2009 Spur theigh sleeping alot

[markp]

So we got Tortie at the beginning of Dec and all she seemed to do was sleep. She'd get up for about four hours a day and then sleep for the remaining eighteen. Whilst up she'd eat fine, bask and catch rays and bathing was not a problem either. She just seemed to sleep alot.

Eventually she started being up for six or seven hours at a time, some time retiring for a nap and then getting up again.

The last few days though she has returned to her earlier self. So much so that this morning at ten past nine i actually lifted her from her sleeping box and placed her under her heat light as she felt cold to the touch. As expected she gradually woke up, basked for a little and then wandered to her UV to catch some rays. We bathed her, allowed her the freedom of the lounge for twenty mins or so and placed her back into her table where she ate, wandered for an hour or so and retired again by half twelve.

The only change in her life since actually coming to us is we gave her a bigger table on Wednesday.

She eats well, bathes well, poo's well and i assume takes in enough water. For a few days shes seemed totally disinterested in her water pool but today she expelled some urates in her bath which showed no sign of dehydration.

Her basking spot is at 32 degrees C with the rest of the table being at a steady 20-24.

Is this normal for this time of year or should i be worried?

[JoesMum]

Your tort has realised it's winter. Try bumping up the temps in the cool parts to the high 20s and make sure the lights are bright enough to substitute for day light

[Easter Bunny]

What are the night time temps? If they drop quite low at night it will take her longer to wake up.

My torts were like this until I got a infared bulb for night time to keep temps at about 16/17c. They now all get straight up once the light comes on.

[Watermelon]

Hi there, I had a situation like this in summer and what was suggested to me was to get extra lighting as my cool side of the table was quite dark. Now they are up early and go to bed about 8 - 9pm. They are a hell of a lot more active too.

http://www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/e...-14w-15in.html
You can get different sizes

Another thing my hermanns are less active when it is 32C, they prefer it a little higher like 35C/36C.

[gwenq]

where did you get your tort from and has it been for a check up at the vet yet?

whenever I hear of a tort acting like this my first thought is always "worms". they seem to catch worms really easily, worms can be very debilitating and easily treated. of course there could be other reasons for this behavior, but i would definitely take any new tort, CB or WC to a vet for an initial check up, it's peace of mind for you.

Gwen

[knottyedge]

it does also take a while for a tort to settle into new surroundings which could help explain why he/she isnt as active + as said in posts above its winter and would normally be hibernation time

[Alan1]

Originally Posted by markp

Her basking spot is at 32 degrees C with the rest of the table being at a steady 20-24.

Is this normal for this time of year or should i be worried?

I would say it is normal for this time of year, they are always less active for a spell at some point in the winter no matter what you do. a couple more degrees under the lamp might help but I doubt it. I have mine at 34/35c but still have one tort less active at the moment. it becomes a bit more active when the sun lights up the room though.

There is also the worms possibility as mentioned but my guess is that it's the time of year. they also become more active after a poop