Sick Turtle? (doesn't eat or come out)

[Charles-Tortoise]

Hey all!

This is my first post on this forum, actually this is my first anything on this forum (aside from a bit of lurking to try and see if anyone else was experiencing the same issue as me), so if I am doing something wrong please let me know~

I have a Russian Tortoise that I keep in a 60 Gallon aquarium with some top soil from the backyard (we don't use any kind of pesticide) with a heat rock, UVB light and a little cave I built from some stacked rocks and sticks. He also has a friend that is a painted rock.

I don't know much about this fella, other than what Google could tell me about care instructions so I'll give you a bit of his history. He lived in my Grandmothers backyard for ~10 years free-range and happy and then wound up with my Aunt in his current cage with a similar set-up for a few months before she decided to pass this critter on to me. I know it's a hardy individual since he/she has scars on the back of his shell from where a dog chewed on him for a bit, this was long before I even knew what a Russian Tortoise was. Over the last few months (Almost four now!) I can't get this guy/gal to eat/run around/ do much of anything.

At first I thought it was brumation, sure, I have had reptiles before, they do that. However; it has been quite some time and I'm beginning to become worried.
I'm worried he/she is sick.

The three immediate culprits that jump to my mind are, location, bedding and humidity.
I changed his spot in the room recently to a different spot, but he/she has been moved from house to house and did not do this. I tried three or four different spots in this particular room before I found the one I liked. I do not think this is the issue. I could be wrong though :/
I do not think it could be his bedding: This soil has been used before, as well as sand, shredded coconut husk and others.
Could it be that I was trying to grow lettuce in the corner of his cage in the spring?
(Did not work for me by the way. I couldn't get a good way to water it without soaking his cage in mist so I let them die)
My major worry is that I gave him a respiratory infection of some kind, for I do not know what else would cause him/her to hide and blink at me all day. One can pick him/her up and make eye contact, but the head just wont poke out of the shell. Not for food, not for nuthn'.

I'm not a vet and this guy is a tank so I was looking for some online wisdom before I put him in a box and went to spend xyz amount on a critter who has never even had a checkup.
I'll post pics that will hopefully be helpful, I can post more if it helps.

TlDr; Do these pics mean issue for my tort and, if so, what should I do?

P.S The name is George Williams and usually he(I guess it is a male name) eats soo much and barely fits in his shell from being a porker

 

[mike taylor]

His enclosure is way to small . Heat rocks don't work for tortoises . He needs a big indoor enclosure like at least 4/8 . He needs a basking lamp if at least 95º. The best thing you can do is build him an outdoor enclosure the bigger the better . Look in the Russian tortoise section and you'll find a care sheet . Welcome to TFO!

 

[tortdad]

What are you feeding it? What temps are you keeping him at?

First thing that jumps out at me is his aquarium is way to small for him. He is use to free ranging then got put in a tiny home. You'd be pissed and not like it either. I suggest you build him a nice size tortoise table.

Do you have a place to build him an outdoor area? Take a look at the enclosure section and you can find all kinds of inexpensive ways to proper house your little guy.

Oh.... Welcome to TFO I hope you can find a way to make George happy and healthy.

 

[tortdad]

url=http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...rg/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/


Here's a care sheet for you

 

[tortdad]

Also.. I don't see a water dish in there for him to drink or soak. Do you soak him?

Same thing for food. He needs a dish to eat off of so he can not eat that top soil and help to keep his beak trimmed. Most of us use a flat rock to feed off of. For a water dish you can spend $1.25 at any hardware store and get a terra cotta plant saucer. Just be sure to sink the water and food dish down into the soil so it's easy to get in and out of. His nails are way over grown too. Can you get a pic with his head out so we can see his beak and eyes?

What kind of lights do you use?

 

[Charles-Tortoise]

He was fine for months and months before he withdrew like this in his current enclosure. Would it be because he was finally just fed up with his new environment? I tried putting him outside to run around before, but he just sat in one spot for well over an hour.

