white film on eyes

[ascott]

They brumate and should wake up often to drink or munch during the winter. It may be once a week or it may be once or twice a month but they will wake up and should be soaked once they are awake to help them pass anything left in their systems before they sleep again. It is a common misconception that they will sleep all winter without waking up and it's jus not true and lots of pet tortoise did from dehydration or starvation related instances during the winter because people don't feed and water them.

A truly brumating CDT will move about from time to time (kinda like repositioning itself during its rest) but will not wake to look for food...nor will a tort wake up to seek out its water, just because. If your tort is doing these things then your tort is not in proper hibernaculum for the winter.

Soaking a tort during brumation; this should not be necessary, as you should not facilitate brumation of a tort that has not consumed proper food and water in preparation for the entire brumation period...this would be an unsafe practice..

However, bringing a tort out of brumation solely to offer food and water is a dangerous behavior; a tortoise can take around 2 weeks to clear food eaten today (and this is in proper optimum conditions) from its system..so if a tort has been in cool temps for brumation, then wiggles, then is pulled out of brumation to be fed and watered then soaked with the thought he will poop out what he just consumed..that is not a good nor safe practice for the tort...

I just felt I had to share this, especially is facilitating brumation for a tort for the first time is being done...there should be some things shared to increase the successful outcome for a brumating tort...

 

[blackace936]

well back to the main subject. how long do you think it will take for his shell to harden up now that I have the proper equipment? I have the UVB bulb on him for 12 hours a day and I'm giving him calcium dusting on his food (once he starts to eat) or is there any sort of time frame I should watch. obviously its not going to take days or even weeks but will it takes 6 months or 2 years??

 

[MyrnaBren]

Just wanted to wish you the best of luck with everything. And Happy New Year.

 

[Thalatte]

Depending on severity you should see some change within a few months.