Sleeping through the day?

[tortoisenerd]

Does anyone else's tort ever not get out of bed for the day? A few days in the last month my tort has decided to stay buried instead of get up and eat, move around, etc. I will then wake him up when I get home, give him a soak, and feed him fresh greens. He'll seem fine and I won't worry about it. I try to keep him to his schedule of eating in the morning. The reason I chose this as I would not like to get up for the day and have to wait until early evening for food...figure he'd like the same. I could feed him in the evening though if that was better for him (I do give him a snack if he's still awake when I get home).

I can't see an obvious reason as to why he doesn't wake up some days--temperature is right, he always goes to sleep early, not sick, etc. He may be buried so far under that he doesn't feel the passing of time, but that's about it. Should I just let him do his own thing? He's usually a healthy eater.

 

[galvinkaos]

Kate, aren't there days you'd like to stay "burrowed" under the covers all day and not come out? Maybe you are catching him on his lazy days?

Dawna

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I always worry when a tort changes his routine. I have 2 yearlings and both have started sleeping thru the day and wanting to eat in the evening instead of the morning. I have always fed in the morning...but I went along with this change and they are both eating well in the evening. Why the change? I don't know but as long as they eat enough I won't worry too much...

 

[Crazy1]

Kate, have you taken Trevor outside recently, for any length of time? When the weather turns nice and my Greeks can go out for most of the day, life is good. But when the weather turns cool again and I have to keep them in they just don't want to get up and will sleep most if not all day, this only lasts a day or two then they are back to normal again. It is almost as if they are sulking because they can't go outside. A few of my others will try climbing the walls rather than to bury themselves and sleep.

 

[Yvonne G]

He may be buried so far under that he doesn't feel the passing of time, but that's about it.

I don't think this is a viable reason. My tortoise sheds are totally dark inside...no windows and no light showing around the cracks of the doors because of foam strips. However, if I don't get out there early enough they ram the door to get out. Tortoises have a very good sense of time.

Yvonne

 

[tortoisenerd]

Hmmm. He hasn't been outside (too cold here). He was up and about today so I think I'll take Maggie's approach and not worry about it. I was curious if there could be a reason though. Good to hear he has a sense of time.

 

[Crazy1]

Kate, glad to hear he was up and about today and taking Maggies approach sounds good to me. Aw if only they could talk.

 

[galvinkaos]

Glad to hear he is up n about. My son sleeps more when he has a growth spurt, maybe that has something to do with it?

Dawna

 

[tortoisenerd]

He's growing like a weed...close to doubling his weight since I got him!

 

[Monika]

My Herman is doing the same at the moment and most days I have to wake her to eat. She seems healthy and is putting on weight. I did clean her out today and gave her a bath. This seems to have woken her up a bit more and she has been eating, climbing and roaming around for the past 3 hours. I cant wait for the warmer weather as she can go out again. I have just presented my husband with a drawing of a more permanent outside enclosure as at the moment I am using a rabbit run and I am constantly worried that she is going to dig herself out.
Monika (very proud owner of Valerie)

 

[sakkakth]

Maybe every other week my tort sleeps an entire day and doesn't bother to get up to eat. Generally the next day he is out and about eating normally.

 

[tortoisenerd]

He hasn't done this again recently. I think he's going through a growth spurt because he's been very active and hungry. He doubled his weight since I got him in early December--now up to 69 grams and 64 mm. He also tried the cuttlebone for the first time that I know of (hadn't heard anything or seen any bite marks). We heard it from across the room with the TV on as it was rather loud! He took a dozen or so nibbles....he was probably hungry because I took away his food since I saw he peed all over it, and was waiting for his slate tile to dry off before I put it back in with fresh food. I'm sure he eats his own pee and poop when he gets it on his food, but I won't let him if I notice it. Lately he's been making a mess with his poop..walking through it so he gets it all over his shell and skin.

 

[NoSup4U]

I have a desert and a sulcata, and they both have not appeared some days. Seems pretty normal to me.

Mark