Brumating

[TortoiseBoy1999]

I left out of town (and still am) on Saturday and my friend is feeding my Russian. But she is not eating, she has been digging VERY deep and in her hide a lot more could she be trying to hibernate? She was very fat (but not a bad fat) when this all started. But she was starting to look a little skinny when I left. I'll be back tomorrow night. Will she be ok? I'm really worried

 

[ascott]

If there is a medical/health reason for the weight loss I would seriously try to get that hammered out to begin with....if a tort is brumating it should not have a rapid weight loss...remember, they brumate for a number of months and if rapid weight loss was going on there is no way the tort would live through months...you know what I mean?

If your tort has been steadily losing weight I would suspect something else going on....

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

She lost weight in about a week. She's perfectly healthy other than that. She's doing better.

---

Breaking news! She eating!

 

[wellington]

I sick or unhealthy or a tort losing weight should not be allowed to hibernate.

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

I don't want her to hibernate :-/ but she's eating again.

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

Also, I'm the only one who has ever fed her (since April 15) so she probably just recognized that the person who fed her while I was gone wasn't me. So she neglected to eat her food. Because as soon as I put some food in her terrarium she devoured it.

 

[ascott]

I would just make certain to really scrutinize her behavior to assure nothing is being dismissed....

I have a CDT here that will refuse to eat if I am not the one that he sees leaving the food, and leaving it a particular way---I know that I am really being oversensitive with this tort but it is what it is...no other apparent explanation....

again, please be sure that YOU watch for any weird issues that you see...

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

I PROMISE other than that she completely healthy

 

[CactusVinnie]

Palmdale is much milder than Russian habitat, so you can let the tortoise enjoy Palmdale winters. One condition: let him outdoors from mid-March/April, feed with weeds, and when time will came, he will behave accordingly. Not this year, if you kept him in terrarium.

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

I got her some squash today! To help her gain some weight!

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

Ewwwww! I just caught my Russian tortoise eating her poop for the first time right now! Ewwwww! It was so disgusting! And it was dry too! I might puke...... :&

 

[ascott]

And it was dry too! I might puke...... :&

eating a fresh tootsie roll looks even grosser---gets stuck to their beak and squishhhhhh....ewwwwwww --puke is right..lol

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

eating a fresh tootsie roll looks even grosser---gets stuck to their beak and squishhhhhh....ewwwwwww --puke is right..lol

I never thought that she did that! D: