Hermanns tortoise won't get up

Dylan & Rocky

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image.jpeg Hi, I am Dylan and have a 2 year old hermanns tortoise named Rocky. For the best part of his life he has been used to living in a vivarium with a constant temperature of about 82F; however me and my dad wanted to give home some more space, so we built a tortoise table for him. In the table he has plenty of things to climb on (which he likes doing!), he has a big water bowl to soak in and he has a big shaded area to sleep in. I use a single 125W UV/heat bulb to provide a basking temp of about 84F and a shaded bit with about 75F.

However ever since we have moved him into his big table he has been running around when he is awake, but sleeping from about 6 at night to 3 in the afternoon, I feel that he is missing the uv in the day and more importantly eating. He will only wake up if I physically remove his covers and expose him to the light.

Is this normal behaviour if you move a tortoise from a vivarium to a table or should I take him to the vets? Any help would be appreciated thanks.

image.jpeg
 
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Kasia

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Basking 84F is too low. Should be 95 - 100F. If his not warm enough he will not be active.
 

Kasia

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Ok thanks, I might get a hotter bulb then!
If you have single a 125W UV/heat bulb (MVB) you can lover it a bit to get temperatures that you need in the basking area. For additional heating for day and night use CHE - provides heat but no light ;)
 

Kasia

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View attachment 173738 Hi, I am Dylan and have a 2 year old hermanns tortoise named Rocky. For the best part of his life he has been used to living in a vivarium with a constant temperature of about 82F; however me and my dad wanted to give home some more space, so we built a tortoise table for him. In the table he has plenty of things to climb on (which he likes doing!), he has a big water bowl to soak in and he has a big shaded area to sleep in. I use a single 125W UV/heat bulb to provide a basking temp of about 84F and a shaded bit with about 75F.

However ever since we have moved him into his big table he has been running around when he is awake, but sleeping from about 6 at night to 3 in the afternoon, I feel that he is missing the uv in the day and more importantly eating. He will only wake up if I physically remove his covers and expose him to the light.

Is this normal behaviour if you move a tortoise from a vivarium to a table or should I take him to the vets? Any help would be appreciated thanks.
On a second look get rid of that water dish - replace it with a terracotta saucer. Those dishes are notorious reason for little torts drowning. They are to high and to deep to get in and out of and your tortie can easily slip and not be able to get out. Try to cover some of your table with a plastic foil/lid to not let humidity escape - little torts like it warm and humid. Good luck :)
 

16rash

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i had the similar issue with my 5 yrs old Herman a week ago. Took him to Vet, he advised me to increase the temp to 95F .Lower temp should not drop below 70(specially inside the hides). so now i used 125W mercury lamp for basking and added one more Ceramic night bulb for night times. he is back to normal now. another thing that Vet asked me is to feed him on a open slab/tile instead of small feeding dish.
 

TortoiseWarrior

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Sometimes tortoises need time to get use to change. How long has he been in there? After you get those temps up hopefully he'll be a little more comfortable. Have you read Tom's care sheet on RT's? If not you will be hit with the link. Good luck. Nice enclosure.☺
 

JoesMum

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To adjust the temperature under you basking lamp, simply lower the fitting so the bulb is a bit closer to the substrate.
 

crimson_lotus

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careful you don't get the light too close to the tortoise, you don't want to burn the shell.
 

Dylan & Rocky

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Sometimes tortoises need time to get use to change. How long has he been in there? After you get those temps up hopefully he'll be a little more comfortable. Have you read Tom's care sheet on RT's? If not you will be hit with the link. Good luck. Nice enclosure.☺
He has been in there for two days, thanks for the comment!
 

Dylan & Rocky

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i had the similar issue with my 5 yrs old Herman a week ago. Took him to Vet, he advised me to increase the temp to 95F .Lower temp should not drop below 70(specially inside the hides). so now i used 125W mercury lamp for basking and added one more Ceramic night bulb for night times. he is back to normal now. another thing that Vet asked me is to feed him on a open slab/tile instead of small feeding dish.
Ok thanks for the advice!
 

Dylan & Rocky

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image.jpg image.jpg UPDATE
Hello everyone and thanks for the useful advice! To get the temperatures up I just simply lowered the bulb a little and bought a reptile reflective dome on Amazon for £17 and now he has a basking temp of around 90-95F, the heat must've been escaping to the surroundings. Now today he has woken up, had a drink, had a climb and has been eating! Thanks for the help guys this forum has been really useful!
 

Kasia

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View attachment 173816 View attachment 173815 UPDATE
Hello everyone and thanks for the useful advice! To get the temperatures up I just simply lowered the bulb a little and bought a reptile reflective dome on Amazon for £17 and now he has a basking temp of around 90-95F, the heat must've been escaping to the surroundings. Now today he has woken up, had a drink, had a climb and has been eating! Thanks for the help guys this forum has been really useful!
Put your thermometer closer to the substrate or directly under the bulb otherwise your not measuring the temperature you exactly want and keep up the good work :) hugs and kisses for Rocky :*
 

Dylan & Rocky

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Put your thermometer closer to the substrate or directly under the bulb otherwise your not measuring the temperature you exactly want and keep up the good work :) hugs and kisses for Rocky :*
Thankyou and will do!
 
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