His favorite food is romaine Lettuce, usually any leafy green will get chomped on. An occasional fruit or veggie, but very little interest if any is shown by him towards anything other than lettuce.

I put him in the tub about once a week for a bath in room-temp water and splash around a bit with him, even if he doesn't seem interested.

I would get a pic of him with his head out, but he hasn't poked his head out in months!! :/

I use an 18" Reptisun 10.0 UVB F15T8/Rept bulb by ZooMed for him that is timed. On at 6am and off at 9pm

 

[Charles-Tortoise]

Thanks for all of the fast and helpful feedback so far! This is great, thank you so much!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi and welcome to the Forum!

There are several things wrong - the habitat is too small, the beak is overgrown and the tortoise is used to living outside and now is stuck in jail.

Some tortoises never make the transition from free living to being in a small indoor habitat. I think for this tortoise's peace of mind you need to figure out a way to keep him outside in a safe and secure, well-planted habitat.

 

[Charles-Tortoise]

I gave him a nice nail clipping with some critter clippers I had for a Guinea Pig and I'm waiting on the GF to get home from work to dig out her metal nail trimmers and such so I can get some work done on his beak. Hopefully that will encourage him to come out in addition to a new, larger home!

 

[ascott]

Please wait to do his beak.....the tort in the pic you show here is highly stressed and his health is paying for that stress. Do you have a yard? Where in the world do you live?

 

[Charles-Tortoise]

Yes, I have a yard. I reside in the Evergreen State, the Pacific Northwest.
I am waiting haha I don't know where the darned trimmers are!
He legitimately hasn't eaten in months, I had no idea their beaks could be overgrown (this guy was a chunker). Wouldn't it be best to trim him as soon as possible?

 

[ascott]

I would hold off on doing anything else physically invasive. Do you feed him calcium powder??? I see a white residue/powder on his beak as well as on his shell just below where he likely retains his head at.....

If that substrate is top soil what is that white pebble stuff in the substrate? Vermiculite?

So, the Aunt had the tort for 3 months and you have had the tort for 4 months, during this 7 month time frame has anyone seen him eat with gusto beyond the first couple weeks with the Aunt?

 

[WillTort2]

I'm wondering what your enclosure temperatures are running. You should have a basking spot at 95 to 100 degrees; they need to be warm to be able to digest food. Your cool side of the enclosure should be around 75 degrees. With a sick tortoise I would keep the temperature a little warmer and make sure there are no drafts from air conditioners or fans.

Warm soaks will help also. warm the water like you would do for baby's milk ( warm to the touch on your inside arm). Fill a dish pan with about 1 and a half inches of warm water; then let your tortoise soak for 20 minutes or more changing water as it cools off or becomes dirty from feces.

Try feeding some dandelions.

Good luck. And as your weather permits please get your tortoise some time in the sun. That can be a life saver.

 

[lynnedit]

Thank you for coming to this site to find out more information!
Please soak him daily for at least a week., or until he starts eating. Maybe even soak him twice per day for the first few days.
Add some vitamin A rich pureed carrots baby food to the soaking dish (a small tub). Squirt some bird vitamins in the water.
He is dehydrated and malnourished (swollen eyes).
Angela is right; leave his beak alone for now. That's the least of his problems.

The soil is too dry. Until you can come up with a larger enclosure, put more topsoil in and add water to keep the under layers moist.
He is probably too hot with those heat sources and the small size of the enclosure. Get rid of the hot rock.
Very important: what kind of UVB bulb do you have? Make sure it is not a coil bulb. They will very likely irritate his eyes and also cause him to hide.
You may only need a 60w or 75w heat/light bulb to get a basking area of 95f in that size of an enclosure (get an accurate thermometer- a digital thermometer with a wire probe that you move from place to place works for now).
Yes, he may have 'survived' in there for several months, but eventually he has succumbed to being too hot/too dry.

Once he has been soaked daily for a few days, offer him untreated weeds like plantain, dandelion, chicory, mallow, etc.

Our weather is fantastic right now in the PNW for tortoises to be outside.
Please ask any questions you need to. I think you need to make some changes quickly, or you will lose him.