should i be worried

[babylove6635]

the last three days my two female russinas have been sleeping on the cool side of of there inclouser under stone house i built them. its 76* now but will go about to 65* lowest she should be ok still right? in the mornings i put back under the lights for a bit till she go and eats.

 

[ascott]

If they appear to be aok in every other "normal" way and nothing else in their world has changed....and it being the time of year where things start to cool and the days get shorter they are acting as would be expected, IMHO

 

[SailingMystic]

the last three days my two female russinas have been sleeping on the cool side of of there inclouser under stone house i built them. its 76* now but will go about to 65* lowest she should be ok still right? in the mornings i put back under the lights for a bit till she go and eats.

65 at night may be too cold... Have they been coming out to eat everyday on their own or are you waking them up to warm them up and to share food? Do they have water in a large low dish being warmed up too?

 

[Maggie Cummings]

It sounds to me like they are thinking about hibernation. If you are not going to let them hibernate you should bring them in and put them under lights...

 

[lynnedit]

65 at night is fine for a Russian (not some of the warmer climate torts), in fact probably preferred, as long as they can warm up during the day in their basking area. They do well with that temperature difference.
I just think torts can sense what is going on outside: shorter days, etc.
Lots of people notice their Med torts are just not as active in the winter.
If they have been healthy right up to this change, then getting them up as you are doing is the right thing to do. Soak them 2-3x per week. Offer food, they may eat, or not.

 

[SailingMystic]

Sorry--- I thought 65 was too cold-- you are right, it's not too cold. I've been aiming for 70 at night.

 

[GBtortoises]

How long are the lights on during the daytime and what type of lighting? Russian tortoises are "triggered" to go into hibernation not only based on temperature but also light duration and intensity. An ambient temperature of 76 degrees is fine but a hot basking area is required too in order to keep them active. Under the basking light should be 95-105 degrees. At night there should be at least a 15-20 degree temperature differential. Temperatures to consistently warm night & day will often cause Russian tortoises to go into aestivation.

 

[lynnedit]

Sorry--- I thought 65 was too cold-- you are right, it's not too cold. I've been aiming for 70 at night.

No worries, Diane! 70 is great in the day on the cool side, and it is fine at night, too. It is just that they can tolerate it a bit cooler at night.
And if someone has a hatchling or a sick tort, temps might need to be different for awhile.
Gary (GB) asks some good questions about lighting duration and type of bulb. That can influence their activity too. It is important to get light/temp conditions correct to encourage them to over winter.
Let us know if you have questions about these conditions, babylove6635(sorry, don't know your name). If you have these settings right, then it is probably partly due to the time of year.

 

[babylove6635]

thanks my name is judy and i have the 160 w power sun i bought it from carolina pet suply thats what they recomended and i leave the lights on from 5am to 7 or 8 pm and i have a black light on at night too

 

[lynnedit]

thanks my name is judy and i have the 160 w power sun i bought it from carolina pet suply thats what they recomended and i leave the lights on from 5am to 7 or 8 pm and i have a black light on at night too

Sounds good! Just keep an eye on him, as mentioned, might be normal for this time of year.

 

[SailingMystic]

I guess I'm getting lucky-- Hemi has the lights on one hour before I feed him. Temps go down to 70 at night. The light warms him to about 85-- he eats I soak him as well in warm water. So far he's responding. He's inside though. And he did stop eating for 5 days...