Too Much Stress?

[PrayPeaceGod]

Hi all,
My name's Lauren and I have a 8-year-old male Russian . I got him for Christmas of 2012. He seems to be a pretty laid-back guy, and he loves walking around the house, the outdoors, and mangos!

Unfortunately, I have some bad news. Today, I had to move my little guy to a new area. By car. I know that tortoises don't enjoy traveling that much, and travel should only be done if completely and utterly necessary. I read all the tips by you guys on how to properly transfer a tortoise from one place to the next. I made sure he was completely happy and comfortable in his place before I took off.

About a half an hour later, I checked on him. There was dung everywhere! He looked scared to death, and I felt so bad for him. I did everything I could at the time to help him, but nothing worked.

Now, being settled back in his original cage, he doesn't seem too hot. He seems . . . weak. It's hard to explain, but he seems entirely worn out by the whole ordeal. I don't expect him to be up and running, but I'm so confused! What should I do? Give him a bath? Feed him something? Or just leave him alone?

Thanks, y'all. I really appreciate it!

- Lauren

 

[sibi]

First thing you do when a tort has traveled is give him a long, warm soak. Then, place him in a comfortable place that he likes. Have total quite around him and don't handle him unless you need to. If he's use to your voice, softly speak to him. I have sung to my torts since the day I first got them. If he begins to eat, he'll be ok. If he doesn't eat after a day or two, I would include baby food soaks (squash or carrots). He should come back to himself after a day or.so. Keep us posted.

 

[abclements]

I know youre not supposed to transport torts a whole lot and i might get a little backlash for this but, I go to school 5 hours away from where my permanent residence is. I obviously come home for breaks so i do a significant amount to transporting my cherry. I just get home, warm him up with a good long soak and then put him in his temporary home enclosure with some of his favorite food, mazuri. He goes right back to being himself within 24 hrs. Just keep an eye on him and he should be fine.

 

[Laura]

let him settle.. keep him warm.
roaming around the floor of a house, is not great and Mango or any fruit should only be givenin small amounts.
Some travel better than others... the travel itself should not harm him or make him sick, but stress can... so let him be for now.

 

[PrayPeaceGod]

An update for you guys (by the way it's not a very pleasant one):

I did what sibi and abclements said, and gave him a long, warm soak. During the entire process he didn't even struggle, which worried me. He wasn't taking sips of water through his mouth like usual, and when I talked to him, it seemed like he didn't even notice. The only good news about the bath is, I tried feeding him some carrot-sticks and he ate through them very quickly.
When out of the bath, I put him on some towels and asked one of my parents to supervise him while I quickly made him something to eat. Kale, carrots, calcium, and some other greens, etc. When I came back, I was really upset to see that he urinated and pooed. He also urinated again when I carefully took him back to his cage.

He is still REALLY weak it seems, however, he has an appetite. I have the heat-lamp on him at all times so he stays warm.

 

[WillTort2]

Your Russian needs to be able to choose his temperature. Can he move away form the lamp to cool off and adjust his internal temperature? They are great at self regulating.

At night the temperature should drop down to the mid sixties. If you're worried about his health keep the enclosure a little warmer by using a CHE at night; this provides heat without light and screws into your bulb fixture.

His basking spot should be 95 degrees; then about 70 degrees for the cool side during the day.

I expect he will adjust to the new location in a day or two if the temperatures are good.

Good Luck!

 

[PrayPeaceGod]

WillTortoise, yes, I have a basking spot for him that includes a heat lamp, and then I have a cooler side of a cage with a less-bright bulb.

I think he's doing fine right now, he's not in his basking spot so I'm guessing he's just trying to cool off and sleep.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[kanalomele]

Hi and welcome, im sorry that your little guy is struggling. Its normal for them to poop and pee when they have stress and also when soaking. Keeping him at appropriate temps and continued soaking is good. Otherwise leave him alone so he can adjust and feel secure again.. I would also make sure nothing changes in his enclosure. Changes in location of the food dish or hide can make him feel even more disoriented.