Help with russian tortoise... Inactive and not eating

[NewRussianTortoise]

We've had Ella for a little over 6 months now and she was 3 years old when we got her.

I think the temperatures in her aquarium are OK. We have only one day light that keeps the basking spot at 85-90. And the other side at around 75-80. We used to have a night light, but don't use anymore, so at night she is at room temperature - which in our case is around 70. We are in Houston, TX

Well, Ella has been eating very little the last month and now this week she's been sleeping most of the time. She hasn't eaten anything for the last 5 days... and she has her eyes closed for most of the time. Unless I pull her out and take her for a bath - which I do daily now, or pet her... she doesn't really move from where I leave her or open her eyes. She used to be very active before... I would take her to sun bathe daily... I can't now since it's a little cold outside.

Is she hibernating? Is she sick? Should I take her to the vet?

Please help!

 

[LaLaP]

She could just be trying to hibernate (brumate) or something could be wrong. Could you take a photo of your setup? How are you measuring your temps? Do you have a uvb light? What are you feeding her?

I'd hold off on the vet for now. Usually members here can spot any problems and often vets know very little about tortoises.

 

[Yvonne G]

Wild caught Russian tortoises that have been in captivity for a short time still have their wild instincts. Your tortoise, more than likely (but it's just a guess), knows that this is the time for it to be brumating. They stop eating for a couple weeks before they go into the brumation mode. If you don't want the tortoise to brumate then you have to keep getting it up and messing with it. I would make the temperatures higher until you get the tortoise back to normal, higher day and night.

 

[NewRussianTortoise]

Here is the setup.

What is the risk of her to be ‘brumating’?

The light she has right now is 100w and the warm area doesn’t get to over 90. So I have ordered a new 150w bulb and tortoise food.

I don’t know what else to do... breaks my heart to see her sleeping this much!

 

[jsheffield]

I think as others have said, higher temps, warm soaks, a variety of food offerings....

J

 

[LaLaP]

I agree the advice given and would add that your tort really needs a bigger enclosure. She can't get much exercise in there. Plus it's hard to give her proper temps i.e. A cool side and a warm side.
Also she needs a uvb bulb. That will perk her up and keep her healthy. Get the fluorescent tube type at a pet store or online. Uvb light doesn't pass through mess screen well enough.

The problem with her brumating is that she hasn't been properly prepared and doesn't have the right conditions. Brumation can be dangerous for her if done in those conditions.

 

[Wherethetortiroam]

I agree the advice given and would add that your tort really needs a bigger enclosure. She can't get much exercise in there. Plus it's hard to give her proper temps i.e. A cool side and a warm side.
Also she needs a uvb bulb. That will perk her up and keep her healthy. Get the fluorescent tube type at a pet store or online. Uvb light doesn't pass through mess screen well enough.

The problem with her brumating is that she hasn't been properly prepared and doesn't have the right conditions. Brumation can be dangerous for her if done in those conditions.

can that be fatal? i too struggle with this. around the end of February to mid March he'll snap out of it and just start to eat everything in site.

my problem is that i can't keep him moving all the time by fussing with him cause i have a full time job and sometimes take over time as well as a couple of small businesses to keep a float.

what would be the way to set them up to brumate properly?

 

[LaLaP]

can that be fatal? i too struggle with this. around the end of February to mid March he'll snap out of it and just start to eat everything in site.

my problem is that i can't keep him moving all the time by fussing with him cause i have a full time job and sometimes take over time as well as a couple of small businesses to keep a float.

what would be the way to set them up to brumate properly?

As long as you can wake him up daily, soak him a couple times a week and hopefully get him to eat and bask a little it's fine that he is trying to brumate. You don't have to be there to wake him constantly.
So if you wanted to brumate him properly you'd need to quite feeding him a couple weeks before and soak him often. This is so all the food in his system gets digested and all the poop gets cleared. If anything is in his system while he is brumating it will rot and cause damage. Also you would need to have him in a consistently cold place. A lot of people choose to put them in a small refrigerator with temp gauges to ensure the right temps. Temperature fluctuations can cause them to burn energy and lose to much weight while not eating.
if I were you I'd keep him awake this winter and just do your best to wake him now and then. Soaking twice a week is important to keep him hydrated.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Please keep in mind that your tortoise is full grown, and requires a recommended minimum enclosure size of 8x4 feet. This can be achieved through building a tortoise table or other enclosure, or building an outdoor pen. Be sure to give these a read-
Russian Tortoise Care Sheet https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Russian-Tortoise-Care-Sheet.80698/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

