Worried about yawning

[thatrebecca]

Gomez and Morticia, my two juvenile CDTs, both started yawning a lot in the last 48 hours and it's got me concerned. They otherwise seem well -- they're eating a ton and quite active.

Is it possible they've caught an RI? What should I do? They live outside on dirt, with an underground burrow we built that keeps temps fairly stable, but not as stable as if they were indoors, obviously. This past week had wild fluctuations here in SoCal -- almost a 50-degree change. Could that have caused it? Could there be a pathogen in their enclosure?

I hesitate to take them to a vet unless it's absolutely necessary -- it seems like a pretty stressful experience, and I'm trying to keep stress down for them.

 

[Tom]

They have probably been too cold at night. They were indoors their whole lives and you just recently moved them outside full time, right? I think its too early in the season and the nights are still too cold for this. Too much of a shock. If I were you, I'd bring them into a reasonably warm, dry nighttime enclosure for sleeping and move them out each morning. This will let them acclimate to being outside all day without the cold nights. The time to move them out full time is mid to late June, when EVERY day is hot and the nights aren't so cold. If you get the "June Gloom" in your area, you might need to wait until July. Once they are out, they can just stay out as fall approaches. The days cool gradually in the fall, and they will have time to acclimate to the coming cold weather.

I'd have these babies in a warm dry enclosure indoors every night for a while.

 

[thatrebecca]

You're probably right. What's a good nighttime temp? Last night it was 67 in the burrow. Seems nice to me but I'm not a reptile... I think.

 

[Tom]

A well acclimated DT can handle 67 in a burrow no problem. A DT that has always lived indoors in a relatively dry enclosure under electric heat bulbs might not handle the instant change so well.

Also, while it may have been 67 LAST night, it has been in the forties at night, NOT warming up much during the day, and we had some rain last week. I don't think the temps during this heat wave are a problem, I think the cool temps for the last month or so, are your problem.

 

[thatrebecca]

A well acclimated DT can handle 67 in a burrow no problem. A DT that has always lived indoors in a relatively dry enclosure under electric heat bulbs might not handle the instant change so well.

Also, while it may have been 67 LAST night, it has been in the forties at night, NOT warming up much during the day, and we had some rain last week. I don't think the temps during this heat wave are a problem, I think the cool temps for the last month or so, are your problem.

Makes sense, many thanks, Tom! Just curious, where in SoCal are you? Your temps seem a little more extreme than ours here in the city.

 

[Tom]

I'm in Santa Clarita. We do get a little warmer during summer and a little cooler during winter. I actually think our extremes up here are better for DTs than the milder, but more clammy temps down in the city. I grew up near LAX down in the basin. We were constantly moving sick DTs inland to get them away from the clammy coastal air.

The best part is that we seldom get any of the June gloom that hits down there. It's always sunny up here. Good tortoise weather.

 

[thatrebecca]

I'm in Santa Clarita. We do get a little warmer during summer and a little cooler during winter. I actually think our extremes up here are better for DTs than the milder, but more clammy temps down in the city. I grew up near LAX down in the basin. We were constantly moving sick DTs inland to get them away from the clammy coastal air.

The best part is that we seldom get any of the June gloom that hits down there. It's always sunny up here. Good tortoise weather.

Meterologists should put that in the forecasts -- "good tortoise weather today"