Trying to hibernate?

ShelleyM · 07-01-2014, 01:14 PM

After our tort died last year we bought a friend's off her, he was checked over by our local reptile vet and all fine. She had housed him in an indoor rabbit hutch but we had a daisy house from our last tort so when we brought him home he had that for about 6 months. He took just a couple of days to settle into his new surroundings but was soon eating well and very lively, no problems at all. Then in November we finally got around to buying a larger more open tort table, we have carried on doing everything the same except we changed the screw in uv lamp to a strip light - mainly because reading on this and other forums it is widely advised that they are better. From day one he became quieter, choosing to hide under his log roll house rather than moving around or climbing. If I move him and put him under his basking lamp he will move after about 10 mins back to his hidey hole.
I wake him daily for food, which he eats no problem, then goes back to his hole. I bath him almost day as he isn't bothering with water and I haven't found a poop in his house for ages. Although he does poop about once a week in the water.
Our home is central heated and is between 16 and 18 deg all the time as I work from home. I have worried a bit that maybe he is too cool to able to be more lively so I have put our small heat mat under his hidey hole to see if that helps but he still just stays there.

So...my question is, is he just trying to hibernate, or do you think he may possibly have a complete dislike of the UV lamp?

Sorry for the huge essay, just thought the more info I give the better,
thanks, Shelley

**egyptiandan64** · 07-01-2014, 01:22 PM

We'll need to know a few more things to be able to help

How long are your lights on for? What is the temperature under the basking lamp? Does the temperature go below 16C at night?

Danny

ShelleyM · 07-01-2014, 01:31 PM

Hi, the lights are on from about 8am til about 9pm. The temp under the lamp is 29 deg. The temp at night probably drops to 14-16 degrees but never lower than 14 as that's the temp heating thermostat is at during the night.

**egyptiandan64** · 07-01-2014, 01:39 PM

It's a little to cool to have your tortoise want to be active. Under the basking lamp should be 32C to 34C, cool end during the day 20C to 24C and 18C to 20C at night.

Danny

ShelleyM · 07-01-2014, 01:49 PM

Ok, thankyou, so I can lower his lamp to make it a bit warmer. But if he is a bit too cold why isn't he staying under his lamp? And are you saying that people heat their houses at 20-24 deg C? Surely not? Even in summer with the heating off it wouldn't get that warm very often?! (Iam in the UK) His previous owner was at work all day so her heating was off all day. You really don't think it's the uv lamp then? Thanks again.

**egyptiandan64** · 07-01-2014, 02:01 PM

No it's not the UV lamp. Some people do

but others just heat the room the tortoises are in. Also you can use more than one basking lamp (one at each end so the cool spot is in the middle. You can also use ceramic heat emitters to heat the table day and night.
Tortoises take all their cues as to what to do by their enviroment, so if temperatures go down at night, than that tells them it's going to be getting colder and they start to wind themselves down getting ready for it to get really cold. Also length of light can can have the same effect.
They need to be able to get their body temperature up to 30C to properly digest their food.

Danny

ShelleyM · 07-01-2014, 02:37 PM

Ok Thanks, I'll look into putting another one in. I'm just baffled as to why it hasn't happened before, his previous owner had him for 8 years. Just measured the temp of heat mat, that is 26 degC, so if I wrap it in a thinner towel for now and lower the basking lamp I can then look at adding another lamp at the other end. I can only guess the Daisy house kept him a bit warmer? Although, he didn't have one previously, confused!! lol Thanks for your help anyway

Pussygalore · 08-01-2014, 08:59 AM

my torts were in the spare room and it was kept at a min of 20c through the day with only a couple of degrees lower at night and that was from the lights etc being of, the room itself had the heating set to 20c. Its far easier to have them in a room that can have the heating on, in our case a radiater, than trying to heat an open table, any heat in the table is just lost in a coldish room. Having the tort in the front/living room is a nice idea but only if its heated through the winter (if you're not hibernating) and that includes both day and night, if not its more practical to move them to a smaller well lit room where it can be heated. We now live in a flat but all our houses have easily reached 20c + in the summer months mind you we did live in the south but even here in Birmingham its usually that in the summer.

ShelleyM · 08-01-2014, 01:16 PM

We certainly don't have space for Mr T to have his own room, lol, so he lives in our hall way, about a metre and a half from a radiator which is on pretty much all the time because I work from home. And as I said it's not been a problem before, only since I changed his home. So our only option really is to add another lamp or ceramic heater

07-01-2014, 01:14 PM	#1
ShelleyM Junior Member Egg Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Birmingham UK Posts: 19	Trying to hibernate? After our tort died last year we bought a friend's off her, he was checked over by our local reptile vet and all fine. She had housed him in an indoor rabbit hutch but we had a daisy house from our last tort so when we brought him home he had that for about 6 months. He took just a couple of days to settle into his new surroundings but was soon eating well and very lively, no problems at all. Then in November we finally got around to buying a larger more open tort table, we have carried on doing everything the same except we changed the screw in uv lamp to a strip light - mainly because reading on this and other forums it is widely advised that they are better. From day one he became quieter, choosing to hide under his log roll house rather than moving around or climbing. If I move him and put him under his basking lamp he will move after about 10 mins back to his hidey hole. I wake him daily for food, which he eats no problem, then goes back to his hole. I bath him almost day as he isn't bothering with water and I haven't found a poop in his house for ages. Although he does poop about once a week in the water. Our home is central heated and is between 16 and 18 deg all the time as I work from home. I have worried a bit that maybe he is too cool to able to be more lively so I have put our small heat mat under his hidey hole to see if that helps but he still just stays there. So...my question is, is he just trying to hibernate, or do you think he may possibly have a complete dislike of the UV lamp? Sorry for the huge essay, just thought the more info I give the better, thanks, Shelley __________________ Torty Mummy to Mr T & Tyson (RIP April 2013) Horsfields 2 Staffies Lottie & Lara 4 Netherland Dwarf Rabbits, Flopsy, Flower, Foo Foo & Fumper Cat, Peppa

