Help..Tortoise is very uncomfortable

[Eddi_the_tort88]

Hi everyone! Eddi, my Russian tortoise is around 7 years old. I’ve had him for 5 years and he is very healthy. Recently I noticed a couple light pink “patches” on his tail. After noticing this, he has been acting super uncomfortable. He will be just fine and all of a sudden he will get the urge to need to run or quickly burrow but he is perfectly fine when he is sleeping. His appetite and poops are the same. I picked him up today and his tail was moving unusually. Does anyone else know what is causing this and what I need to do about it?

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone! Eddi, my Russian tortoise is around 7 years old. I’ve had him for 5 years and he is very healthy. Recently I noticed a couple light pink “patches” on his tail. After noticing this, he has been acting super uncomfortable. He will be just fine and all of a sudden he will get the urge to need to run or quickly burrow but he is perfectly fine when he is sleeping. His appetite and poops are the same. I picked him up today and his tail was moving unusually. Does anyone else know what is causing this and what I need to do about it?

Hello and welcome.

There is not enough info here to go on. This doesn't sound like anything that happens commonly.

What type of UV bulb is this tortoise under? What are the temperatures in the enclosure? What type of enclosure?

 

[TammyJ]

Can you post some pictures?

 

[KarenSoCal]

Maybe something is poking him, or itches? I'd have a good look with a flashlight at the underneath of the tail and cloaca.

 

[Eddi_the_tort88]

Hello and welcome.

There is not enough info here to go on. This doesn't sound like anything that happens commonly.

What type of UV bulb is this tortoise under? What are the temperatures in the enclosure? What type of enclosure?

Hello and welcome.

There is not enough info here to go on. This doesn't sound like anything that happens commonly.

What type of UV bulb is this tortoise under? What are the temperatures in the enclosure? What type of enclosure?

Zoomed 10.0 uvb bulb. Basking spot is around 90 or so and cool side is around 70-80. Plywood enclosure 4ftx4ft. Everything is the same as it has been for a long while now.

 

[Eddi_the_tort88]

Maybe something is poking him, or itches? I'd have a good look with a flashlight at the underneath of the tail and cloaca.

That’s what I was thinking. Although he will not let me grab his tail. Any tips on getting a look at his tail?

 

[Eddi_the_tort88]

Can you post some pictures?

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0dexyHpAQQJlhPgrY710UJahg theres a video (hopefully the link works) that kind of shows his movements. I’m not fully able to see his tail so I didn’t take any pictures

 

[Yvonne G]

Sounds like he might be constipated and is trying to defecate but can't.

 

[Eddi_the_tort88]

Sounds like he might be constipated and is trying to defecate but can't.

He’s been able to poop lately. Not sure if that’s it

 

[Maro2Bear]

Have you tried giving it a nice long soak in warm water?

 

[Eddi_the_tort88]

Have you tried giving it a nice long soak in warm water?

Yes. He is more relived when I do this but then afterwards he’s back to being uncomfortable

 

[Tom]

Zoomed 10.0 uvb bulb.

What type of bulb? CFL, T8, or T5 HO?

Basking spot is around 90 or so and cool side is around 70-80.

Basking area should be closer to 100. Your ambient temps sound fine.

What substrate are you using?
What do you typically feed the tortoise?
What lighting do you have other than the UV and basking?
Do you use any night heat?

I hope we can help you figure out the problem.

 

[Eddi_the_tort88]

What type of bulb? CFL, T8, or T5 HO?


Basking area should be closer to 100. Your ambient temps sound fine.

What substrate are you using?
What do you typically feed the tortoise?
What lighting do you have other than the UV and basking?
Do you use any night heat?

I hope we can help you figure out the problem.

