Ok, I have not been on for awhile but I previously posted about a russian tortoise moving to my sister and brother in laws apartement. This post will be part rant, part begging for advice. Appologies in advance and epic thanks to anyone who can help.
So..... I don't think the tortoise has eaten anything since September, maybe a few bites every couple days or so. He just hides under his cactus half burried in the substrate. No one seems to be interested in getting his environment right at all. He is in a large rubbermaid, good substrate, but that is where the good ends.
They had a regular house light providing some heat, but when he would not move they decided to just leave it off. It is winter and the apartment ambient temp is in the 60's most of the time. They stopped filling his water becasue "he never uses it". I have pleaded and pleaded with them to get a uv light, nope. Get a heat lamp, get him a warm side of the enclosure in the 90's and get him into a warm soak everyday to wake him up. But it is winter and they think oh he is supposed to hibernate in winter anyway. Everything I have read says that 60'ish dgrees is NOT hibernation temperature, it is just to cold to really be active and eat and digest temperature, and that he is not hibernating, he is basically starving. He is stuck in perpetual nightime.
So, am I totally wrong? Is he hibernating and he'll be fine? Or are we gonna be greeted by a dead tortoise in the spring?
And if he is not hibernating properly and needs to get warmed up etc. How do I convince them! I am stuck between this horrible place of tossing up my hands, saying "it is there pet not mine" and hoping it all works out, and taking him on myself. I tend to be the family dumping ground for animals and I am kinda sick of cleaning up everyone elses messes (this is not the first). But then I feel guilty for letting the animal suffer. Overall the whole thing sucks and I am not sure what to do.
thank you for letting rant.
So..... I don't think the tortoise has eaten anything since September, maybe a few bites every couple days or so. He just hides under his cactus half burried in the substrate. No one seems to be interested in getting his environment right at all. He is in a large rubbermaid, good substrate, but that is where the good ends.
They had a regular house light providing some heat, but when he would not move they decided to just leave it off. It is winter and the apartment ambient temp is in the 60's most of the time. They stopped filling his water becasue "he never uses it". I have pleaded and pleaded with them to get a uv light, nope. Get a heat lamp, get him a warm side of the enclosure in the 90's and get him into a warm soak everyday to wake him up. But it is winter and they think oh he is supposed to hibernate in winter anyway. Everything I have read says that 60'ish dgrees is NOT hibernation temperature, it is just to cold to really be active and eat and digest temperature, and that he is not hibernating, he is basically starving. He is stuck in perpetual nightime.
So, am I totally wrong? Is he hibernating and he'll be fine? Or are we gonna be greeted by a dead tortoise in the spring?
And if he is not hibernating properly and needs to get warmed up etc. How do I convince them! I am stuck between this horrible place of tossing up my hands, saying "it is there pet not mine" and hoping it all works out, and taking him on myself. I tend to be the family dumping ground for animals and I am kinda sick of cleaning up everyone elses messes (this is not the first). But then I feel guilty for letting the animal suffer. Overall the whole thing sucks and I am not sure what to do.
thank you for letting rant.