Hi.
Could anyone help as I'm so worried. I'll add our current setup details at the end.
We've had Zeus since Feb and he was 18 months. He used.to eat a whole bowl of food a day and was out and about alot. The past week he's been coming out of his little wood cave and laying to the side of his heat lamp near his rocks. He gets up but then just sleeps all day. He won't eat or really do anything but sleep and laze about. I've took him to his bowl but he just walks off. I've hand fed him a small amount but he loses interest quickly. I'm soaking him once a day which he used to deficate in but he's not done that for about a week.
I feed him lambs lettuce, cress, Radicchio,pak choi.
We just replaced the uva/uvb bulb for the same type and wattage as we wondered if it was that.
Temp under light 32. Humidity 46.
Colder side. Temperature 20. Humidity 80.
Our room Temperature is 22c
Tortoise dirt substrate
Has calcium powder on his foot.
He's in a generic tortoise table.
Light is on a 12 hour timer.
Obviously the weather has changed and got darker - could that be why?
Not eating (2 year old Greek spur thigh.)
Re: Not eating (2 year old Greek spur thigh.)
Hi LOxford (sorry, I don't know your name),
Very sorry to be late in replying to your post (I somehow missed it when it came in yesterday).
I absolutely understand your worry, but this is a very common problem at this time of year. Tortoises that are a hibernating species have a strong instinct to hibernate, and they sense that days are getting shorter. As he is only 18 months old, and you have only had him since February, we wouldn't recommend hibernating him this year. It's best to wait until you have had a tortoise for at least a year before you hibernate him, because it is important that they are in the best of health going into hibernation, and it can take that long before you know his ways and are able to tell if he is off-colour at all.
It sounds to me like your set-up and the temperatures are very good. Just to check -- are you measuring the temperature by placing a thermometer under the lamp, at the height of his shell, or using a temp gun -- or is the temperature being measured by thermometer mounted on a nearby wall?
Have a read of our article on overwintering here: https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... -tortoise/ and get back with any questions you might have.
The other thing to add is that he doesn't need a big bowl of food every day. In the wild, tortoises live in areas where food is often scarce, and they are designed to grow slowly. In captivity we give them lovely big meals every day and this can result in their shells growing abnormally, so that the individual scutes are raised (it's called pyramiding), and their shell is less strong. The guideline for feeding is as much as they can eat in about 15 or 20 minutes, once a day, or as many leaves/flowers etc. that might make a little blanket to cover their shell once a day. Those guidelines are useful, but the best thing is to monitor weight gain and you should be aiming, on average, of a weight gain of no more than 1g - 3g per month (this is just an average, but a good guide). Do you know how much weight he has gained since you got him?
Also, tortoises can can also go a long time without eating, but can get dehydrated quickly under lights indoors, so you are doing the right thing by bathing him. If he isn't eating then he won't be defecating, so I wouldn't worry about that too much.
If he is coming out of his cave then that is a good thing, as many tortoises this time of year (mine included), just won't wake up at all in the mornings. Because you want to keep your tortoise awake, then if he starts not waking up in the morning I would get him out of his cave and put him under the light. If he goes back into his cave immediately then I would put him back under the light again, and do this two or three times (not more, as you don't want to stress him). Sometimes doing that for 2 - 3 weeks works well and they start waking by themselves again. Hand feeding can work, and although you don't want to make a habit of it, it can be a good way of getting him to eat again.
If mine go into hibernation mode a bit too early, I add extra lights. Basically you want to fool them into thinking that it's a bright summer's day, but you don't want to increase the temperature too much. I'm assuming he is in a table, rather than a vivarium (please let me know if he's in a viv), and what I do is to hook one of those little bendy desk lamps with a low energy bulb in it over the side of the table so it points downwards (something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/homelife-easy- ... B09QXCMPD6 ) -- and it gives off extra light but not heat. Siting the table near a window is good too, but that's not always practical.
A remote possibility (but I would try everything else first) is that he has a load of worms, as that can affect energy levels and appetite. A light load of worms doesn't need to be treated, but a heavy load is easily treated and you can either give a sample of poo to your vet, or we can give you a link to a company where you can send a sample off (they provide containers) and the give you results pretty quickly. It is more likely that it is the time of year, but if nothing else works you could try testing him for worms. By the way, I just wondered if you live in Oxford (I live in Oxford), as your username is LOxford. If so, and you need a good tortoise vet, I can recommend one.
