Droosie
New Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2016
- Messages
- 10
hello all, I am a new owner of a 6yr old Horsefield tortoise.
Prior to me taking him on five weeks ago he had been kept in a rabbit cage with UV lighting and basking lamp. It didn't seem a lot of room and as I have an enclosed garden I was keen to give him freedom.
For the first week or so it was fine, he slept overnight in a wooden hut which had been in his cage and explored the garden every morning. At around 2pm he would take himself off to bed and that would be that until the next day.
After around a week he started digging a burrow under the garden path which was fine with me as I wanted him to do his own thing. So he was emerging from this in the mornings and exploring from there.
However over the past two weeks I have noted he has become much more sleepy. He isn't eating much if anything and he seems to want to hibernate. Of note it started when the very hot spell of weather occurred here in the UK, he didn't like it and as he is a Russian tortoise that is understandable. The weather has now settled into much more normal for this time of the year but he still isn't active.
Now if this is normal then that is fine and I am happy to leave him to his own devices. However I haven't seen him for over two days so this morning I literally dug him out of his burrow ...and I do mean DUG as he was quite deep under the path. I've bought him in and bathed him in lukewarm water and brought the rabbit cage indoors and popped him in there. I put the little, wooden hut in with fresh straw and he has literally just gone back to bed and I haven't seen him since. I've put on the UV light and basking lamp for him but he isn't interested.
I just want to get things right for him as he is a lovely tortoise with lots of attitude when active....as the cats will attest.
So ...if it's okay for him to decide to hibernate in the warmer weather then I am happy to let him, however I don't want to just ignore him if these behaviours are signs of an unhappy tort.
I am more used to Terrapins and they have been in the garden for a few weeks now and are coping well with the weather ...hot and not so hot.
Prior to me taking him on five weeks ago he had been kept in a rabbit cage with UV lighting and basking lamp. It didn't seem a lot of room and as I have an enclosed garden I was keen to give him freedom.
For the first week or so it was fine, he slept overnight in a wooden hut which had been in his cage and explored the garden every morning. At around 2pm he would take himself off to bed and that would be that until the next day.
After around a week he started digging a burrow under the garden path which was fine with me as I wanted him to do his own thing. So he was emerging from this in the mornings and exploring from there.
However over the past two weeks I have noted he has become much more sleepy. He isn't eating much if anything and he seems to want to hibernate. Of note it started when the very hot spell of weather occurred here in the UK, he didn't like it and as he is a Russian tortoise that is understandable. The weather has now settled into much more normal for this time of the year but he still isn't active.
Now if this is normal then that is fine and I am happy to leave him to his own devices. However I haven't seen him for over two days so this morning I literally dug him out of his burrow ...and I do mean DUG as he was quite deep under the path. I've bought him in and bathed him in lukewarm water and brought the rabbit cage indoors and popped him in there. I put the little, wooden hut in with fresh straw and he has literally just gone back to bed and I haven't seen him since. I've put on the UV light and basking lamp for him but he isn't interested.
I just want to get things right for him as he is a lovely tortoise with lots of attitude when active....as the cats will attest.
So ...if it's okay for him to decide to hibernate in the warmer weather then I am happy to let him, however I don't want to just ignore him if these behaviours are signs of an unhappy tort.
I am more used to Terrapins and they have been in the garden for a few weeks now and are coping well with the weather ...hot and not so hot.