Russian turtle is less active than 1 month ago

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
That bulb seems like it will work fine, in addition to your other one. We all use 10 and 12% bulbs. Set at the correct height and checked with a meter, they will do no harm.

Your temps are too cool. Your basking area should get up to around 37. Think summer in Afghanistan. Its hot there. Try adding an additional 100watt incandescent bulb in its own fixture over near the other basking bulb. Adjust the height to get the temperature right. You also nee to keep night temps up all over the whole enclosure. Try for 24 all around while trying to keep the tortoise from hibernating.

Al this additional electric heat is going to dry things out, so be sure to keep your substrate damp, soak daily and offer a humid hide during this time. Once the tortoise snaps out of his lack of appetite, you can try to go back to more normal temps, but you still need a basking area warmer than 30.

If your house is cold and you have trouble achieving these temps you might consider using a large closed chamber instead of an open topped enclosure. That will make your tortoises life better and your life a lot simpler. Way cheaper on electricity too, since you use a fraction as much.
 

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
Thanks for answers.
I have two questions....
1. If i will use UVB tube lamp (UVB 5) and fluorescent lamp (UVB 8) together, will i give my turtle uvb 13 or not......
2. Can i make exercise for my turtle's muscle power?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Thanks for answers.
I have two questions....
1. If i will use UVB tube lamp (UVB 5) and fluorescent lamp (UVB 8) together, will i give my turtle uvb 13 or not......
2. Can i make exercise for my turtle's muscle power?

1. I don't know how that works, but regular florescent bulbs (Regular as in NOT special High Output types...) produce very little UV. That 5.0 is doing nothing more than lighting up your enclosure unless it is 3" away from the tortoise. Get a UV light meter and test it. You'll see what I mean. An 8.0 is not going to do much more. I have some 24" 10.0 bulbs and I get very little UV even just 10" away from them. Now HO bulbs are a different story. Those produce a lot of UV.
2. Sure. A large interesting enclosure indoors, and a huge outdoor enclosure with hills and obstacles for fair weather days will do the trick.
 

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
Good morning,

thank for the answers.
I putted my UVB lamp 30 cm from my turtle.
If I understood correctly, I must buy UVB lamp 10 perc....
I saw yesterday, that my turtle ate a very small amount of sallads in the morning. And when I soak her in the mornings, she looks sleepy, so i decided soaking her in the evenings...Maybe it's not very good desicion.
Power of my heat cables is 15 w, but I think, i must buy more power cables or maybe 15 w is enough for turtles (temp. in terrarium is good, but when i touch her, she is a little cold).
 

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
I have found repti glo UVB 10 tube lamp 20 w. Do I need buy more powerful tube lamp (for example 25 w)?
 

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
I have found these gears of terrariums, but I would like to know, is they good or not for my situation:
a) Repti Glo UVB 10 tube lamp, 60 cm, power is 18 w (25 w is rare in my country),
b) fluorescent lamp JBL, 18 WW, 6000 K,
c) heat cable 25 w (i use 15 w).
 

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
I knew exactly details about the gear, so:
— Repti Glo 10.0 UVB tube lamp (20 W, 60 cm
— fluorescent tube lamp — 6700 K, 20 W, 60 cm
— heat cable 25 W, 4,5 m. (some my friends say, that 25 w is too power for russian turtles)...
Question....if my turtle doesn't eat because it's a hibernation, so can i buy these gears?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Its not about the equipment or wattage. It is about the results achieved in your individual enclosure. 15 watt heat cables might be warm enough in someone else's enclosure, but not warm enough in yours. Personally, I don't use heat cables. I use heat lamps set on timers and overhead ceramic heating elements set on thermostats.

You need to know the actual temperatures in your enclosure. How it "feels" is much too subjective. If you've just come inside from a snowy day, a relatively cold tortoise might feel warm. If you've just done the dishes in hot water, a warm tortoise might actually feel cool. You need the number from a thermometer or infrared temp gun.

I don't think you need more UV. What you need to assess is whether your enclosure is bright enough to look like daylight outside. With two florescent lamps and a basking bulb, it is probably bright enough in there. Now you just need to know the four temperatures. Warm side, cool side, basking area and over night low. These numbers will determine whether you need more wattage on your heating elements or not.
 

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
Good evening,

i have read, that temp. in warm side should be about 29 - 30, basking area — 30 - 35, cold side — 24....At night — 15 (16). I have found these temp. in this forum.
So, if i understood....if i will buy repti glo 10, i don't need fluorescent tube lamp....I use only UVB 5 and now is cloudy in my country....
 
Last edited:

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
Good afternoon,

i have read Tom's information about hibernation. I want to check whether i understood this information good (i will try prevent hibernation of course, but there are not many chances for it). So"
1 step. I give food for my turtle and soak her every day.
2 step. 2 weeks before hibernation no food, no soaking, no warming in day. But UVB tube lamp must be turn on.
3 step. After then 1 - 2 weeks i must reduce temp. at night and amount of daylight (question: how reduce (i meaned hours) amount of daylight? For example, 1 hour per day or not).
4 step. I put turtle in box, then in terrarium, because there is a winter in my country now. Temp. of terrarium should be 45 F.
5 step. If weather is warmer, for example in March, i increase temp. gradually (question: how long i must to do it and how many degrees per day).
6 step. After a few days (question: when exactly) i soak turtle in water (room temp.), heat cables or heat lamps are turned off,room temp. I must soaking 2 weeks.
7 step. After a few days (question: when exactly) i turn on UVB lamp.
8 step. I f turtle moves, i feed her.
 

