SOS

[Phil Duignan]

Hi everyone. We're in a bit of a panic here and could use some advice.
We took Frank, our new pet Russian tortoise for his first routine vet check up last Monday. The vet informed me that a lot of what we were doing with his table was wrong and advised us to change several things.
We did this immediately. We changed his substrate to sterilised topsoil from paper pellets, removed his room from the end of his enclosure and bought a dedicated UV strip as opposed to the just the multi use bulb.
Frank has not eaten a morsel of food since and just wants to bury himself all day long.
Have we been given bad advice?
What substrate should he have?
Does he need a separate room for sleeping?
Any help would be gratefully appreciated.
Phil.

 

[Hamiltondood]

Hi everyone. We're in a bit of a panic here and could use some advice.
We took Frank, our new pet Russian tortoise for his first routine vet check up last Monday. The vet informed me that a lot of what we were doing with his table was wrong and advised us to change several things.
We did this immediately. We changed his substrate to sterilised topsoil from paper pellets, removed his room from the end of his enclosure and bought a dedicated UV strip as opposed to the just the multi use bulb.
Frank has not eaten a morsel of food since and just wants to bury himself all day long.
Have we been given bad advice?
What substrate should he have?
Does he need a separate room for sleeping?
Any help would be gratefully appreciated.
Phil.

No, he doesn’t NEED a separate room for sleeping. Top soil is fine, paper pellets mold when it gets moist. The MVB bulbs is not good since the heat fluctuates. He is sulking because of the changes in his enclosure, he’ll get used to it.
give this caresheet a read :

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

do you have a basking bulb?
ps: you’re vet has given OK advice.

 

[Phil Duignan]

No, he doesn’t NEED a separate room for sleeping. Top soil is fine, paper pellets mold when it gets moist. The MVB bulbs is not good since the heat fluctuates. He is sulking because of the changes in his enclosure, he’ll get used to it.
give this caresheet a read :

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

do you have a basking bulb?
ps: you’re vet has given OK advice.

Cheers for that. He has a basking bulb and a UV strip.
The specialist pet shop we bought him from has advised me to return him to his original set-up in a"if it's not broke, don't fix it" type of approach.
Must admit to being a bit perplexed at the conflicting advice.
Thanks for your help though. Much obliged. Phil.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Aside from the topsoil, I actually agree with your vet and I think most of us here on the forum would too about the strip UVB lighting and not using paper or rabbit pellet bedding.
Tortoises dislike changes.
Give him a few days

 

[Phil Duignan]

Aside from the topsoil, I actually agree with your vet and I think most of us here on the forum would too about the strip UVB lighting and not using paper or rabbit pellet bedding.
Tortoises dislike changes.
Give him a few days

Thanks for the post. It's now been 10 days of almost total inertia and zero food.
I have a vet's appointment tomorrow to give him the once over.
I agree that it's the change that's probably done it but how long can a baby go without food?

 

[zovick]

Thanks for the post. It's now been 10 days of almost total inertia and zero food.
I have a vet's appointment tomorrow to give him the once over.
I agree that it's the change that's probably done it but how long can a baby go without food?

This is also the time of year when Russian Tortoises begin to slow down and think about hibernation which may also be a reason it is not as active. Does the tortoise feel nice and "heavy" for its size when picked up or does it feel very light? If it feels light, that is an indication that it is being harmed by not eating.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thanks for the post. It's now been 10 days of almost total inertia and zero food.
I have a vet's appointment tomorrow to give him the once over.
I agree that it's the change that's probably done it but how long can a baby go without food?

I once had a sick adult who drank. But did not eat for over 4 months and is perfectly healthy today.

 

[Phil Duignan]

This is also the time of year when Russian Tortoises begin to slow down and think about hibernation which may also be a reason it is not as active. Does the tortoise feel nice and "heavy" for its size when picked up or does it feel very light? If it feels light, that is an indication that it is being harmed by not eating.

He's only 6 months old, that's why it's so concerning. He shouldn't be hibernating this young apparently and the behaviour changed the day I changed his environment. I'll try and post after the vet visit. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[Tom]

He's only 6 months old, that's why it's so concerning. He shouldn't be hibernating this young apparently and the behaviour changed the day I changed his environment. I'll try and post after the vet visit. Thanks for the advice everyone.

There is a ton of wrong info circulating around out in the world. You are getting a mix of it. The dry pellets were no good. The soil is also no good. The MVB bulb was no good.

You current lighting should be okay IF the temps are correct under the bulbs and you've got the right bulbs mounted at the right distances. Please read the care sheet that was linked for current and correct care info. All of this is explained in there. If you keep listening to multiple sources all telling you old outdated wrong info, you could lose him.

Have your temps changed since switching bulbs? Are you soaking daily to keep him hydrated? What type of UV tube did you get and at what height is it mounted?

 

[zovick]

He's only 6 months old, that's why it's so concerning. He shouldn't be hibernating this young apparently and the behaviour changed the day I changed his environment. I'll try and post after the vet visit. Thanks for the advice everyone.

Does the tortoise feel light or heavy when you pick it up? Have you had it for the entire 6 months of its presumed life? Have you kept a log of its weight? If so, that could be enlightening as well.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Temperature & lighting are key elements as well. Make sure your torts enclosure is at proper temps & getting 12-14 hours of light.... lots of info in the TFO care guide...

Russian Tortoise Care Sheet

Russian tortoises have great personalities, are very hardy, tolerate a wide variety of enclosure parameters, stay small, and are generally a good "starter" tortoise in my opinion. Here is how I like to set them up: Indoor Enclosure type and size: Most people want to know the minimum size...

www.tortoiseforum.org