Sleepy Tortoise

[HerbsParents]

Hey all, Herb is a 20 month old spur thighed, this is our first winter with him. He has a hot spot of 33c and cooling end of 23c, Night-time temps go down to about 12/13c. He is eating and when out is active, we bathe him about 6/7 days a week, but when in his table he is sleeping all of the time at the moment. Is this just natural urge to hibernate? ( will attach picture later)


Thank you
Herbs Parents

 

[Saleama]

bump...? Any takers. Person needing advice. You may want to go ahead and put up all your temps and humidity levels etc.., and post pics of the tort and the habitat. It will save you time when people do see this because they will need to know all those things to help you. Good luck!

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Do you have the Latin name of this tortoise? “Spur thigh" is used to name two different specie of tortoises that have to completely care requirements.

 

[HerbsParents]

Thank you for the replies, i believe he is an Ibera Greek spur thighed - I will put pics of his Table up later when home from work - He is in a Tortoise table with a soil base and Tortoise life on the top layer, Herb has several hides,slate, stones and slopes to run around and there is a Cactus in with him. The temperatures when light is on range from 33c in hot spot to 23c in the cool and at night the temps go down to a lowest of 12/13c

 

[ascott]

If the tort is still new to his home then you will need to give him time to settle...if he wild or captive?

 

[HerbsParents]

I believe that he is CB but the pet shop where purchased is really sh*t - half the reason why i picked up the little guy Born 22 months ago and am pretty sure is CB

 

[gtc]

Hey all, Herb is a 20 month old spur thighed, this is our first winter with him. He has a hot spot of 33c and cooling end of 23c, Night-time temps go down to about 12/13c. He is eating and when out is active, we bathe him about 6/7 days a week, but when in his table he is sleeping all of the time at the moment. Is this just natural urge to hibernate? ( will attach picture later)


Thank you
Herbs Parents

My ibera greek is sleeping a lot too the last month and waking only evey other day. My greek is also about the same age as yours. My temps are similar to yours except my night temps drop to 19C. When he is awake he is eating well and his weight is stable. I have also been wondering if this is normal. Good to hear that other greeks are doing this too. Hope someone with more experience sees your post. I would weigh your greek evet week. As long as he is not losing weight he should be fine (I would guess).

 

[HerbsParents]

Thank you for all the replies, it is good to know other Greeks are doing the same sorta thing, He is still eating the same amount as before, this seems to be the highlight of his day - He does seem to be waking up a bit more now and is again becomming more active, will try get some photos up tonight but have been working alot the last few days (thats why i have been posting so much )

 

[ascott]

I would encourage him to remain awake this winter....since it is his first winter with you I would keep him awake and if you are planning to support any brumation next year you will have this entire time to really get to know his behavior and to also chunk him up and juicy him up for next winter....just my opinion and what I would do.

 

[HerbsParents]

Thanks ascott, that is exactly what we thought plus the shop where I purchased was not the best so was not sure of his condition.

Now finally have some pics to pop up. Say hello to Herbert



Here is an older picture of his home, It has a bit of a change up - The light is now a tad closer to improve heat, He also has a Cacti and a corner hide now that he loves but this will give the basic idea



Herb seems to be sleeping like this quite a lot at the moment



But he is still a hungry chappy




A huge thank you to all - Am so happy to have found such a great Tortoise forum, it is amazing how much this little guy has had an effect on me and my fiance, we both absolutely love him - he has reawoken my passion in reptiles that I had forgotten in the past few years

 

[ascott]

Adorable little tort.....may I ask you, what is the little white pieces in the dirt/soil? If that is potting soil with perlite in it I would change that to soil without the perlite...those pieces are sometimes attractive to a tort to nibble and consume which can cause serious problems in the health of the tort....

 

[HerbsParents]

That is actually a layer of Tortoise life substrate designed for Tortoises ( not sure if it is a UK brand) and under that is soil so if he decides to dig down he can

 

[ascott]

Tortoise life substrate

So those little pebble pieces are limestone? I mean, I understand the theory behind the limestone, however, it can be an attractive hazard... I again would really consider using the attractive little pebbles/stones....I have dealt with solidly impacted tort and it is not an easy thing to clear ....that was all i was wanting to share

 

[HerbsParents]

I will definitely look into it, What would you recommend to use for a substrate?

 

[ascott]

Any organic type substrate....that is the most earth like....again, I am just compelled to share with you my personal concerns based on my own personal experience...

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I will definitely look into it, What would you recommend to use for a substrate?

What I've found works well for me is a 50/50 by volume mix of organic top soil and organic peat moss. This mix holds moisture fairly well, allows for easy digging in, and if ingested, passes without issue. With this mix, I'd add some course stones larger than the tortoises mouth, to aid in mobility as well as helping to wear down the nails.

 

[HerbsParents]

I will definitely look into it, What would you recommend to use for a substrate?

What I've found works well for me is a 50/50 by volume mix of organic top soil and organic peat moss. This mix holds moisture fairly well, allows for easy digging in, and if ingested, passes without issue. With this mix, I'd add some course stones larger than the tortoises mouth, to aid in mobility as well as helping to wear down the nails.

Excellent thank you, Have heard of the 50/50 mix but usually been advised to do this with sand and have found that irritates his eyes and face so just soil and a layer of tortoise life at the moment. Will be on the look out for some Organic peat moss this weekend

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I've heard to use sand to increase the moisture holding ability of substrate which always seems comical to me. How much water does a stone absorb? It just doesn't make logical sense.

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I can purchase organic peat moss at a local feed store. It is sold in a large, compressed bale, enclosed in plastic. It's quite dry, so while mixing, I add water.

 

[HerbsParents]

Soil is plenty good at holding the moisture, Trying to keep a reptiles healthy is made so much harder by so much conflicting information on the Internet - Loving this forum as people give opinions not "what you have to do" and you can work out the best technique from there

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

You are so correct in regard to all the conflicting information on the internet machine. Lots of old, out of date still up and passed as good. That's the great thing about the forum, active, current keepers sharing current husbandry.