bit and goes back hiding in a coolest spot or digs himself into the substrate. If he does not eat bath him daily to keep him hydrated. I put mine out into the garden in the evening when the sun is low. He eats and is quite active. I noticed that my russian likes ambient about 20 deg or lower, he is active all day and uses basking area. When its 30 outside I know he will not spend more then 10 mins in the morning under it.

Thanks for this. She seems happier now I've turned the lamp up a bit, so it's about 23-28 on cooler end and 30-32 under the heat lamp. She's back to chilling under her heat lamp and seems relatively normal.

 

[Kasia]

Thanks for this. She seems happier now I've turned the lamp up a bit, so it's about 23-28 on cooler end and 30-32 under the heat lamp. She's back to chilling under her heat lamp and seems relatively normal.

Often when it's over 30 ambient I turn it off at 9-10 in the morning to keep mine more comfortable. Glad to be helpfull

 

[JoesMum]

It is very hot here in the UK and my tort, Joe, never liked the hottest days. We had hime for over 40 years. Torts aestivate (like the opposite of hibernation) when the weather becomes too hot.

Indoors, temperatures in the enclosure will be far warmer than they usually are; British homes are rarely air conditioned. Make sure the enclosure doesn't get direct sun through the window. Basking heat becomes less necessary and in a closed chamber could be pushing temperatures overall so high that there is no cool area for your tort to retreat to.

Outdoors, your tort will need direct deep shade to retreat to. Soaking throughly is vital while outside temperatures remain so high. At least 30 minutes at least once a day.

Use a temperature gun in full sun in an outdoor enclosure and you could find temperatures of 40C and higher in full sun! Do place food in the evening and you may well find your tort eats it before you get up. In this kind of weather, Joe typically ate very early and very late, sometimes after dusk, and stayed under a bush all day.

Don't worry about lack of activity.
Do check temperatures if kept indoors.
Do soak.
Do provide good shade outdoors.
Do feed in the evening in hot weather as well as in the morning.