Unhappy Russian Tortoise?

I

Ivankathetort

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About two weeks ago, my Russian tortoise started seeming very unhappy. She spends almost all day under her log. When I do take her outside, she moves slowly. Also, I have only had Ivanka for about two months, but before this started she would let me approach her and touch her head. Now she puts her head in her shell when I even walk up to her. Do these things show that she is unhappy? What should I do differently?
 

wellington

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You need to give us a bunch more info. Everything about its care. Lights, heat, temps, humidity, diet, etc.
 
I

Ivankathetort

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You need to give us a bunch more info. Everything about its care. Lights, heat, temps, humidity, diet, etc.
I have a heat lamp and a UVB lamp. A couple days ago the heat lamp burnt out, but that was after this started. With the heat lamp it got around 90 degrees on the hot side, but Ivanka would always stay on the hot side. I spray a water bottle in her space for humidity. Right now I am feeding her kale and carrots in the morning. It takes her around 20 minutes to finish eating. Her enclosure is 42” by “14. I take her outside when the weather is nice and let her walk around for a little bit.
 

wellington

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If this is a full grown russian then she needs a bigger enclosure asap! An adult needs a 4x8 foot minimum. It is hard to get the right temps in a small enclosure. 90 is only good for a basking spot. The rest of the enclosure should be 75-80 and no heat at night so it can hopefully drop to 70 or lower.
If you can build her an outdoor enclosure for warm weather that would be even better for her.
Also her diet needs much improvements asap. Dark leafy greens or weeds.
Please read the Russian care sheet under the Russian section and make changes asap.
 
I

Ivankathetort

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If this is a full grown russian then she needs a bigger enclosure asap! An adult needs a 4x8 foot minimum. It is hard to get the right temps in a small enclosure. 90 is only good for a basking spot. The rest of the enclosure should be 75-80 and no heat at night so it can hopefully drop to 70 or lower.
If you can build her an outdoor enclosure for warm weather that would be even better for her.
Also her diet needs much improvements asap. Dark leafy greens or weeds.
Please read the Russian care sheet under the Russian section and make changes asap.
Thanks! She is not an adult and she is still small. I will try to build a bigger enclosure once she grows. I try to keep her lights on a twelve hour cycle. She has a cooler area in her enclosure also. What kind of greens could I feed her? I heard Kale was good but I guess I was wrong. In the past I have fed her turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard greens. Are those all right? She eats weeds sometimes when I take her outside. Is it okay to keep feeding her carrots? I just cut raw carrots.
 

wellington

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I wouldn't feed carrots. But all the other greens you said you used to feed are good along with the kale.
Also yes, feed the weeds she likes to eat outside which is best for her.
Endive and spring mix is also good. Feed as much of a variety as possible. It can be one thing one day, but something different the next or you can mix a few different ones up one day and a few different mixed up the next etc.
Maybe try adding some plants to her enclosure. Maybe she needs to feel more hidden.
My adult Russian does better outside where the grass and weeds are tall and hes not so exposed. His inside enclosure is not as wildly covered.
 

Tom

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About two weeks ago, my Russian tortoise started seeming very unhappy. She spends almost all day under her log. When I do take her outside, she moves slowly. Also, I have only had Ivanka for about two months, but before this started she would let me approach her and touch her head. Now she puts her head in her shell when I even walk up to her. Do these things show that she is unhappy? What should I do differently?
What size is the tortoise?
What type of basking lamp?
Where did you get the tortoise?
How often are you soaking?
 
I

Ivankathetort

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What size is the tortoise?
What type of basking lamp?
Where did you get the tortoise?
How often are you soaking?
She is around 4 inches
The basking lamp is a 65 watt incandescent bulb
I got her from Tropical World Pets
I have only been soaking about once a week, but she does have water in her enclosure that she can soak in.
 

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Tom

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She is around 4 inches
The basking lamp is a 65 watt incandescent bulb
I got her from Tropical World Pets
I have only been soaking about once a week, but she does have water in her enclosure that she can soak in.
The basking bulb is good, but it needs to be near 100 degrees directly under it. Measure by letting a digital thermometer sit under it and bake for an hour or more. Raise or lower the bulb to get the carrot basking temperature.

The enclosure is much too small for a tortoise that size. You need about four times that size as a minimum. 4x8 feet is recommended for indoor enclosures, and larger for outdoor enclosures.

I'd soak at least twice, or three times a week for a while.

Those ramped water bowls are unsafe. They are a flipping/drowning hazard and you should remove it immediately. Use a terra cotta plant saucer sunk into the substrate instead. A 6-8 inch one should suit a four inch tortoise wonderfully. They are cheap at any hardware store.

What type of UV bulb are you using?

Here is the correct care info. You'll find lots of good info in here:
 
I

Ivankathetort

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The basking bulb is good, but it needs to be near 100 degrees directly under it. Measure by letting a digital thermometer sit under it and bake for an hour or more. Raise or lower the bulb to get the carrot basking temperature.

The enclosure is much too small for a tortoise that size. You need about four times that size as a minimum. 4x8 feet is recommended for indoor enclosures, and larger for outdoor enclosures.

I'd soak at least twice, or three times a week for a while.

Those ramped water bowls are unsafe. They are a flipping/drowning hazard and you should remove it immediately. Use a terra cotta plant saucer sunk into the substrate instead. A 6-8 inch one should suit a four inch tortoise wonderfully. They are cheap at any hardware store.

What type of UV bulb are you using?

Here is the correct care info. You'll find lots of good info in here:
Thanks Tom! Here is the UV light
 

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Tom

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Thanks Tom! Here is the UV light
That type is NOT the one that burns their eyes. It is safe to use. I don't think that is the source of your problem.

Unfortunately those T8 type bulbs don't produce much UV. It will need to be close to the tortoise, around 10-12 inches at most, for the tort to get any UV benefit from it. They do light up the enclosure nicely though.
 
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