Bells Hingeback not eating?

[Alistair&Robyn]

I took on a Bells Hingeback almost a year ago, and he's always had an odd routine with eating.

He'd eat for a couple of days, then not eat for a couple of days, which has been fine. I know they're a relatively shy species, so I've not bothered him too much.

He's not eaten for over a week now. I've bathed him and his temps are all good and he seems pretty normal, but I'm just concerned about him not eating.

I know they don't hibernate, but could it have something to do with the temperatures outside the viv(?), because he must notice a temperate gradient somewhere.

This is the first winter I've had him, so I don't know what is normal for him and his seasonal cycling.

[FLINTUS]

Talk to Mick.Ire, he keeps hingebacks and should be able to help.

[egyptiandan64]

What are you feeding him and what are the temperatures (especially overnight)?

Danny

[EJ]

How big is it and what is the history of the animal?

Originally Posted by Alistair&Robyn

I took on a Bells Hingeback almost a year ago, and he's always had an odd routine with eating.

He'd eat for a couple of days, then not eat for a couple of days, which has been fine. I know they're a relatively shy species, so I've not bothered him too much.

He's not eaten for over a week now. I've bathed him and his temps are all good and he seems pretty normal, but I'm just concerned about him not eating.

I know they don't hibernate, but could it have something to do with the temperatures outside the viv(?), because he must notice a temperate gradient somewhere.

This is the first winter I've had him, so I don't know what is normal for him and his seasonal cycling.

[Mick.Ire]

If the temps drop enough they can go into an aestivation state but if your guy is still active this probably isn't the case. The fact he's in a viv should help keep the temps up and i think there is no harm having a slight drop in temp at night.

If you really want to stir his appetite try offering a worm, they rarely resist.
This species requires a small bit of protein in their diet.

So as Dan and Ed asked already, we need to know a bit more info. Daytime/Nighttime temps in viv, what you feeding it, what substrate are you using, how old is it???

[Alistair&Robyn]

The ambient temperature in the viv is 26degC, with only a very slight drop on a night to 24degC. At the basking area it's around 28 but I've never seen him bask.

He's being fed the usual weeds, little to no fruit and worms or crickets once or twice a week. He's actually not very keen on the livefood!

With regards to his history, I really don't know much. He was given to me by a friend of a friend, and the tort had been given to her by her brother. She believes he's around 4yrs old, but he appears fully grown - I'm not sure how quickly they grow? (Only kept Reds before taking him on).

He actually ate something on Sunday, and is having a nose around his food at the moment, but he still doesn't seem himself.

[EJ]

Does it have enough hiding places? Can you turn off the light and still maintain the heat gradient? Did it have a vet checkup including fecal exame when you got it?

Originally Posted by Alistair&Robyn

The ambient temperature in the viv is 26degC, with only a very slight drop on a night to 24degC. At the basking area it's around 28 but I've never seen him bask.

He's being fed the usual weeds, little to no fruit and worms or crickets once or twice a week. He's actually not very keen on the livefood!

With regards to his history, I really don't know much. He was given to me by a friend of a friend, and the tort had been given to her by her brother. She believes he's around 4yrs old, but he appears fully grown - I'm not sure how quickly they grow? (Only kept Reds before taking him on).

He actually ate something on Sunday, and is having a nose around his food at the moment, but he still doesn't seem himself.

[Alistair&Robyn]

Yeah, he has plenty of hiding spots because I know how shy they are. He's also in a quiet room. He spends 90% of his time under one specific hide, as it's very low to his back.

He had been vet checked just before I got him. She didnt have any other animals, and I always use alcohol rub between handling all the animals.

It's unlikely if the light was off that it would still maintain the heat during the day. Is that important, because I've never heard of that before?

[egyptiandan64]

They aren't fond of really bright light but aren't as bad as Kinixys homeana and K. erosa with light. They do eat quite a bit of fruit in the wild, so adding fruits and vegetables to the diet is a good idea. They are also fond of fungi, mushrooms. Also a flavoured pellet would be good, strawberry or banana flavoured. They seem to be more active in the wild during the rainy season. It seems to be the actual rain falling on them and not just the air humidity that gets them active. So you might want to try raining on him for 3 or 4 months of the year. If you do start raining on him, I'd up all the temperatures by at least 2 or 3 degrees C. They don't really bask in the wild, so the heat source in the middle of the enclosure would help to keep most of the enclosure at the right temperatures.

http://dpc.uba.uva.nl/ctz/vol72/nr04/art02

Danny

[Alistair&Robyn]

I've made sure his hides are away from, and point away from, the light.

When I did my research before I got him it said they ate very little fruit. I did try him on some strawberry but he wasn't keen. I'll try a few more, along with some pellets.

I'll try the rain as well, and up his temperatures a little to compensate.

Thank you so much for the help =) Hopefully he'll come round a little.

He got in a grump a few weeks back; I realised his little green ducky he apparently has always had was hidden in a corner, and once I got it back out near him he seemed much happier - he's a bit of a funny one!