RUSSIAN TORTOISE WEIRD ROUTINE?

[merlindatort]

I have had my russian tortoise for about 6 months and when I first got him he would be out all day and climb on things and eat 2 times a day. I have just recently rearranged his enclosure to get him a better burrow to cool off in and now he only comes out at 8 am when the heat lamp and uvb turn on I feed him variety of greens he eats super good and then goes right back into his burrow and stays there for the rest of day and night. I thought that maybe his lamp is too hot but it’s about 80 degrees in the sunny spot and same with his burrow during the day but at night it drops to around room temperature. Is he too hot or cold? Is this normal for russian tortoises? He never will drink water out of a very shallow bowl so I soak him twice a week. What am I doing wrong?

 

[Tom]

I have had my russian tortoise for about 6 months and when I first got him he would be out all day and climb on things and eat 2 times a day. I have just recently rearranged his enclosure to get him a better burrow to cool off in and now he only comes out at 8 am when the heat lamp and uvb turn on I feed him variety of greens he eats super good and then goes right back into his burrow and stays there for the rest of day and night. I thought that maybe his lamp is too hot but it’s about 80 degrees in the sunny spot and same with his burrow during the day but at night it drops to around room temperature. Is he too hot or cold? Is this normal for russian tortoises? He never will drink water out of a very shallow bowl so I soak him twice a week. What am I doing wrong?

What size enclosure? What substrate? What is the basking temperature directly under the basking lamp?

 

[wellington]

The answers to Toms questions will help us. Also pics of the enclosure.
You don't mention a basking temp. They have to be able to bask under a heat bulb that reaches 95-100 or they can't digest their food properly and their insides won't work properly.

 

[merlindatort]

What size enclosure? What substrate? What is the basking temperature directly under the basking lamp?

The basking temperature directly under the basking lamp is 105°, substrate is a mix of zoo med wood chip soil thing, and coconut fiber soil. 4’X 7’ enclosure heat is only on one side of enclosure and his burrow is in the middle closer to the cooler side and it is below 80° in his burrow.

 

[Tom]

The basking temperature directly under the basking lamp is 105°, substrate is a mix of zoo med wood chip soil thing, and coconut fiber soil. 4’X 7’ enclosure heat is only on one side of enclosure and his burrow is in the middle closer to the cooler side and it is below 80° in his burrow.

All of that sounds pretty good. Nothing jumps out at me. Could be seasonal with all this cold rainy weather we've been having.

What type of UV bulb are you using? Any ambient lighting other than the UV and basking bulb?