My tortoise is starting to scare me she is hardly ever awake!

BirdieF18 · 08-03-2012, 09:38 PM

Hello i ave had my tortoise for about two months now she gets baths every day and is fed on a diet of weeds. She is acting very lethargic and hardly wakes up or walks around if i don't wake her up she would probably sleep for days. Is this normal behaviour because it is worrying me i took her to the vet and he said she was a healthy tortoise and i am doing all the right things. Can anyone add to anything.

Box girl · 08-03-2012, 09:43 PM

Normal esp at this time of year. Torts don't like to be fussed. How old and which species do you have?

JoesMum · 08-03-2012, 10:07 PM

What temperatures do you have and how long are the lights on?

Lethargy like this is usally caused by the tortoise not getting enough/getting too much heat and/or light.

You are aiming for summer's day. 12-14 hours of light and UVB (plenty of bright light)

Temperature under the basking spot of 35C and an ambient temperature of mid-low 20s C by day.

If your tort is getting too cold at night this could also be a problem. A ceramic heater which doesn't emit light could solve that problem.

BirdieF18 · 08-03-2012, 10:55 PM

The temperatures do drop lower at night the UV and heat are On a timer for twelve hours but I can easily change this what times would be recomended right now it is on from 7 till 7.

JoesMum · 08-03-2012, 11:29 PM

The times sound fine, but you need to measure temperatures in various spots around the enclosure with a digital thermometer.

I have a cheap max/min digital thermometer that I got from eBay that I use

**egyptiandan64** · 08-03-2012, 11:39 PM

Where to start

Like has already been said, it would be nice to know the temperatures in your enclosure. Is your tortoise in the new enclosure you were going to build? If not, have you post pictures of the enclosure it's in? From what I've just read of what you have for lights, I'm thinking your enclosure isn't bright enough and your tortoise hasn't been getting enough UVB.
Are you giving any supplements with the weed diet?

Danny

**Alan1** · 09-03-2012, 07:57 AM

the tortoise may not necessarily be sleeping, just not very active. even with lights, heat, UVB etc one of mine is not very active at the moment while the other one is. this will change shortly and the active one will become less active for a spell and the other one will become more active. when I say not very active I mean only coming out once every 3 days or so from the cool end to eat.

Last year, the one that has been recently inactive was active all winter until March/April when it then had a spell of inactivity

BirdieF18 · 09-03-2012, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by egyptiandan64

Where to start

Like has already been said, it would be nice to know the temperatures in your enclosure. Is your tortoise in the new enclosure you were going to build? If not, have you post pictures of the enclosure it's in? From what I've just read of what you have for lights, I'm thinking your enclosure isn't bright enough and your tortoise hasn't been getting enough UVB.
Are you giving any supplements with the weed diet?

Danny

I have a 10.0 UV fluorescent light running across the top of her whole enclosure and i pro rep 100w basking lamp. It is quite bright around the basking end but the only thing light ing the other end is the UV. She is being moved into her table either today or tomorrow. For supplements i give calcium powder with each meal and the vet told me as she gets older it can become every other meal.

Catwoman63 · 09-03-2012, 08:22 AM

Mine also take it in turn to be less active on alternate days during this time of year, i dont worry because they are not gorging themselves on food everyday, i notice it more on days when its dark and rainy outside and on brighter days they are up and about regardless of the heat and light and humidity which are all at correct temps, be good when we can get them outside in the natural sun and freshair which wont be long now the days are reqching double figure temps. X

**Alan1** · 09-03-2012, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BirdieF18

I have a 10.0 UV fluorescent light running across the top of her whole enclosure and i pro rep 100w basking lamp. It is quite bright around the basking end but the only thing light ing the other end is the UV. She is being moved into her table either today or tomorrow. For supplements i give calcium powder with each meal and the vet told me as she gets older it can become every other meal.

is the strip light a UVB rather than just a UV light and not more than 6 months old? Nutrobal is a supplement like multivitamins including vit D3 which they get from the sun or a UVB lamp, calcium powder is just calcium. if feeding pellets you don't need to put supplements on them but you can put them on greens.

