Sick russian?

[tinkerbell1189]

My Russian sleeps in his burrow all the time, and every time I get him back out I try and get him something to et and all he does is go straight back in his hide, th most I can get him to do is take a few bites

I've double checked all his temps and they are all ok, he has shade, basking cool spot and normal. I've been soaking him every day to try and perk him up but he still just go back in his burrow. Is he trying to hibernate or something? Or maybe he's sick. Also I keep taking him out to try and get him to bask and eat, should I be doin that, is it bad to disturb them when they are sleeping, does anyone have any suggestion for me?

Ps, he is 3yrs old and has uv light available. I've tried taking him outside to but he just roams around looking for a pace to hide

 

[GBtortoises]

How long have you had your tortoise? What are the temperatures (day, night & basking), what type of lighting and how long are they on during the day?

No tortoise will hibernate at normal activity level temperatures and light duration. But Russian tortoises are a burrowing species and it is very normal for them to spend much of their time underground. Environmental parameters determine when and how much time they spend underground. This is as true in captivity as it is in the wild.

 

[laney]

My Russian has been acting a bit like this too I was starting to think even though he is indoors he could sense winter is near! I know they like to hide and burrow but it is out of character for mine. Hope some of the more experienced keepers here know !

 

[tinkerbell1189]

His basking spot is 95, his warm area 85, normal area is 78, cool spot 68 dropping to 60 in the night. This can vary a little but these are the averages. I have had him a year. I hope he is ok :/

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Oh and he has an MVB light that is on 6hours a day but he is never out that long.

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I am just worried about him not having another uv and food

 

[GBtortoises]

The temperatures sound good, but I would definitely increase the amount of light both in duration and intensity. If the only daytime light that is on is a basking light it does not light the entire enclosure enough to simulate regular daytime intensity. In order for the tortoise to remain active it should have about 14-16 hours of daylight per day. It does not have to be every single day, but a vast majority of them. In other words the light can be shut off occasionally to simulate an overcast day while still leaving the basking light on, but the majority of the time the enclosure should be well lit.