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
So, i showed my turtle to vet. She said, that my turtle is less active because she wants to hibernate. Vet didn't make a x ray image, because it is not nesecerally (well, no comments).
So i bought repti glo uvb 10 tube lamp, distance from lamp to substrate 29 - 30 cm. So question, will be this lamp hazardous for eyes of my turtle? And Do i need buy other uvb lamp or not (there are nor mercury lamps in my country).
 

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
Good afternoon,

so, i am trying prevent hibernation of my russian turtle 1, 5 weeks: i soak her 1 - 2 times per day, give food 14 times per day, there are these temp. in my terrarium: cold side — 24 degrees (Celsium), warm side — 30 - 32, basking spot — 35, at night — 16 - 21. I bought Repti Glo 10 UVB tube lamp and used heating lamp 60 w, but my turtle began often blinking and hiding (i think from UVB 10), so i am using now Repti glo 5 UVB, heating lamp 60 W.
Problem is that, turtle doesn't eat, but she moves.

I would like to know, what can i make? Can i use forced feeding against anorexia.

Thanks for answers.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Good evening,

i have read, that temp. in warm side should be about 29 - 30, basking area — 30 - 35, cold side — 24....At night — 15 (16). I have found these temp. in this forum.

Those temps are okay for a tortoise that is eating and behaving normally. Basking area should be 37-38 for yours and night temps not below 24-26, until you get the appetite back up.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Good afternoon,

i have read Tom's information about hibernation. I want to check whether i understood this information good (i will try prevent hibernation of course, but there are not many chances for it). So"
1 step. I give food for my turtle and soak her every day.
2 step. 2 weeks before hibernation no food, no soaking, no warming in day. But UVB tube lamp must be turn on.
3 step. After then 1 - 2 weeks i must reduce temp. at night and amount of daylight (question: how reduce (i meaned hours) amount of daylight? For example, 1 hour per day or not).
4 step. I put turtle in box, then in terrarium, because there is a winter in my country now. Temp. of terrarium should be 45 F.
5 step. If weather is warmer, for example in March, i increase temp. gradually (question: how long i must to do it and how many degrees per day).
6 step. After a few days (question: when exactly) i soak turtle in water (room temp.), heat cables or heat lamps are turned off,room temp. I must soaking 2 weeks.
7 step. After a few days (question: when exactly) i turn on UVB lamp.
8 step. I f turtle moves, i feed her.

Step 2 is incorrect. THey ned to warm up during this period to digest and push through any remaining food in the gut. They still need the heat lamp on normally for a few days, and then I start reducing the number of hours per day for the heat lamp. And soaking during this time helps to move the food through their intestinal tract too. I spend about a week and a half at normal temps and lighting to move their last meal through their gut. Then I spend another week and a half to two weeks gradually reducing the temps and light cycles.

When its time to warm them back up in the spring I just reverse the process. Takes about two to tree weeks to get them back up and running again.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Good afternoon,

so, i am trying prevent hibernation of my russian turtle 1, 5 weeks: i soak her 1 - 2 times per day, give food 14 times per day, there are these temp. in my terrarium: cold side — 24 degrees (Celsium), warm side — 30 - 32, basking spot — 35, at night — 16 - 21. I bought Repti Glo 10 UVB tube lamp and used heating lamp 60 w, but my turtle began often blinking and hiding (i think from UVB 10), so i am using now Repti glo 5 UVB, heating lamp 60 W.
Problem is that, turtle doesn't eat, but she moves.

I would like to know, what can i make? Can i use forced feeding against anorexia.

Thanks for answers.

One soak every other day is enough.

Your night temps need to be warmer.

What length is you reptiglo 10.0?

There is no need to attempt force feeding and it could do damage.
 

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
Length of Repti glo 10 is 60 cm, length of terrarium is about 70 - 75 cm.
I will change terrarium, when my turtle will be ok.
 

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
Good afternoon,

so, how said Tom, I increased temp. in my terrarium (basking area — 36 - 38, night temp. — 28 - 26 Celsius), my turtle was a little active at night (30 min.) But i saw, that her muscles are atrophic and eyes are „deep“, so i decided to show her to vet. tommorow, because i worry about her atrophy.
There is terrarium in vet. clinic/s hospital, but i am not sure, whether all temps will be so high like yesterday...(max 28 - 30 temp.)....
And vet. thinks about forced feeding....
 

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
Good afternoon,

so, i tRIED to prevent my turtle from hibernation 2 weeks, but now she is in vet. hospital.
Vet. said, that she vomited (but maybe regurgitated) yesterday 2 times and she couldn't make x ray image with contrast.
I have two questions:
a) is vomit very dangerous for my turtle (she gets minerals, vitamines, fluids),
b) day temp. in terrarium is 30 - 29, but they turn off heat cables and all lamps (fear of fire) and they lay down terrarium on the heat ground at night, temp. is about 26 - 25.....So, is this stupid situation dangerous for my turtle...I told them to increase temp. at night.but answers are negative.
 

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
Good afternoon,

my turtle eats at last, but i saw, that she very often blinks. I use Reptiglo 5 UVB tube lamp and warm spot lamp with reflector.
How can i help her?
I used zoomed eye drops for turtles, gentamicin, but nothing....Eyes and eyellids are nice.
 

Desabuse

Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2014
Messages
50
Location (City and/or State)
.
Good afternoon,

my russian turtle doesn't like nekton msa (vitamine D3) on her food. So, my question is this: can i use vitamine d3 oil for children?
Thank you for answers.
 
Top