Tortoise is completely inactive help!

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BrinnANDTorts

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My sisters red foot tortoise is completely inactive, it just buries itself and goes to sleep. Its been doing this for weeks now, we have to pick it up out of its hole to feed it and sometimes it will barely eat anything.
Its about five inches and we bought it from Petsmart.
She isn't shy at all normally.
She is in a 30 gallon aquarium with peat moss for substrate
She has a 75 watt basking light and a Reptisun 10.0 fluorescent tube.
and then at night she has a 75 watt CHE.
Under the basking light is about 93 and where she sleeps, on the cold side of the cage is 70-73.
I keep her peat moss moist.
Should I increase humidity to about 70% and increase the temps ?
This may be a dumb question but is she just hibernating ?
I will post a picture of her aquarium
I circled her in the photo so you could see her.I pick her up and placed her there.
Does she need a bigger enclosure? She I just move her outside permanently in a fenced area with a warm house ??
I don't think this much inactivity is normal. I mean doesn't move at all for days. Not even for food
Photo on 2011-11-09 at 19.52.jpg
 
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ascott

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What is her humidity at normally? I would try to maintain AT LEAST 60% but strive for near 80%.....also her over all temp should be no less than 78ish...and the warm side sounds ok ....how is her water intake? Does she get soaked at least a few times a week in warm water? What is she being fed--offered? Also, they are not a species that hibernates...they do tuck into the dirt and leaves...but not hibernate :D and also she is still small and may be just doing the keep out of sight thing.....I would also suggest that in the corner she sleeps in should have complete privacy...so perhaps put up a decorative border around three sides of her tank..up to about half way point and I would also cover some of the top of the enclosure to allow heat and moisture to remain in her enclosure.....ok so that's all I have....:D
 

BrinnANDTorts

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ascott said:
What is her humidity at normally? I would try to maintain AT LEAST 60% but strive for near 80%.....also her over all temp should be no less than 78ish...and the warm side sounds ok ....how is her water intake? Does she get soaked at least a few times a week in warm water? What is she being fed--offered? Also, they are not a species that hibernates...they do tuck into the dirt and leaves...but not hibernate :D and also she is still small and may be just doing the keep out of sight thing.....I would also suggest that in the corner she sleeps in should have complete privacy...so perhaps put up a decorative border around three sides of her tank..up to about half way point and I would also cover some of the top of the enclosure to allow heat and moisture to remain in her enclosure.....ok so that's all I have....:D

I am thinking about just straight up building her a new enclosure.
I have some left over plywood from a different tortoise enclosure I built. It will defiantly have a top, I just don't think that 30 gallon aquarium is big enough there isn't even anywhere for her to walk really.
Shelly, my sister, doesn't soak her that much because she has been so inactive but I will tell her to start soaking her for an hour everyday like I do Gupta and if she doesn't I will lol
She is 5-6 inches long is that small for her species?
Shelly and me try to feed her pumpkin, carrots, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, and spring mix. She gets calcium and D3 supplements, but like I said she barely eats anymore, doesn't even move really.. :/ She gets strawberries too
Im going to get to work tomorrow on doing something for a larger enclosure for her so that she will actually have some where to walk and way more humidity and heat.
 

Madkins007

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A few thoughts...

- A 30 gallon tank is 36"x18". Our housing goal is 8 shell lengths by 4 shell lengths. At 5", this would mean about 40"x20", so the 30 is a bit snug but not a major issue by itself.

- 93 in the hot area is a bit high and 70 is a bit low. Aim for between 80-85 overall and under 90 for the warmest.

- Cover most of the top with some aluminum foil, tenting it over the lights or taping it to the domes. I bet that boosts temps and humidity nicely for you.

- I would consider dropping the basking light and just using the UVB and CHE. Either that or add a lot more shade. I would also turn the UVB so it went the length of the habitat and provided the UVB more evenly over everything. Even just setting it across the middle at the best angle you can would help.

- Just as a suggestion- the tortoise tends to like to patrol the outer rim, so if you put the plants and water in the middle, they generally get trampled less. I know this is kind of backwards to how we like to organize, but it really works.
 

ascott

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In addition, I think it is imperative that you get the little one soaking...if the tortoise is dehydrated they will lose their desire to move around as well as lose desire to eat.....I think that misting and soaking are very important for the RFs... :D
 

BrinnANDTorts

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Thanks for the advice everyone, me and shelly have gotten to work on making a bigger, better new enclosure that keeps in humidity, heat, and have started soaking her and squirting her everyday. Hopefully she becomes much more active
 
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