Burrowed tortoise with (seemingly) no appetite- HELP!

[Ssummers2]

Hey all,

My tort is about 16 years old now and is behaving quite strangely. He was never a burrower and always was active, roaming around the apartment and jumping off his shade log in his house. For about 2 months now, he has been burrowed 24/7, doesn't come out from under his log at all, and doesn't eat any of the food I provide him, which is varied leafy greens (romaine, chard, butter lettuces, etc.). When I bathe him, he is active and tries to escape the water, but doesn't excrete very much. One time he did pass a large chunk of the coconut coir that I use for his substrate, so maybe he is just eating that? I have a UVB lamp and a heat lamp that keeps one end at about 81 degrees F, there is a water bowl in his house, and has no visible eye, nose, or ear issues. Is he maybe starting hibernation and going through a fasting period? We live in Colorado and the days are becoming significantly shorter.

Any insight would be great, thanks!

 

[Jodie]

Is 81F the hi? He needs a basking area 95F. Sounds like hibernation to me. You need to increase the heat and light to convince him it is not winter, and to eat, or do some research and hibernate him correctly. It can be a challenge to keep them awake.

 

[Ssummers2]

Is 81F the hi? He needs a basking area 95F. Sounds like hibernation to me. You need to increase the heat and light to convince him it is not winter, and to eat, or do some research and hibernate him correctly. It can be a challenge to keep them awake.

Sorry, his high basking spot is about 90F, so a little under what you've suggested. His ambient runs pretty consistently at 81F. He tried to hibernate last year, so you're probably correct.

Thanks Jodie!

 

[JoesMum]

Can you post pictures of the enclosure and lighting so we can see what's going on.

Russians do spend a lot of time underground anyway and the shortening days will get it thinking about hibernation even when the temperatures haven't dropped off.

 

[Alith7]

I'm in southeast Wisconsin and my Russian is doing the same thing.
I've noticed the "to hibernate or not hibernate" question seems to go back and forth on the forum here and other places.
Penny's enclosure is a 3' x 6' table, and over half the table is lit by a window that the curtains are always open so she can get as much natural light as possible on top of the artificial lighting and heat bulbs.
We rescued her in Spring, and she ate pretty much everything we would put in for her all summer, but as the days are getting shorter, she's eating less and less. The cool side of the table gets down to about 70ish, and she keeps burying herself in the farthest coolest corner. only eating every 3-4 days or so.
I think she's getting into hibernation mode, but i'm not sure if I should just let her, or add more lights to coax her out of it.

 

[majxmom]

But he says the tortoise has been doing this for two months, in the summer. That doesn't sound like brumation to me. Could he be dehydrated? A trip to the vet might be needed.

 

[Crzt4torts]

Hey all,

My tort is about 16 years old now and is behaving quite strangely. He was never a burrower and always was active, roaming around the apartment and jumping off his shade log in his house. For about 2 months now, he has been burrowed 24/7, doesn't come out from under his log at all, and doesn't eat any of the food I provide him, which is varied leafy greens (romaine, chard, butter lettuces, etc.). When I bathe him, he is active and tries to escape the water, but doesn't excrete very much. One time he did pass a large chunk of the coconut coir that I use for his substrate, so maybe he is just eating that? I have a UVB lamp and a heat lamp that keeps one end at about 81 degrees F, there is a water bowl in his house, and has no visible eye, nose, or ear issues. Is he maybe starting hibernation and going through a fasting period? We live in Colorado and the days are becoming significantly shorter.

Any insight would be great, thanks!

The passing a large chunk of coconut coir - could perhaps be blocked with up more internally. As his behavior was unusual all summer, I believe I would opt for a vet visit.