Something is wrong... (lethargic)

[akp022]

Aggie is always a very active little guy; always scratching at the sides of his enclosure to get out almost as soon as he wakes up and eating very well (sometimes a little too much I think). Lately, he has been kind of lethargic; I wake him up and set him under his heat and UVB lamps and he just sits lays there for hours, barely even looking at his food. He might scratch one or twice but as soon as I get him out he finds a dark corner to fall asleep in. He also freaks out when I try to pick him up and hold him now. I don't know if this has anything to do with the changes I've made to his enclosure or not. He needs a bigger enclosure but we will not be able to build a new one for a few weeks so in an effort to give him some more room I have had to make some changes. I have a Zoomed tortoise house and the dark part of the enclosure ran the whole way across the enclosure, but I cut it so it only runs halfway across and he has more room to roam around now (he still has a dark enclosure though, its just a little smaller now). Also I have recently changed his substrate from reptibark to aspen, which I thought he was doing okay with, but I'm not sure if it offers enough humidity for him, the gauge says the humidity is at 25% and he is a Greek Tortoise. Any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Watsonpartyof4]

Something is wrong...

I don't think aspen is good for them because it gives off and odor. Hopefully others will be along to help you out. Bumping this for you

 

[kanalomele]

RE: Something is wrong...

Id ditch the aspen for sure there are many other options. I like a combination of coir and organic topsoil. Also check his temps. It sounds like he may be too cool.

 

[Tom]

RE: Something is wrong...

Where are you?
How big is he?
What are your four temps?
What sort of heating and lighting are you using?

 

[akp022]

RE: Something is wrong...

Id ditch the aspen for sure there are many other options. I like a combination of coir and organic topsoil. Also check his temps. It sounds like he may be too cool.

Where would I get these? I decided on the aspen because the reptibark was irritating Aggie because of its strong aroma and I didn't want him to be so stressed, he's been okay with the Aspen and its light-colored and easy to clean; however, if it isn't good for him then I will certainly look into something else.

---

Where are you?
How big is he?
What are your four temps?
What sort of heating and lighting are you using?

I'm in Pennsylvania so as of right now it is still pretty cold; our avg temps here are about 40*F. Aggie is about 6" in length and 4 1/2" in width and weighs about 340g. I just checked him temps and realized that at least for today I had his heat lamp up too far (I had the thermometer up higher on the wall instead of down towards where Aggie is and it said the temperature was 103*F, but as soon as I moved it down I realized his basking spot was only about 80*F so I readjusted that), his cool temps are around 75*F and the rest of his enclosure is between 75-80*F. I am currently using a coil UVB light which I am in the process of switching over to a PowerSun UVB and heat lamp.

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

If you are in the USA, go to Target and by the seed racks in the garden section, they have coco fiber (coir) for only 2.47 a block. I have attached a picture of the packaging. They also have some lettuce mix seeds, collards, arugula and cat grass seeds. I planted the cat grass in a corner and my littles forage like big torties do. I have read that the aspen is not good also. I can say that I too like the coco bark, coco fiber, coco coir ... and another thread, a member, Neal, gave a great tip. To clean, you just put it in a bucket, pour boiling water on it, let it cool , strain and voila, use again. He said he has had his for 2 years and simply cleans it. I think that might help. Also, I got two Greeks from PetSmart and they took awhile to adjust when I got them and they were a little skittish. I think you may be right that in changing his habitat he is feeling unsure of his home. Make sure you soak him if need be. For me, those warm soaks are like "spa" for tortoises, very calming. I see the difference in mine by doing so. Torti-spa works.

 

[Sulcata tortoise665]

Maybe he ate something weird… he could have swallowed some of his bedding when he was eating or the temperature is too low

 

[Yvonne G]

Turn off the coil bulb right away. He can get by without UVB for a short period of time until you get your new light.

 

[akp022]

Ok so I put him in to soak tonight and my house is a bit chilly so I also pulled his heat lamp around (that's why it's red) but he started to make weird noises, like he was grinding his teeth, except tortoises do not have teeth to grind...he has only done it in the soak so far though...please watch the video and give any ideas you might have!

Aggie's weird noises

 

[ascott]

That is a common tortoise sound

 

[akp022]

That is a common tortoise sound

It is? That's great, I've never heard him make any sounds besides the occasional hiss and sometimes small squeak; that's a relief to know...I'm still a bit new with this (I've only had him since October) so I'm still learning