Hello,
I have a Russian tortoise, and he doesn’t want to drink water. I’ve seen him do it like once or twice, and he never did it again. Another thing his appetite. About a month or so he had this weird “phaze” were one day he’d be very interested in food, then another he’d be very little interested in the food, then he’s interested again and so on. But for the past week he’s appetite has been very mediocre.
What can this be? Infection? Deficiency of some mineral? Some other illness?
Issues with Russian tortoise
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robertwarren
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 22 Oct 2024, 05:39
Re: Issues with Russian tortoise
Hi Robert,
Many thanks for contacting us. Many tortoises don't drink from their water bowls -- this is quite common. That is why we recommend bathing him about twice a week, in warm water that comes just up to his chin (or where his top shell meets his bottom shell), in a container that he can't see out of (like an old plastic washing up bowl), and do this for about 15 - 20 minutes each time. This will help to keep him hydrated. Wetting the leaves and flowers that you give him will also help to get some water into him (and the added advantage of that is that if you sprinkle his calcium powder on the leaves that are wet then the powder will stick and won't be wasted.
Regarding his interest in food, it's the time of year when most hibernating species of tortoise (and Russians are a hibernating species) start to slow down and become more lethargic, and lost their appetite to some extent. if you don't plan to hibernate him (and if he is younger than about two years old or you have had him for less than a year then I wouldn't recommend hibernation yet). So what you need to do is to fool him into thinking that it's a bright summer's day. If you do want to hibernate him then we can send you instructions for how to prepare him for hibernation and the hibernation itself.
Can you describe what sort of enclosure he is in, and what the temperatures are at the warm end and the cool end of his enclosure? You need to measure the temperature directly under the light, and at the height of his shell. If you want to send us a photo of his enclosure we can have a look and perhaps suggest some little tweaks that will help get him back on track again.
You probably already have one, but in case not then here's a link to a care sheet for Russians (also called Horsfield) tortoises.
https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf
Best wishes,
Nina
Many thanks for contacting us. Many tortoises don't drink from their water bowls -- this is quite common. That is why we recommend bathing him about twice a week, in warm water that comes just up to his chin (or where his top shell meets his bottom shell), in a container that he can't see out of (like an old plastic washing up bowl), and do this for about 15 - 20 minutes each time. This will help to keep him hydrated. Wetting the leaves and flowers that you give him will also help to get some water into him (and the added advantage of that is that if you sprinkle his calcium powder on the leaves that are wet then the powder will stick and won't be wasted.
Regarding his interest in food, it's the time of year when most hibernating species of tortoise (and Russians are a hibernating species) start to slow down and become more lethargic, and lost their appetite to some extent. if you don't plan to hibernate him (and if he is younger than about two years old or you have had him for less than a year then I wouldn't recommend hibernation yet). So what you need to do is to fool him into thinking that it's a bright summer's day. If you do want to hibernate him then we can send you instructions for how to prepare him for hibernation and the hibernation itself.
Can you describe what sort of enclosure he is in, and what the temperatures are at the warm end and the cool end of his enclosure? You need to measure the temperature directly under the light, and at the height of his shell. If you want to send us a photo of his enclosure we can have a look and perhaps suggest some little tweaks that will help get him back on track again.
You probably already have one, but in case not then here's a link to a care sheet for Russians (also called Horsfield) tortoises.
https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf
Best wishes,
Nina
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