Horsefield tortoise help

[galvatron1701]

Hi everyone,

We're Sharon and Sean, and we're new tortoise owners. We've had little Om since August, and over the last 3-4 weeks have noticed quite a change in her behaviour.

Om is about a year and a half old. She was often curious about her home, walking up and down and digging, and she would eat every day. Most days she would be awake and under her lamp before 11am (and on some occasions as early as 8am). She wouldn't retire till between 4-8pm, depending on her mood.

We try to feed her as best a diet as we can. We pick and grow weeds for her, and give her various supermarket greens (she loves lamb's lettuce and kale); we sprinkle her food with calcium powder 2/3 times a week. We also try to bathe her every other day.

Over the last 3 weeks she's lost pretty much all of her enthusiasm. She very rarely comes out of hiding, and eats only a few bites every other day (when we feed her by hand). In fact, it's not unknown for us to go a couple days without seeing her.

Further, she has a bit of a swollen eye, though this isn't consistent- one minute she's fine, the next she's puffy and watery and then the next she's fine again! We bought her some eye drops I saw recommended on another forum, and have noticed a little improvement over the last few days.

Can anyone help? As we've never had a tortoise before, I don't know if this is an annual thing or not (I read elsewhere of another owner whose tort went through something similar every year).

I think what concerns us the most is her complete apathy. Even when bathing she just sleeps till we pull her out (previously she would sit for a few mins, and then move about a bit). Because she isn't eating, she isn't making any bowel movements, and her undershell is becoming soft (lack of calcium I imagine).

For substrate, we're using Prorep Tortoise Life. We're also using a little hay (aubiose; our vet recommended it as she uses it for her torts. Om prefers this to the soil).

I've included a pic of her table, as well as her eyes (this was before we bought the eye drops, so they aren't this bad now).

Can anyone offer any advice? Is there anything we're not doing, or are doing wrong?

Thank you everyone.

 

[wellington]

I would remove the hay, it's too drying and your tort needs some humidity, 30-50% at least. Also what kind of UVB bulb are you using? The coil type (CFL) have been known to hurt eyes. What are your temps, all over, basking, and night?
Has she been checked for worms? A member I have been helping has similar symptoms with her Russian, except the eye thing and her tort had to be treated for worms.

 

[galvatron1701]

Thanks for your response.

I don't know what the humidity is as we don't have a humidity meter (though I've just ordered one).

The bulb is an Arcadia dual uv/d3 80 watt. The usual temperature beneath it is between 30-37 degrees, though we haven't seen her bask for weeks now.

When we got her last August we took her to the vet for a check and were given worming medication which we squirted on her food. I remember her taking a few bites, but not many.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Sharon and Sean, and welcome to the Forum!

Since Om is very young, you have to try to keep her warmer than you would keep a grown tortoise. Also, the way the substrate is piled up to the top of the habitat wall, is asking for trouble. Russian tortoises are climbers and eventually little Om is going to just wander right out of the habitat and get stepped on.

So, here's my advice for you. Read this care sheet. It is geared towards the younger Russian tortoises, and you should gain some insight into how to care for Om. His eyes are the symptoms telling you something is wrong with his care.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

I feel fairly certain that once you get the temperature raised all over the whole habitat, remove the hay and cover the enclosure, the eye problem will go away.