Tortoise sleeping 23 hours a day

[Merilyn (Tortoise lover)]

Here's my tortoise' schedule
When I get home, I wake him up 3:30
he basks for like 10 MINUTES and starts wandering around 3:50
I put some food in 4:20
He eats for about 25 minutes 4:45
He walks around for 5 minutes 4:50
He GOES TO SLEEP 5:00
These are approximations, should he be sleeping that long? (he's 3 months old)
today he refused to eat and went straight back to sleep cry cry
is this normal????

 

[Merilyn (Tortoise lover)]

ugh my tortoises probably feel bad for me
I put perfectly fine kale in front of them without calcium powder on it and they just refuse it
In a moment it's going to dry up and shrivel up and I'm just going to have to throw it away
cry cry cry

 

[Merilyn (Tortoise lover)]

 

[Destben]

ugh my tortoises probably feel bad for me
I put perfectly fine kale in front of them without calcium powder on it and they just refuse it
In a moment it's going to dry up and shrivel up and I'm just going to have to throw it away
cry cry cry

I am no expert but check your temperatures against the care sheet for the type of tort you have. If it’s too cold they don’t have enough energy. Also check to make sure your UVB light is the correct one as well.

 

[GingerLove]

Lights do wonders! I'd recommend a low wattage Power Sun bulb. I'm not sure how much wattage your little guy needs as a baby, but lights make all the difference! Also, it is winter. Even though he's little, he knows it's winter. My tortoise stops eating and pooping and sleeps all day! And I live in Florida!!!! They still follow their winter routines sometimes. As a disclaimer, I'm not expert with baby torts. Still, I say winter has something to do with it.

 

[JoesMum]

Here's what you need to do.

1. Double check those temperatures day and night. If it gets too cold at night your tortoise won't wake in the morning. If it's not warm enough during the day, why get up?

2. Put the lights on and off using a timer so they are on for 14 hours every day without you having to remember. You may need an extra light to make things brighter at this time of year.

3. Don't give your tortoise a choice in the mornings... Pull him out and give him a twenty minute soak in warm water. While he soaks, you can have breakfast, place his food, brush your teeth... Whatever. It must be in the morning though!

4. Pop him back in the enclosure with his food.

He may or may not be active when you get home, but hopefully the food will be gone. My tort typically turns in about 3-4pm with the shorter days.

Make sure you keep weighing your tortoise weekly, I suggest straight after the morning soak, so you know he is not losing weight. Activity will increase as the days get longer. Russians spend around 60% of their lives underground in the wild, so digging in isn't a problem.

 

[Merilyn (Tortoise lover)]

ok thanks