07-01-2014, 01:22 PM	#2
egyptiandan64 Super Moderator Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: USA Posts: 14,171	We'll need to know a few more things to be able to help How long are your lights on for? What is the temperature under the basking lamp? Does the temperature go below 16C at night? Danny __________________

07-01-2014, 01:31 PM	#3
ShelleyM Junior Member Egg Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Birmingham UK Posts: 19	Hi, the lights are on from about 8am til about 9pm. The temp under the lamp is 29 deg. The temp at night probably drops to 14-16 degrees but never lower than 14 as that's the temp heating thermostat is at during the night. __________________ Torty Mummy to Mr T & Tyson (RIP April 2013) Horsfields 2 Staffies Lottie & Lara 4 Netherland Dwarf Rabbits, Flopsy, Flower, Foo Foo & Fumper Cat, Peppa

07-01-2014, 01:39 PM	#4
egyptiandan64 Super Moderator Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: USA Posts: 14,171	It's a little to cool to have your tortoise want to be active. Under the basking lamp should be 32C to 34C, cool end during the day 20C to 24C and 18C to 20C at night. Danny __________________

07-01-2014, 01:49 PM	#5
ShelleyM Junior Member Egg Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Birmingham UK Posts: 19	Ok, thankyou, so I can lower his lamp to make it a bit warmer. But if he is a bit too cold why isn't he staying under his lamp? And are you saying that people heat their houses at 20-24 deg C? Surely not? Even in summer with the heating off it wouldn't get that warm very often?! (Iam in the UK) His previous owner was at work all day so her heating was off all day. You really don't think it's the uv lamp then? Thanks again. __________________ Torty Mummy to Mr T & Tyson (RIP April 2013) Horsfields 2 Staffies Lottie & Lara 4 Netherland Dwarf Rabbits, Flopsy, Flower, Foo Foo & Fumper Cat, Peppa

07-01-2014, 02:01 PM	#6
egyptiandan64 Super Moderator Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: USA Posts: 14,171	No it's not the UV lamp. Some people do but others just heat the room the tortoises are in. Also you can use more than one basking lamp (one at each end so the cool spot is in the middle. You can also use ceramic heat emitters to heat the table day and night. Tortoises take all their cues as to what to do by their enviroment, so if temperatures go down at night, than that tells them it's going to be getting colder and they start to wind themselves down getting ready for it to get really cold. Also length of light can can have the same effect. They need to be able to get their body temperature up to 30C to properly digest their food. Danny __________________

07-01-2014, 02:37 PM	#7
ShelleyM Junior Member Egg Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Birmingham UK Posts: 19	Ok Thanks, I'll look into putting another one in. I'm just baffled as to why it hasn't happened before, his previous owner had him for 8 years. Just measured the temp of heat mat, that is 26 degC, so if I wrap it in a thinner towel for now and lower the basking lamp I can then look at adding another lamp at the other end. I can only guess the Daisy house kept him a bit warmer? Although, he didn't have one previously, confused!! lol Thanks for your help anyway __________________ Torty Mummy to Mr T & Tyson (RIP April 2013) Horsfields 2 Staffies Lottie & Lara 4 Netherland Dwarf Rabbits, Flopsy, Flower, Foo Foo & Fumper Cat, Peppa

08-01-2014, 08:59 AM	#8
Pussygalore Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Cambridge Posts: 6,479	my torts were in the spare room and it was kept at a min of 20c through the day with only a couple of degrees lower at night and that was from the lights etc being of, the room itself had the heating set to 20c. Its far easier to have them in a room that can have the heating on, in our case a radiater, than trying to heat an open table, any heat in the table is just lost in a coldish room. Having the tort in the front/living room is a nice idea but only if its heated through the winter (if you're not hibernating) and that includes both day and night, if not its more practical to move them to a smaller well lit room where it can be heated. We now live in a flat but all our houses have easily reached 20c + in the summer months mind you we did live in the south but even here in Birmingham its usually that in the summer.

08-01-2014, 01:16 PM	#9
ShelleyM Junior Member Egg Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Birmingham UK Posts: 19	We certainly don't have space for Mr T to have his own room, lol, so he lives in our hall way, about a metre and a half from a radiator which is on pretty much all the time because I work from home. And as I said it's not been a problem before, only since I changed his home. So our only option really is to add another lamp or ceramic heater __________________ Torty Mummy to Mr T & Tyson (RIP April 2013) Horsfields 2 Staffies Lottie & Lara 4 Netherland Dwarf Rabbits, Flopsy, Flower, Foo Foo & Fumper Cat, Peppa

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