I got a 12-year-old, female Hermann's tortoise as a rescue last year. I just built her a large, oak, indoor enclosure with a peat moss and organic soil substrate and a large mercury vapor bulb. Ever since I got her, I've been soaking her a few times a week (as opposed to putting water in her enclosure), based on suggestions on this forum.
I'm getting very concerned that she's not drinking. In the past, she has always lowered her head and guzzled water during her soaks, but I have not seen her do it for the last handful of soaks. She usually produces a big cloud of smooth urates and solid stool, too, but there's only been a little bit of each, and not even every time. She didn't eat as much for her first week or two in her new enclosure, I assumed because she was adjusting to the change, but now her appetite is good. Her energy level is great, her eyes, nose, and mouth look good, and she's basking like usual. She's alert and curious; I really don't find anything wrong but her disinterest in drinking.
I'm new to keeping reptiles, although I've been reading all I can about Hermann's. I can't tell if this is as alarming as I think it is. I've read that tortoises take in water through their skin. I have to spray her substrate to keep it from getting dusty, and since I was just using those alfalfa pellets from the pet store before, I know she's being exposed to higher humidity. Would that cause a drop in thirst? If my cat gets sick and doesn't feel like getting up to drink, I use a syringe to essentially force her to hydrate. Dehydration is a life-threatening concern for us mammals, but is it less of an emergency for a tortoise? Is there some health issue I don't know about that this suggests? Is there anything I can do to get her hydrated? Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for any advice.
I'm getting very concerned that she's not drinking. In the past, she has always lowered her head and guzzled water during her soaks, but I have not seen her do it for the last handful of soaks. She usually produces a big cloud of smooth urates and solid stool, too, but there's only been a little bit of each, and not even every time. She didn't eat as much for her first week or two in her new enclosure, I assumed because she was adjusting to the change, but now her appetite is good. Her energy level is great, her eyes, nose, and mouth look good, and she's basking like usual. She's alert and curious; I really don't find anything wrong but her disinterest in drinking.
I'm new to keeping reptiles, although I've been reading all I can about Hermann's. I can't tell if this is as alarming as I think it is. I've read that tortoises take in water through their skin. I have to spray her substrate to keep it from getting dusty, and since I was just using those alfalfa pellets from the pet store before, I know she's being exposed to higher humidity. Would that cause a drop in thirst? If my cat gets sick and doesn't feel like getting up to drink, I use a syringe to essentially force her to hydrate. Dehydration is a life-threatening concern for us mammals, but is it less of an emergency for a tortoise? Is there some health issue I don't know about that this suggests? Is there anything I can do to get her hydrated? Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for any advice.