What can I expect during this winter ?

[Yashil Ghazi]

Hi everyone.

My leopard tortoise and I are about to head into another cold South African winter and I was just curious as to what I can expect his behavior to be like when the weather changes.

The temperatures outside have already dropped to the mid 20s (Celsius) and Ive already noted that hes a lot less active than he used to be.He also eats a lot less than he used to. Also this morning I noticed that his eyes were sticky (I assumed that it was because his coco-coir was dry ) and so gave him a soak and they opened up as normal. Also ,hes been refusing to eat anything besides Hibiscus leaves,radish tops and a little bit of Kearsney grass.He wont accept anything else.

So ,is this behavior normal ? The only health issues that scared me was the sticky eyes.He doesn't seem to be sneezing ,or showing any signs of RNS. My biggest concern is the sticky eyes, IL see if he has them tomorrow.What can I do to get rid of this problem ?

Hes also been put into a bigger enclosure,where majority of his substrate is coco-coir and organic potting soil.

I soak him every second day.He stays outside during the day and I bring him in at night.

I read in school today that they tortoises eat less because their Digestive system needs a rest , Is this true ?

any advice or Info will be greatly appreciated. My tortoise is a South African Leopard.

Yash

 

[wellington]

I live in the US and I get cold, snowy winters. So far my leopard is small enough still to be housed inside for winter. He just turned 2 this spring so I still keep the temps and humidity higher and I soak every other day. He slept more and ate less, and was less active. However, this is a normal behavior for mine when he is inside. He does seem to sleep at the same time of day that he would if he were housed outside, in other words, inside he sleeps during what would be the hottest part of the day, were he outside. They don't hibernate/brumate so he should not stop eating altogether, nor should he loose all activity. Not living where you are, I can only tell you what mine did.

 

[Tom]

If you maintain the correct temps indoors with the use of heat lamps during the day and ceramic heating elements at night, he will not get sick and will continue functioning and eating normally.

This is all about the temps. Sounds like he's getting to cool with no way to warm up properly.

Bad eyes are a BIG sign of trouble for a tortoise or turtle. You have a big issue starting there. Get him warmer right away, before it progresses.

 

[Yashil Ghazi]

OMG,I had no Idea that the sticky eyes were such a bad sign.I thought that it was just because he had some coco-coir in his eyes.
He gets them (Sticky eyes) on and off,but only had it yesterday,because he slept for two days, due to the weather.
I bunked school today to finish his tortoise table.I wasent able to go to the petshop to get a ceramic heat emmiter ,but hooked up an old heat lamp until I can get to a petshop.
His eyes were not sticky today,but there was a little bit of white stuff on the front corner.If its still there tomorrow il get some pictures up.
His eyes otherwise seemed clear.
The weather outside is sunny,but the air temps are cool.The air has also become very dry .There are no clouds in the sky.

What could the eye discharge be a sign off ?,I visited a vet on the way home from school today,but he says that he is not sure on what it could be ,and told me to check for an infection ,but was not sure because he doesn't deal with reptiles (Rather strange for a vet)

He ate a little bit of hibiscus leaves ,and a few bites of watercress,but slept a lot.

He doesn't seem to be sneezing or showing any other signs of disease.
His stool has been very fiberouse and firm ,is this normal ?

How do I add pictures onto here ?

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated

 

[Tom]

Easiest way to do pics is go to tinypic.com. Upload anysize photo and then copy/paste the IMG code into your forum post.

 

[Yashil Ghazi]

Ok ,here are some of the image codes for the tortoise table.

Try these ,and tell me what you think and how I can improve it .
Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't think that light provides enough heat for that table. Plus, the light needs to be hanging straight down. If you put the bulb in some sort of a reflector fixture, it will train the heat more downward towards the tortoise. You might consider partially covering the table. Also, where's the water dish? If you put a few plants in there it helps to break up the tortoise's line of sight and makes it more interesting for him. If your room gets very cold at night, it would be a good idea to provide some sort of heat without light at night too.

 

[Yashil Ghazi]

My tortoise is outside most of the day.The days so far have been very bright and sunny,but have just had a cold air temperature (About 25 degrees celsius).
Yvonne I went out and got a shallow plate to use as a water dish,I meant to get the pictures up fast ,so forgot to add the water dish and decor.Il get some pictures up soon.

I'm going to buy a ceramic heat emitter on Saturday. Is there any specific wattage or make that I should look for.The light that's there is completely temporary, until I can get to a petshop to buy the required lighting.

His eyes were sticky this morning ,and had a bit of this goo that I was clear .( similar to what humans have in the morning) .But when I came home today it was completely gone . Ive added some pictures of what his eyes were like this evening.Sorry about the quality,I hope you can see.Please tell me if you see anything wrong with them.

Ive moved him to my room now.Its a bit warmer in here at night ,but if the temps drop ,il put the heater on.

What are Ideal tort sleeping temps ?

Also ,do I keep to my usual soaking routine in winter ?,I currently do it every other day .

What can I get my tort for the eye infection.I read that synthetic tears can help.What else can I do to help his eyes out.I rinsed them with tap water this morning to try and flush them out.

Thanks
Yash