tortoise wont eat (woke 3 days ago)

[shelley.connor]

Hi
I woke my tortoise from her 3 month hibernation on Sunday. I did what I usually do, which is to put her in water for half an hour so that she drinks (I think she did) and then put her into her special indoor pen (we keep her in here until the frosts pass) with a heat lamp. Usually she passes a white pasty faeces the next day and then eats normally.
This time, she hasn't done that and hasn't touched her food, she has just stayed in the house bit of her pen. I have picked her up and put her next to the food, and under the lamp, but she just goes back to her house.
It is particularly cold here at the moment, and although I have the heating on full blast, I wonder if she is too cold to eat?
Can anyone offer any advice please?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Shelley, and welcome to the Forum!

In my opinion, a tortoise that comes out of hibernation should be put in their outdoor pen inside their shelter or house. They are acclimated to the cold and will warm up as the weather warms up. This is what I do with my desert tortoises. They come out on sunny days and sit in the sun for a bit, then go back into their house. Once they have their core temp warmed up enough to digest food, then they will start to graze.

So, since you have put your tortoise indoors with heat and lights, I'd just leave it alone inside its shelter and let it come out when it feels ready.

What kind of tortoise are we talking about?

 

[shelley.connor]

Thanks for replying Yvonne.

I so wish she could go in her outdoor pen, but I am in the UK and at the moment it is snowing (it is unusually cold right now!). She always wakes around this time and so I guess is accustomed to be being indoors for a couple of months. My house is really cold, so maybe she just hasnt warmed up, although the heat from the lamp is pretty good if she sits under it.

She is a Mediterranean Tortoise and 20 years old.

Do you know how long it is safe to leave her to wake up properly and eat, before I seek help?

Hi Shelley, and welcome to the Forum!

In my opinion, a tortoise that comes out of hibernation should be put in their outdoor pen inside their shelter or house. They are acclimated to the cold and will warm up as the weather warms up. This is what I do with my desert tortoises. They come out on sunny days and sit in the sun for a bit, then go back into their house. Once they have their core temp warmed up enough to digest food, then they will start to graze.

So, since you have put your tortoise indoors with heat and lights, I'd just leave it alone inside its shelter and let it come out when it feels ready.

What kind of tortoise are we talking about?

 

[ascott]

What exact species are we speaking of? Hermanns, Russian??????

 

[shelley.connor]

I'm pretty sure she is a Greek tortoise (testudo graeca). I inherited her, but from the pictures I've looked at she definitely bears the greatest resemblance to that type.

What exact species are we speaking of? Hermanns, Russian??????