 

[NewRussianTortoise]

Hello,
Ella is not improving.
I have changed the light to a PowerSun from ZooMed so now she has a higher +95F during the day. I will address the space, per your recommendations, later. Right now, I am more worried about her not eating - She hasn't eaten anything since the beginning of the month. I am changing her leaves and got the dry food as well from ZooMed, but she is not interested at all.

I am picking her up everyday and giving her warm baths. So, I know she is alive, but I even think she is weak.
But I am extremely worried that she is not eating at all. How long can they go without eating?

Thanks so much for your help

 

[LaLaP]

They can go many months. Especially if she is reserving her energy by mostly sleeping. They come from a harsh environment where they go long periods without food and water so don't panic. You could get a small kitchen scale and monitor her weight. That would give you some peace of mind that she isn't wasting away.
Does she respond when you handle her? Or move around in the bath?

 

[NewRussianTortoise]

She responds - opens her eyes and moves her legs, but not enough to walk around the bath tub if mmm or walk around the yard if I take her out when it’s warm and sunny - we’ve had a couple of those days in Houston this month somehow.

thanks for your reply. Puts me at ease knowing she can go for months without eating.

 

[Wherethetortiroam]

i hope ella and you the best!

don't mean to steel the thread but i noticed today when soaking my little russian that he is now a mouth breather. what should be done? is there a good way to unclog little nairs/snouts?

while in the tub his nose was above the water but was still blowing bubbles so had to come from his mandible. good thing is is that when i do move him around he will go to eat a little something before turning back to his nap spot and still poops. not much but still, things are working. Just want to make sure hes breathing ok

thanks

 

[Sleppo]

i hope ella and you the best!

don't mean to steel the thread but i noticed today when soaking my little russian that he is now a mouth breather. what should be done? is there a good way to unclog little nairs/snouts?

while in the tub his nose was above the water but was still blowing bubbles so had to come from his mandible. good thing is is that when i do move him around he will go to eat a little something before turning back to his nap spot and still poops. not much but still, things are working. Just want to make sure hes breathing ok

thanks

Start a new thread so people can see this and respond.

 

[Sa Ga]

She responds - opens her eyes and moves her legs, but not enough to walk around the bath tub if mmm or walk around the yard if I take her out when it’s warm and sunny - we’ve had a couple of those days in Houston this month somehow.

thanks for your reply. Puts me at ease knowing she can go for months without eating.

They can go months without eating....but usually they are hibernating.

And they CAN'T go long without hydration unless they're hibernating. If she's not drinking at all, she needs more than soaks.

They may go months without eating in the wild...but that's only bc there's no food available. It's not normal for them to not eat that long when there IS.

Please take her to a vet and find out if there's a reason she's not eating. At the very least, they can give you tube feeding food and teach you how to do this. If she stays too dehydrated, she will irreparably damage her kidneys which obviously can kill her.

 

[Sa Ga]

i hope ella and you the best!

don't mean to steel the thread but i noticed today when soaking my little russian that he is now a mouth breather. what should be done? is there a good way to unclog little nairs/snouts?

while in the tub his nose was above the water but was still blowing bubbles so had to come from his mandible. good thing is is that when i do move him around he will go to eat a little something before turning back to his nap spot and still poops. not much but still, things are working. Just want to make sure hes breathing ok

thanks

If he's mouth breathing and blowing bubbles, he likely has an upper respiratory infection, which can be fatal.

Please take him to the vet asap. Make sure this vet is experienced with tort care.
They can give him medication that will treat it and show you how to clear his nares.

 

[Wherethetortiroam]

damned

my guess was the bedding, there are layers (about 6-7 inches in some spots) of substrate and he dug down deep to where it wasn't not moist at all. it was dusty and bone dry...

guess i'll be going to the vet soon.

 

[Sa Ga]

Please let us know what they say/do/how Ella recovers!

Mega-healing vibes coming her way!