I do think it's most likely the time of year and another few weeks will make a difference

08-03-2012, 09:38 PM	#1
BirdieF18 Member Incubating Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 198	My tortoise is starting to scare me she is hardly ever awake! Hello i ave had my tortoise for about two months now she gets baths every day and is fed on a diet of weeds. She is acting very lethargic and hardly wakes up or walks around if i don't wake her up she would probably sleep for days. Is this normal behaviour because it is worrying me i took her to the vet and he said she was a healthy tortoise and i am doing all the right things. Can anyone add to anything. __________________ Three cats-Mitzi, Tilly, Luna Two dogs-Cara, Brodie Two Horses-Ruby, Murfy One budgie-Poppy One Horsfield Tortoise-Pumpkin One Nosy Ankarea Panther Chameleon-Boggles Last edited by BirdieF18; 10-03-2012 at 03:52 PM.

08-03-2012, 09:43 PM	#2
Box girl Senior Member Sub Adult Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Glos Posts: 1,326	Normal esp at this time of year. Torts don't like to be fussed. How old and which species do you have? __________________ www.ukchelonia.info Money raised to Allwetter Zoo Muenster e6000 sent so far. Have bred-red foots, yellow foots, eastern box, 3 toed box, ornate box, gulf coast box, common musk, elongated tortoise, red eared terrapin, cuora flavomarginata, cuora amboinensis, hermanns tortoise, horsfield tortoise, rhinoclemys.p. manni, european pond turtle, reeves and spurs

08-03-2012, 10:07 PM	#3
JoesMum Member Hatchling Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Kent Posts: 717	What temperatures do you have and how long are the lights on? Lethargy like this is usally caused by the tortoise not getting enough/getting too much heat and/or light. You are aiming for summer's day. 12-14 hours of light and UVB (plenty of bright light) Temperature under the basking spot of 35C and an ambient temperature of mid-low 20s C by day. If your tort is getting too cold at night this could also be a problem. A ceramic heater which doesn't emit light could solve that problem. __________________ 1.0.0 Testudo Graeca Graeca (Mediterranean Spur Thigh) raised from very small and approximately 50 years old.

08-03-2012, 10:55 PM	#4
BirdieF18 Member Incubating Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 198	The temperatures do drop lower at night the UV and heat are On a timer for twelve hours but I can easily change this what times would be recomended right now it is on from 7 till 7. __________________ Three cats-Mitzi, Tilly, Luna Two dogs-Cara, Brodie Two Horses-Ruby, Murfy One budgie-Poppy One Horsfield Tortoise-Pumpkin One Nosy Ankarea Panther Chameleon-Boggles

08-03-2012, 11:29 PM	#5
JoesMum Member Hatchling Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Kent Posts: 717	The times sound fine, but you need to measure temperatures in various spots around the enclosure with a digital thermometer. I have a cheap max/min digital thermometer that I got from eBay that I use __________________ 1.0.0 Testudo Graeca Graeca (Mediterranean Spur Thigh) raised from very small and approximately 50 years old.

08-03-2012, 11:39 PM	#6
egyptiandan64 Super Moderator Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: USA Posts: 14,171	Where to start Like has already been said, it would be nice to know the temperatures in your enclosure. Is your tortoise in the new enclosure you were going to build? If not, have you post pictures of the enclosure it's in? From what I've just read of what you have for lights, I'm thinking your enclosure isn't bright enough and your tortoise hasn't been getting enough UVB. Are you giving any supplements with the weed diet? Danny __________________

09-03-2012, 07:57 AM	#7
Alan1 Super Moderator Adult Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Sunny Scotland Posts: 21,512	the tortoise may not necessarily be sleeping, just not very active. even with lights, heat, UVB etc one of mine is not very active at the moment while the other one is. this will change shortly and the active one will become less active for a spell and the other one will become more active. when I say not very active I mean only coming out once every 3 days or so from the cool end to eat. Last year, the one that has been recently inactive was active all winter until March/April when it then had a spell of inactivity

09-03-2012, 08:22 AM	#9
Catwoman63 Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: South East England Posts: 6,739	Mine also take it in turn to be less active on alternate days during this time of year, i dont worry because they are not gorging themselves on food everyday, i notice it more on days when its dark and rainy outside and on brighter days they are up and about regardless of the heat and light and humidity which are all at correct temps, be good when we can get them outside in the natural sun and freshair which wont be long now the days are reqching double figure temps. X __________________ BEV XXX 0.3.0 - T Horsfieldii (Xena, Zelda & Lilly) 2.2.0 - TG Terrestris (Zeus, Astreus / Zagreus & Alexia) 1.2.0 - Zebra Finches (Gunner / Bonnie & May) 0.1.0 - SBT (Hazel) 1.0.0 - FBD (Ted)

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