Shelloise not doing well :(

[shelloise]

Shelloise stopped eating a couple of days ago. She has not moved at all either. She was in the same spot that I put her in this morning. I put her in her water dish and still she just sat til I took her out. Her ryes are closed. I know she is alive as she moved her legs. No idea what to do

 

[DrewsLife727]

What are the temps of your enclosure? Hot side cool side.

 

[shelloise]

I have to add on, but the app doesnt let me type all. Anyway, only dif is that we moved her tank to another wall. I took the temp, was 74 in hottest spot, used to be 85+ so don't know how that happened, faulty che now? I am very worried

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I have a red heat bulb that is 75 watts on my other enclosure and the temps are higher in that than shelloise's che

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Should I lower the che to raise the temp for her, ?

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Sorry forgot to add, che is 18 inches high from her. It sits on the cover screen.

 

[greyshirt]

Yes lower the che and cover the top, at least partially, with a more solid material. Probably cover the top first and see if that makes any difference before lowering the che. Try to get hottest up in the 90's. Also as always warm soaks work wonders. Hope she gets better.

 

[Yvonne G]

The tortoise may now be in a draft.

You need to step in right away. Try to figure out what is wrong. The first cause is usually heat - not enough, or too much. So get that temp gun and re-check all over the bottom of the habitat.

Best thing to start with while trying to figure out what's wrong is to soak the tortoise in warm water every day for about 20 minutes.

Redfoot tortoises don't need a temperature gradient across the habitat. A solid 80F all over is just fine for them. With moisture that should be fine. And cover the habitat to keep the cold house air out and the warm air in.

 

[shelloise]

Sorry I should have mentioned that the screen cover has plexiglass on it except for where the lighting and heat sit. I have been soaking her in warm water, so will keep it up and will figure out what to do to lower the che and cover the rest. I can lower it if i use a clamp dome for the che.

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Should i put her in a smaller tank for now? I cant have the one she is in (3 feet) have an even temp throughout

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She isnt in a draft.





The tortoise may now be in a draft.

You need to step in right away. Try to figure out what is wrong. The first cause is usually heat - not enough, or too much. So get that temp gun and re-check all over the bottom of the habitat.

Best thing to start with while trying to figure out what's wrong is to soak the tortoise in warm water every day for about 20 minutes.

Redfoot tortoises don't need a temperature gradient across the habitat. A solid 80F all over is just fine for them. With moisture that should be fine. And cover the habitat to keep the cold house air out and the warm air in.
[/quote]

 

[luvpetz27]

How is she doing now? any change?

 

[shelloise]

How is she doing now? any change?

Hi, No she is the same

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How far in inches should i have the che above her? It is a 150 but doesnt seem higher than 100. I don't want to end up burning her. Temps tops are90's

 

[shelloise]

The heat isnt going over 80. Its a 150 che about10 inches over her. So the che isnt working?????

 

[KingInCulver]

sorry to hear shelloise is sick, but i think only you can answer your question about what her conditions are - such as "is the CHE working?" = is it hot to the touch? if so, what temps are emitted at the ground level beneath it? place a rock underneath and point your temp gun at it to see. a previous poster already stated the optimal temp ranges for your tort. are you soaking? is she eating? eliminating? maybe include pictures of your tort and the current enclosure. sometimes its easier to spot problems from a visual aid. i hope for improvement for your tort.

 

[shelloise]

View attachment 35941

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Darn pic won't attach

 

[shelloise]

Ok so I bought a couple more clamp lamps and also a couple of 150 bulbs. One lamp has a dimmer so you can turn it down and get rid of the red. Does that kill the heat though?
I also have 2 brand new digital thermometers, both say 78.8 and 79.2.
I am not going to buy a heat gun or whatever they are called. I have spent probably around 900.00, so dont have cash laying around, and the 2 pets stores I phoned don't have them.
I have no idea why it is registering in the 70's, 2 can't be wrong.I do know the che wasnt working right, very little heat coming off of it.
Shelloise was walking around the water dish for a couple of minutes then climbed out so that's better than before. I cut up some cactus very fine but she isn't wanting it.
Hopefully tomorrow will be better for her.

 

[MasterOogway]

Keep us posted. I know how expensive all the tortoise stuff can be so I feel your pain. Hoping for the best.