 

[Eddi_the_tort88]

-I’m not sure what type of bulb it is.
-His basking spot gets pretty hot. I don’t check the temperature because I’ve had him for long enough now that I know it’s good. Im sure it is closer to 100 though.
-currently using hemp bedding. I’ve used this in the past and had absolutely no problems
-currently he’s getting spring mix
-the only other lighting is a heat bulb 100w
-no night heat. I’ve never used night heat

 

[Eddi_the_tort88]

Here’s a picture of the cage if that helps at all

 

[Eddi_the_tort88]

Update: I just got a good look at his tail and cloaca. I don’t see the pink patches anymore and everything else looks good. I’ll watch his behavior through out the day and see if anything has changed

 

[Tom]

-I’m not sure what type of bulb it is.
-His basking spot gets pretty hot. I don’t check the temperature because I’ve had him for long enough now that I know it’s good. Im sure it is closer to 100 though.
-currently using hemp bedding. I’ve used this in the past and had absolutely no problems
-currently he’s getting spring mix
-the only other lighting is a heat bulb 100w
-no night heat. I’ve never used night heat

You've got some problems there. All of this is intended to help. It can be upsetting, but if no one tells you what is wrong, you can't fix it. It is obvious that you are a great tortoise keeper and have tried very hard to do a good job for your tortoise.

Here is what I see:
1. You are using a cfl UV bulb. Some of those burn tortoise eyes and they should not be used. Sometimes tortoises react the way you describe your tortoise behaving due to the eye pain. They are also not an effective UV source.
2. You need to know the temperature of your basking lamp. It may be too hot which can damage the carapace, or it may not be warm enough for the tortoise's digestive, immune, and other systems to work. Place a digital thermometer on its back under the heat lamp and let it cook for an hour. Adjust the height of the fixture, or the wattage of the bulb as needed. Be sure you are using a "flood" lamp and not a "spot" bulb in there.
3. Hemp bedding is not suitable and it is too dry and dusty. This can contribute to many problems.
4. Spring mix is not a good tortoise food and does not meet their nutritional needs.
5. Russian tortoises should not need night heat as long as your house stays above 55-60F and they can warm up each day, so you are good there.

Almost all of the care info found online and at pet stores is wrong. Its been wrong for decades, and the same wrong info just gets repeated year after year. Here is the correct care info:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

Questions are welcome.

 

[Eddi_the_tort88]

You've got some problems there. All of this is intended to help. It can be upsetting, but if no one tells you what is wrong, you can't fix it. It is obvious that you are a great tortoise keeper and have tried very hard to do a good job for your tortoise.

Here is what I see:
1. You are using a cfl UV bulb. Some of those burn tortoise eyes and they should not be used. Sometimes tortoises react the way you describe your tortoise behaving due to the eye pain. They are also not an effective UV source.
2. You need to know the temperature of your basking lamp. It may be too hot which can damage the carapace, or it may not be warm enough for the tortoise's digestive, immune, and other systems to work. Place a digital thermometer on its back under the heat lamp and let it cook for an hour. Adjust the height of the fixture, or the wattage of the bulb as needed. Be sure you are using a "flood" lamp and not a "spot" bulb in there.
3. Hemp bedding is not suitable and it is too dry and dusty. This can contribute to many problems.
4. Spring mix is not a good tortoise food and does not meet their nutritional needs.
5. Russian tortoises should not need night heat as long as your house stays above 55-60F and they can warm up each day, so you are good there.

Almost all of the care info found online and at pet stores is wrong. Its been wrong for decades, and the same wrong info just gets repeated year after year. Here is the correct care info:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

Questions are welcome.

Thanks for the info! Can you send links to the bulbs you recommend. Also what food and substrate do you recommend? I’m happy to change everything I just need to know what to buy.

 

[Tom]

Thanks for the info! Can you send links to the bulbs you recommend. Also what food and substrate do you recommend? I’m happy to change everything I just need to know what to buy.

Flood bulbs for basking and LED strips can be found at any hardware store or at Walmart.

Arcadia ProT5 kits for UV can be found with an online search.

Food and substrate is all in the care sheet.

 

[Eddi_the_tort88]

Flood bulbs for basking and LED strips can be found at any hardware store or at Walmart.

Arcadia ProT5 kits for UV can be found with an online search.

Food and substrate is all in the care sheet.

Great, thanks! I’ll try to buy All of that asap. Why are problems emerging now since I’ve been using relatively the same stuff for 5 years now?