I hope some of that helps and please get back with any questions. If you can send a photo of his enclosure we might be able to suggest little tweaks that will help. Finally really sorry for such a long post!!
Nina
Very sorry to be late in replying to your post (I somehow missed it when it came in yesterday).
I absolutely understand your worry, but this is a very common problem at this time of year. Tortoises that are a hibernating species have a strong instinct to hibernate, and they sense that days are getting shorter. As he is only 18 months old, and you have only had him since February, we wouldn't recommend hibernating him this year. It's best to wait until you have had a tortoise for at least a year before you hibernate him, because it is important that they are in the best of health going into hibernation, and it can take that long before you know his ways and are able to tell if he is off-colour at all.
It sounds to me like your set-up and the temperatures are very good. Just to check -- are you measuring the temperature by placing a thermometer under the lamp, at the height of his shell, or using a temp gun -- or is the temperature being measured by thermometer mounted on a nearby wall?
Have a read of our article on overwintering here: https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... -tortoise/ and get back with any questions you might have.
The other thing to add is that he doesn't need a big bowl of food every day. In the wild, tortoises live in areas where food is often scarce, and they are designed to grow slowly. In captivity we give them lovely big meals every day and this can result in their shells growing abnormally, so that the individual scutes are raised (it's called pyramiding), and their shell is less strong. The guideline for feeding is as much as they can eat in about 15 or 20 minutes, once a day, or as many leaves/flowers etc. that might make a little blanket to cover their shell once a day. Those guidelines are useful, but the best thing is to monitor weight gain and you should be aiming, on average, of a weight gain of no more than 1g - 3g per month (this is just an average, but a good guide). Do you know how much weight he has gained since you got him?
Also, tortoises can can also go a long time without eating, but can get dehydrated quickly under lights indoors, so you are doing the right thing by bathing him. If he isn't eating then he won't be defecating, so I wouldn't worry about that too much.
If he is coming out of his cave then that is a good thing, as many tortoises this time of year (mine included), just won't wake up at all in the mornings. Because you want to keep your tortoise awake, then if he starts not waking up in the morning I would get him out of his cave and put him under the light. If he goes back into his cave immediately then I would put him back under the light again, and do this two or three times (not more, as you don't want to stress him). Sometimes doing that for 2 - 3 weeks works well and they start waking by themselves again. Hand feeding can work, and although you don't want to make a habit of it, it can be a good way of getting him to eat again.
If mine go into hibernation mode a bit too early, I add extra lights. Basically you want to fool them into thinking that it's a bright summer's day, but you don't want to increase the temperature too much. I'm assuming he is in a table, rather than a vivarium (please let me know if he's in a viv), and what I do is to hook one of those little bendy desk lamps with a low energy bulb in it over the side of the table so it points downwards (something like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/homelife-easy- ... B09QXCMPD6 ) -- and it gives off extra light but not heat. Siting the table near a window is good too, but that's not always practical.
A remote possibility (but I would try everything else first) is that he has a load of worms, as that can affect energy levels and appetite. A light load of worms doesn't need to be treated, but a heavy load is easily treated and you can either give a sample of poo to your vet, or we can give you a link to a company where you can send a sample off (they provide containers) and the give you results pretty quickly. It is more likely that it is the time of year, but if nothing else works you could try testing him for worms. By the way, I just wondered if you live in Oxford (I live in Oxford), as your username is LOxford. If so, and you need a good tortoise vet, I can recommend one.
I hope some of that helps and please get back with any questions. If you can send a photo of his enclosure we might be able to suggest little tweaks that will help. Finally really sorry for such a long post!!
Nina
Re: Not eating (2 year old Greek spur thigh.)
Zeus may be exhibiting brumation behavior due to seasonal changes, which can cause lethargy and reduced appetite. Ensure the cooler side of his enclosure is warmer (24-26°C) and confirm his UVB bulb is functioning properly, as it affects activity and digestion.
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