My new Russian tortoise isn't doing much.

[Yuki Pebbles]

I'm Yuki and I just got a Russian tortoise a few days ago. He isn't moving much, I haven't seen him eat or drink, and now he's buried himself in his bedding. What should I do? I'm new to this and very concerned for him.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Where are you located? A lot of Russians right now are slowing down or have hibernated due to it being winter. Also new tortoises need to have time to adjust to their new home.
However, you do need to make sure you have correct over all temps, night temps and basking temp. Please read the care sheet under the Russian section and adjust things if needed. If all is correct, then give him time to adjust to his new home.

 

[Yuki Pebbles]

Hello and Welcome. Where are you located? A lot of Russians right now are slowing down or have hibernated due to it being winter. Also new tortoises need to have time to adjust to their new home.
However, you do need to make sure you have correct over all temps, night temps and basking temp. Please read the care sheet under the Russian section and adjust things if needed. If all is correct, then give him time to adjust to his new home.

I'm in Arkansas. I have everything set up

Hello and Welcome. Where are you located? A lot of Russians right now are slowing down or have hibernated due to it being winter. Also new tortoises need to have time to adjust to their new home.
However, you do need to make sure you have correct over all temps, night temps and basking temp. Please read the care sheet under the Russian section and adjust things if needed. If all is correct, then give him time to adjust to his new home.

The temps are all correct. I'll let him settle down. Thank you.

 

[Jrob]

My one tortoise took a week to start eating a lot. Now his switch is broken and he will not stop eating.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

The temps are all correct.

What are your temperatures, specifically? How hot is it at tortoise height under the basking light? How cold is your over night low? What are you using to measure temperature?

 

[Yuki Pebbles]

What are your temperatures, specifically? How hot is it at tortoise height under the basking light? How cold is your over night low? What are you using to measure temperature?

Day temp is 80°F. Night temp is about 70-75°. I'm using a zilla humidity and temperature thermometer that came with the terrarium

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Those dual dial gauges are known to have accuracy issues - cheaper, more reliable alternatives can be purchased at the hardware store.

Is 80F the basking temperature? If so, you need to increase it. 80F is fine for the warm side, but you need a region 95-100F for your tortoise to warm up enough to digest food.

 

[Yuki Pebbles]

Those dual dial gauges are known to have accuracy issues - cheaper, more reliable alternatives can be purchased at the hardware store.

Is 80F the basking temperature? If so, you need to increase it. 80F is fine for the warm side, but you need a region 95-100F for your tortoise to warm up enough to digest food.

How would I be able to make it warmer?

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

You can make it warmer in the basking spot by lowering the light fixture or increasing the wattage of the bulb.

 

[Yuki Pebbles]

You can make it warmer in the basking spot by lowering the light fixture or increasing the wattage of the bulb.

How long should he bask for? I'm at school for a while so I don't want to have him bask for too long but I won't be able to change the temp until after school.

 

[wellington]

He will chose to bask off and on. If he can't warm up under a 95-100 degree light at tort level, he can't digest his food properly and this will cause him not to eat and other problems. As long as you get the correct temps, you don't have to worry if he is basking or not while at school.

 

[Yuki Pebbles]

He will chose to bask off and on. If he can't warm up under a 95-100 degree light at tort level, he can't digest his food properly and this will cause him not to eat and other problems. As long as you get the correct temps, you don't have to worry if he is basking or not while at school.

Okay. Thank you for the help

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Just to make sure it is clear, your whole enclosure shouldn't be 95-100 - just a portion of it. This allows the tortoise to choose when to heat up and then when to cool down (so you need a cooler side that is room temperature). If your enclosure is too small, this is very hard to achieve, but it's essential to provide different temperature zones for this species.