So… I was taking my tortoise, tank, out of his enclosure for a soak. I got startled from a noise, my hand slipped, and I would say Tank fell about 2 or 2 1/2 feet onto the hard floor. He spun around before hitting the ground on his back. I immediately picked him up and placed him in the warm soak. He seemed dazed for a few but then started moving about. He pooped and was walking fine. I gently felt his legs to feel for any injured spots and they were fine. I couldn’t see any bleeding on the skin and there was only one scratch on his shell that didn’t look bad. He retreated back to his cave after. Should I take any follow up precautions or just monitor him closely?
DROPPED TORTOISE
- Thread starter Alexisiis
- Start date
Just monitor him. But I would next time get one of those reusable shopping bags and put him in that whenever moving him. Too many drops, even though accidental could turn out to be a bad thing.
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
Definitely monitor him closely, make sure he continues to behave normally, appetite and activity wise etc, maybe keep an eye on his plastron for any bruising
Thanks a lot!Definitely monitor him closely, make sure he continues to behave normally, appetite and activity wise etc, maybe keep an eye on his plastron for any bruising
The_Four_Toed_Edward
Well-Known Member
I carry my Russian in a box when I transfer from his indoor enclosure to his outdoor enclosure or the other way around. This is so I can avoid dropping him (he will wiggle a lot otherwise).
I always use a bowl to transfer from a to b as they are wrigglers. Hope all is well. Soak was a good thing to do and check mobility.
The_Four_Toed_Edward
Well-Known Member
If you want, you could send a photo of the scratch.
I’m out rn but I will asap
I actually use a hot pink tiny litterbox tray I had for emergency fostering to move my tortoise. I call it the pink taxi.
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Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
I can’t personally visibly see any serious damage which is good
a lot of his scrapes look old so I’m struggling to make out the newer scratch. How’s he been getting on?
The_Four_Toed_Edward
Well-Known Member
I agree, hard to spot any new scrapes.I can’t personally visibly see any serious damage which is good
He’s been doing well. I was wondering how active they usually are though? Like how often or long do they normally move around? I have been trying to integrate some new food which is kind of working.I can’t personally visibly see any serious damage which is good
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Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
That’s so good to hear!! Russians are generally a very active species, though some do slow down this time of year
I wonder if they sometimes they slow down at this time because they are thinking "
Hmmm. This large creature that is keeping me is definitely acting suspiciously... maybe I should stop pretending that I know I am supposed to be brumating...!".I feel like tank doesn’t walk around or come out of his hide enough. Is there ways that I can stimulate him or get him to be more active? Or is it something I’m doing that’s making him less active. I was wondering bc I was just at a pet store and saw a red foot tortoise and a Russian tortoise and they were both walking around
The_Four_Toed_Edward
Well-Known Member
If it is brumation related/caused by the time of the year, there are steps you can take to make him more active. As lined in Tom's brumation thread:
"Here are steps to take if you don't want to brumate your temperate species:
1. Add bright LED lighting in the 5000-6500K color range. Lots of it. Make it look like daytime outside looks.
2. Set light timers to be on for 13-14 hours.
3. Bump all ambient temperatures up a bit.
4. Keep night temps warmer. Shoot for no lower than the 70s over night.
5. Pull the tortoise out of hiding and soak it often. Don't let it stay hidden in a cool hide box all day.
6. I usually run HO UV tubes for 2-3 hours mid day. To keep a tortoise up, I might bump them up to 6-8 hours a day."
Tom's Brumation Thread
Every fall we get bombarded here on the forum with all sorts of questions and problems regarding hibernation and tortoises "slowing down" for winter. The purpose of this thread is to talk about all aspects of this subject, to dispel some of the myths and mysteries, and give a "how to" list of...
tortoiseforum.org
Littleredfootbigredheart
Well-Known Member
These steps are what’s recommended to hopefully perk your guy up if you don’t want to brumate him.If it is brumation related/caused by the time of the year, there are steps you can take to make him more active. As lined in Tom's brumation thread:
"Here are steps to take if you don't want to brumate your temperate species:
1. Add bright LED lighting in the 5000-6500K color range. Lots of it. Make it look like daytime outside looks.
2. Set light timers to be on for 13-14 hours.
3. Bump all ambient temperatures up a bit.
4. Keep night temps warmer. Shoot for no lower than the 70s over night.
5. Pull the tortoise out of hiding and soak it often. Don't let it stay hidden in a cool hide box all day.
6. I usually run HO UV tubes for 2-3 hours mid day. To keep a tortoise up, I might bump them up to 6-8 hours a day."
Tom's Brumation Thread
Every fall we get bombarded here on the forum with all sorts of questions and problems regarding hibernation and tortoises "slowing down" for winter. The purpose of this thread is to talk about all aspects of this subject, to dispel some of the myths and mysteries, and give a "how to" list of...
What are your current day and night temperatures like?
Romaine lettuce, cucumbers, optimised 52 I’ve been trying to slowly add in, and the calcium supplement once or twice a week
