addyson123

Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
76
Location (City and/or State)
Oregon
Hello Everybody,
I have had my tortoise for about 2 1/2 months and I love him so much. He has been great and for the most part has been eating good but recently (Within the past few weeks) He has stopped eating and subsequently stopped pooping. Otherwise he seems to be normal. He doesn't have any ticks or sores on the outside and his eyes look normal. I try to soak him about twice a week but with school starting up again recently iv'e been slacking a little bit on that. The only thing I can think of is that maybe either my lights aren't warm enough and he is getting cold since it is cold and very rainy here in oregon or that he hasn't gotten enough calcium (I try to put it on his food occasionally but he hasn't been eating so he hasn't got it in his system) Please help me I love my Sheldon so so much.
 

Jodie

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
4,359
Location (City and/or State)
Spokane Valley WA
Not eating is usually a sign of too cold. This time of year they often try to bromate. Turn your lights and heat up. He should have 14-16 hours of bright light that includes UVB. His basking area should be near 100F, and the cold side in the day should be in the upper 70's. Night heat can make a difference too. When I am trying to convince a Russian that winter is not coming, I keep night temps in the 70's. There are several ways to accomplish these things. We can better help you if we know more about your current setup. Can you post some pics, and info on your current temps, basking, warm side, cold side and night temps?
 

addyson123

Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
76
Location (City and/or State)
Oregon
Not eating is usually a sign of too cold. This time of year they often try to bromate. Turn your lights and heat up. He should have 14-16 hours of bright light that includes UVB. His basking area should be near 100F, and the cold side in the day should be in the upper 70's. Night heat can make a difference too. When I am trying to convince a Russian that winter is not coming, I keep night temps in the 70's. There are several ways to accomplish these things. We can better help you if we know more about your current setup. Can you post some pics, and info on your current temps, basking, warm side, cold side and night temps?
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Thank you so much, I just uploaded a few pictures of my inclosure. He has a hide in the cool end and a basking slate (Which I also feed him on) in the warm end. The bulbs that I use are the Desert UVB & Heat Lighting KIt which comes with a Zoo-med Reptisun 10.0 UVB 13 Watt Desert Bulb and a 75 watt Zoo-med Repti Basking Spot Lamp. I keep both lights on for about 12 hours each day but i don't know for sure how warm it gets on each end. I don't have any lights on at night so it is very possible that that is the problem. However, his tank is in my room so I wouldn't love to have a light on through the night. I have a cheap thermometer that I got from Petco, but I would love recommendations on new lighting, heating pads and/or thermometers.
 
Last edited:

Jodie

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
4,359
Location (City and/or State)
Spokane Valley WA
I would flip that set up. I feed more in the middle, towards the cool side, and put the hide on the hot side. They love to burrow down into damp, warm dirt. I use Mercury Vapor Bulbs for UVB, and or straight tubes. Those can cause eye damage. I also use a temp gun to get accurate reading on surface temps. A digital thermometer/hydrometer with a probe is also very useful.
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/4193-zoo-med-18-repti-sun-100-fluorescent-bulb
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/35430-zoo-med-80-watt-powersun-uvb-heat-bulb
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/17092-zoo-med-reptitemp-infrared-temp-gun-thermometer
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/28763-vivarium-electronics-digital-thermometer--hygrometer
There are other options, these are meant as examples.
Heating pads are not recommended. They get too hot, and a tortoise will burn themselves.
 

Jodie

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5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
4,359
Location (City and/or State)
Spokane Valley WA
Your substrate is not ideal. The white spots are some kind of vermiculite, I think. He may be eating that, and that would cause problems. I like coco coir. Others do not for Russians, and recommend orchid bark. You want it to be 4-6 inches deep though, and keep it damp. I water my enclosures like a house plant, and let the top start to dry out between waterings
 

addyson123

Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
76
Location (City and/or State)
Oregon
I would flip that set up. I feed more in the middle, towards the cool side, and put the hide on the hot side. They love to burrow down into damp, warm dirt. I use Mercury Vapor Bulbs for UVB, and or straight tubes. Those can cause eye damage. I also use a temp gun to get accurate reading on surface temps. A digital thermometer/hydrometer with a probe is also very useful.
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/4193-zoo-med-18-repti-sun-100-fluorescent-bulb
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/35430-zoo-med-80-watt-powersun-uvb-heat-bulb
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/17092-zoo-med-reptitemp-infrared-temp-gun-thermometer
http://www.lllreptile.com/products/28763-vivarium-electronics-digital-thermometer--hygrometer
There are other options, these are meant as examples.
Heating pads are not recommended. They get too hot, and a tortoise will burn themselves.
Yeah that makes sense, my only question is how do I make the bulbs hotter, and how do I keep him warm through out the night without a heat pad?
 

addyson123

Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
76
Location (City and/or State)
Oregon
Your substrate is not ideal. The white spots are some kind of vermiculite, I think. He may be eating that, and that would cause problems. I like coco coir. Others do not for Russians, and recommend orchid bark. You want it to be 4-6 inches deep though, and keep it damp. I water my enclosures like a house plant, and let the top start to dry out between waterings
Yes I am going to change the substrate this weekend to a better kind. I just wanted to see how this would work because it was much cheaper at lowes. *Yikes as I dig through it more I am even noticing pieces of plastic
 

addyson123

Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2019
Messages
76
Location (City and/or State)
Oregon
Use a higher wattage bulb for more heat. Ceramic Heat emitters or radiant heat panels on a thermostat are both good options for night heat.
Okay, the only problem with the uvb strip is that I don’t have a lid on my tank so I don’t know where I would put it. Also, what wattage would you suggest for the heat lamp? Right now it’s 75w
 

Jodie

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
4,359
Location (City and/or State)
Spokane Valley WA
What temp are you getting in the basking area below the 75 watt? Instead of the strip then use the Mercury Vapor Bulb I posted above. It is UVB/heat lamp. They come in 80, 100, 150 and 160 watts at least. Different brands carry different watts. I usually use 100 watt for most of my applications. Getting the correct temp at the correct distance will determine the wattage though. The best way to get the basking temp is with a temp gun.
 

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