Tortoise active but wont eat. Any advice?

Zihvuda

New Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Messages
2
Hello everyone,

I'm actually going to call a vet after this, but I would appreciate advice on this from experienced owners too.

I have a a fully matured Russian tortoise female who has been pretty darn active, but has rather suddenly decided she doesn't want to eat anymore. I live in an apartment so she's an inside tortoise and I've had her 3 years. I've scoured the forums on here already for similar problems, but all threads I've come across (that went into enough specifics) are about tortoises that have also become less active along with decreased appetite. Still, I've checked and rechecked her enclosure temperatures to make sure they're all correct, especially her basking, but haven't found anything wrong.

I've tried rotating different greens for her, things she's usually been all too happy to eat. She's refused radicchio. Radicchio! She LOVES radicchio! But no, whatever variations I try, she seems to just go over to her bowl, walk all over her food and spread it 'round her enclosure. I've tried to bathe her more often, these days to see if that would help. And while usually she'd pee and poo in the bath, she hasn't now. Not that I particularly expected her to poop when she hasn't been eating. She's peed when I've left her to run around, and that at least has looked normal.
I've put some cucumber in her salad and she's picked those out, and left everything else. I've fed her a strawberry which she was all too keen on so i spread some of the juice on her usual greens, and she's then eaten some of them. However, she hasn't otherwise been eating, active though she is. (unless tiny amounts when I'm not looking, it's hard to tell since she makes a mess) Also the strawberry was a one time deal, as I realize she can't process the sugar too well.

She digs around a lot in her enclosure, before climbing around to try and get out, especially if she sees me close by. I've never seen her this active, and still refuse to eat so I'm pretty worried.

Some people have suggested parasites in other threads, and am unsure what to make of that. My tort's foods are all store bought except when it's warm enough to actually grab stuff from outside (I live in Finland). The last time she got food from the garden was around August. Could a parasite have been dormant inside her and started causing her problems only now?

Any advice is much appreciated guys, thank you!
 

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
Hi

It's always worth testing for parasites as the load in the gut may have increased to the point where your tort doesn't want to eat any more. Your vet needs a fresh poop sample.

While your tort isn't eating, it is essential that you soak it daily for at least 30 minutes in warm water to ensure it stays hydrated.

Use a bowl with a flat bottom and high sides that your tort can't see over or through; a washing up bowl is ideal. The water should be deep enough to come just up over the join between the shell and the plastron.

The usual cause of inactivity and eating problems is temperature problems. The season is changing and that affects temperatures indoors.

What temperature do you have warm side, cool side, directly under the basking lamp and overnight minimum? A temperature gun type thermometer is more accurate than an analogue one or one that sticks to the side of the enclosure; they're inexpensive from Amazon - in the UK at least. Like this
ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1493103555.069525.jpg

We can check over your enclosure and lighting for any potential issues if you post photographs :)
 

Kasia

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2015
Messages
807
Location (City and/or State)
Poland
O
Hi

It's always worth testing for parasites as the load in the gut may have increased to the point where your tort doesn't want to eat any more. Your vet needs a fresh poop sample.

While your tort isn't eating, it is essential that you soak it daily for at least 30 minutes in warm water to ensure it stays hydrated.

Use a bowl with a flat bottom and high sides that your tort can't see over or through; a washing up bowl is ideal. The water should be deep enough to come just up over the join between the shell and the plastron.

The usual cause of inactivity and eating problems is temperature problems. The season is changing and that affects temperatures indoors.

What temperature do you have warm side, cool side, directly under the basking lamp and overnight minimum? A temperature gun type thermometer is more accurate than an analogue one or one that sticks to the side of the enclosure; they're inexpensive from Amazon - in the UK at least. Like this
View attachment 205739

We can check over your enclosure and lighting for any potential issues if you post photographs :)
I had similar guess ... and situation but surprise....some parasites are always inside tortoise gut flora :O. Often when stress situation kicks in they grow in numbers and give symptoms like anorexia. Take him to the Vet, he can take a smear from cloaca and check if parasites are present on the swab. So no worries if you have no poo. Mine Russian had similar story and since I have given him a fecal routinely twice a year. In Poland it does not cost much so I choose to be on the safe side :) If your sure that you keep him in correct conditions go to the Vet.
 
Last edited:

Zihvuda

New Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Messages
2
Thanks for the advice!

I've taken my Tort to the vet today. She's been looked over pretty well, and outwardly at least she seemed very healthy. A small battle ensued to check the inside of her mouth, and administer the vitamin A supplement. She's real strong, apparently not having lost any strength from her resent fasting. They swabbed her cloaca too, and yes, there was a small bit of evidence of parasite activity. She got a shot too. All in all, she hates the vet.

She ate more cucumber this morning, and rather ravenously too, and then I started giving her some of her usual greens and she ate that down too. Well... till she realized it wasn't cucumber anymore? Either way she eventually stopped, and ran back into her cave area and went to sleep, didn't even stop to bask or nothing. o_O Just gave me this look like "No more cucumber? Fine."

Welp hopefully her appetite should return soon. The vet didn't seem all that worried, just told me to call back if her appetite didn't improve over the next week.

So thanks again JoesMum and Kasia for your thoughts!
 

Kasia

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 15, 2015
Messages
807
Location (City and/or State)
Poland
Thanks for the advice!

I've taken my Tort to the vet today. She's been looked over pretty well, and outwardly at least she seemed very healthy. A small battle ensued to check the inside of her mouth, and administer the vitamin A supplement. She's real strong, apparently not having lost any strength from her resent fasting. They swabbed her cloaca too, and yes, there was a small bit of evidence of parasite activity. She got a shot too. All in all, she hates the vet.

She ate more cucumber this morning, and rather ravenously too, and then I started giving her some of her usual greens and she ate that down too. Well... till she realized it wasn't cucumber anymore? Either way she eventually stopped, and ran back into her cave area and went to sleep, didn't even stop to bask or nothing. o_O Just gave me this look like "No more cucumber? Fine."

Welp hopefully her appetite should return soon. The vet didn't seem all that worried, just told me to call back if her appetite didn't improve over the next week.

So thanks again JoesMum and Kasia for your thoughts!
Did the Vet tell you what kind of an injection she was given and for what medical reason?
 

New Posts

Top