Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[Rizlah]

My mum has a hermans tortoise that is approximately 1 year old and over the past week or so has gradually stopped eating and has become very lazy often hiding away in the corner under the heat source.

When lifted to his food dish he will eat a small amount, only a couple of mouthfulls then return back to his hiding spot in the corner. I know it's hibernation time but given that the temperatures have not been reduced I would of thought that he would not be acting quite this way especially since he is only 1 year old.

I have checked his temps and he has basking spot of about 95 with ambient temp of around 85 dropping to 75 on cool end.

There was a compact UV light in his tank which I have now changed to a strip in case that was the problem but nothing seems to have improved.

Over the past two weeks there has also been a lack of urination and defecation obviously due to him not eating much during this period.

The petshop that I bought it from has become hostile towards me for other reasons and it is therefore not possible for me to contact them for help. Hopefully someone out there can provide me with some advice that I can pass on to my mum as she is very worried about him.

Cheers
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[molbags]

Hi,

Firstly you most bath this tort everyday to keep him hydrated, bath this tort in tipid water that just comes past his legs for about 20 mins everyday!! Also i'm used to temps ie cellcus so hot spot should 30c and the cool end should be 20 c, the main other issue is get that poor thing out of a tank and into a tort table, this tort will get very sick if kept in a tank, tanks get to humid for torts and can cause runny nose, shell rot ans hole host of other problems,
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[Rizlah]

The tank in question is not actually a tank it's a 4x2 viv which the doors are left open on as often as possible. I never thought to check humidity inside the viv so that is something I will do as soon as I can.

As for a tort table, that is not something that will be possible due to there also being 3 dogs running about in the house and feel it much safer for the tort to be left in the viv, obviously now with a closer eye on humidity.

Thanks for the advice on bathing it every day, this has only been getting done about once or twice a week, so I will certainly be getting my mum to increase the frequency of these.

Again thanks for the advice, much appreciated
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[molbags]

Hi,

I have a tort table and a dog with know problem you can get this type of table that has a mesh top the link below sells them in their shop;

http://www.duncton-tortoise-world.co.uk/

A viv is still not good for the tort as this does not allow good ventilation that's why tables are the best for them and their health also torts don't understand glass and get very stressed trying to get through it.

Here is a good link for you its a booklet you can down load and tells you step by step how to take care of your med tort and is written by one of the best experts Lind King;
http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/Guide.PDF

Also log on to this site it has loads of care sheets and info under their articles section, also if you e-mail this site mark it urgent they will give a list of good tort vets in your area;
http://www.tortoisetrust.org/

Ihope all goes well with your mums tort, please read all the info you can on these sites i have given you and download the booklet for your mum to read!!

Ihope that helps you!!!!
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[Rizlah]

many thanks for all of this and for taking the time out to reply and help us out, my mum is so worried about her new little friend. The shop I bought it from is owned by a "trained herpetologist", this is what they sold us as an ideal house for it for the rest of its life, I can't even go back and question this person as for other more personal reasons they have become quite hostile towards me so I guess i just need to put this all down to a life learning experience and never go on what just one person tells me again and to in fact research a little more about my animals and get more of a consensus before deciding how best to care for them.

Thank you very much for all your help and related articles, i will most certainly read and print them out for my mum to read.

Anyone else with information on what could be wring here with this tort I would very much appreciate your input.
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[leeroytheboy]

Gotta say. A tort table is the way for these creatures. Mine is about a year old too, and thriving. Now when I feed him in the morning, about 3 times a week I sprinkle on some nutrabol with some cuttlefish dust. This keeps his stomach healthy and gives him calcium. Torts are not good with lettuce etc...off course it will take away hunger but he needs weeds really. Dandilion leaves our one gets, also clover.....about enough to cover the shell is a good way to judge the right amount.

Can I suggest MVB light for him too? You will never see such a change in his activeness changing from those uv strips to an MVB. Hope something in there helps, though I am sure its cos he is in a viv/tank!!!
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"I'd rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy" - Tom Waits

[Rizlah]

[molbags]

HI,

what does the white stuff look like and was it while you gave him the bath, this could be urates which should come out a bit like toothpaste if it came out hard or gritty it shows your tort is dehydrated, urates is good cos it lets you know if the tort is getting enough calcium, if it is gritty it would not hurt to up the baths to twice a day, he really should get checked by a vet just be on the safe, you could take a fresh poo sample to the and have them test it for worms or protazoa should only cost around ten pounds for this!!

Here is another great site that helps with all sorts of torts pr obs;

http://www.shelledwarriors.co.uk/

Its run by people that have kept and bred torts for years it is well worth joining!!!

I hope that helps
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[Rizlah]

[Rizlah]

mum just told me that while he is in this corner he sometimes digs like mad, remember of course that i said this was directly under the heat source so perhaps not trying to cool down as moving along the tank a bit would let him cool down.
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