My approx 1 year old horsefield acting a little lethargic

[Sleeming1386]

Hi there , we bought a baby horsefield just over 6 months ago and he or she s been a great addition to the family . I did quite a bit of research before we got him or her and to be fair apart from the first week where he or she was shy and probably scared he or she has been great . !
Now here’s my question, I’ve noticed over the last couple of weeks that he or she is a little more lethargic and off his or her food , it kind of co insides with the change in weather .
I house him or her in a custom made table top with a 12 hour uv light cycle and a hot spot of 32 deg . I’m just wondering if he or she can still sense the weather is changing and is this the cause of the change in behaviour .
I’ll add a pic of the table top .

 

[Jan A]

Hi there , we bought a baby horsefield just over 6 months ago and he or she s been a great addition to the family . I did quite a bit of research before we got him or her and to be fair apart from the first week where he or she was shy and probably scared he or she has been great . !
Now here’s my question, I’ve noticed over the last couple of weeks that he or she is a little more lethargic and off his or her food , it kind of co insides with the change in weather .
I house him or her in a custom made table top with a 12 hour uv light cycle and a hot spot of 32 deg . I’m just wondering if he or she can still sense the weather is changing and is this the cause of the change in behaviour .
I’ll add a pic of the table top .

Welcome to the forum!! Definitely yes, his slow-down is likely due to the change in the season/decreasing daylight unless he's displaying other symptoms of illness. We see this annual slow-down in many species of torts. Some like yours brumate; others don't but they all seem to slow down for a few weeks. We have lots of members in the UK, so you'll get a lot of good feedback & info about where to shop. Photos of your tort & your enclosure will help us help you & we love photos. So welcome aboard!!

 

[Sleeming1386]

Welcome to the forum!! Definitely yes, his slow-down is likely due to the change in the season/decreasing daylight unless he's displaying other symptoms of illness. We see this annual slow-down in many species of torts. Some like yours brumate; others don't but they all seem to slow down for a few weeks. We have lots of members in the UK, so you'll get a lot of good feedback & info about where to shop. Photos of your tort & your enclosure will help us help you & we love photos. So welcome aboard!!

Welcome to the forum!! Definitely yes, his slow-down is likely due to the change in the season/decreasing daylight unless he's displaying other symptoms of illness. We see this annual slow-down in many species of torts. Some like yours brumate; others don't but they all seem to slow down for a few weeks. We have lots of members in the UK, so you'll get a lot of good feedback & info about where to shop. Photos of your tort & your enclosure will help us help you & we love photos. So welcome aboard!!

Welcome to the forum!! Definitely yes, his slow-down is likely due to the change in the season/decreasing daylight unless he's displaying other symptoms of illness. We see this annual slow-down in many species of torts. Some like yours brumate; others don't but they all seem to slow down for a few weeks. We have lots of members in the UK, so you'll get a lot of good feedback & info about where to shop. Photos of your tort & your enclosure will help us help you & we love photos. So welcome aboard!!

Thanks for the reply ! I’ll keep an eye on him or her for any signs of illness . On that , is the basic checks clear eyes , no respiratory issues and his or her poo s look ok ? . Is there anything else I should be looking for ? . Not sure if I should post this to you or start a new post ? Obviously new to this .
thanks Stuart

 

[Jan A]

Thanks for the reply ! I’ll keep an eye on him or her for any signs of illness . On that , is the basic checks clear eyes , no respiratory issues and his or her poo s look ok ? . Is there anything else I should be looking for ? . Not sure if I should post this to you or start a new post ? Obviously new to this .
thanks Stuart

No, keep this thread going. How old is your tort? I'm assuming he's still very young. If he's still eating & pooping ok, then it is the slow-down most torts go thru during winter months.

 

[biochemnerd808]

Good answers above already.

Some things to keep in mind: double check that with the colder weather, the basking temp is still warm enough. I have to move my bulbs down about an inch when cold weather hits. An infrared temp gun works well for doing a daily temp check.
At 1 year old, your little one is probably still smaller than 4" and therefore still needs night heat. Remember that wet+cold is bad.

It is normal for tortoises to slow down in the winter. Even my captive bred tortoises clearly are wired to want to hibernate. You can safely keep your tortoise awake, but you'll definitely need to get it up and soak it a few times a week. A little weight loss is OK, as long as it stays hydrated.

 

[Sleeming1386]

Good answers above already.

Some things to keep in mind: double check that with the colder weather, the basking temp is still warm enough. I have to move my bulbs down about an inch when cold weather hits. An infrared temp gun works well for doing a daily temp check.
At 1 year old, your little one is probably still smaller than 4" and therefore still needs night heat. Remember that wet+cold is bad.

It is normal for tortoises to slow down in the winter. Even my captive bred tortoises clearly are wired to want to hibernate. You can safely keep your tortoise awake, but you'll definitely need to get it up and soak it a few times a week. A little weight loss is OK, as long as it stays hydrated.

Hi , thanks for the input and help , yes I’ve got a snazzy stat that I can adujust day and night temps . I’ve also got a heat gun and I’ve checked the temps , in the day it’s still 32 deg on hot spot cooling out to around 20 deg towards the outer edges of his table and at night I’ve set the stat so there’s warmth still going into his table with a warm area still at 20 deg and the outer areas not dropping below 16 deg . Hope that’s going to be ok . ? Do I still mist the the table in the morning or do I stop over the colder months? . Through the summer months he was quite a greedy bugger and would keep eating if I offered ,the last couple of weeks he’s just having a little nibble hear and there and that’s usually after I’ve soaked him . Just hope the little guys ok and im doing the right things .