Hi there! can anyone help tortoise not eating and sleeping all day!! horsefield tort?

Question

i have him 8 months now and for the past 3weeks he just wants to sleep i lift him out to wake him up but he just wants to go back to sleep he doesn't even bask under the lamp anymore????? need help

Answer 1

ours did this too, just woke up 2 days ago

we are taking her outside to crawl around and get some sunshine

and fresh air, also got some tempting foods to eat

Answer 2

well something that might be good for him is getting some hydro life not only is it good for him but it will make him want to eat get a bowl and put a lil water in there enough to cover his head and then once u get that hydro life put a bunch of squrits not drops full squirts and leave him in there for abt 3 hours put a couple of pellets in there too dont hang around him to much just check on him every so offten :)

Answer 3

Firstly, it might be a good idea to have your tortoise checked for worms and protazoa, both of these things can cause a tortoise to loose appitite and energy as the worm burden increases.

I would also bath him daily at the moment and then feed him straight after the bath under the lamp.  Sometimes a bath can make them a little hungry.

I would also consider tweeking his diet.  In the wild they would eat weeds and plants.  They enjoy cucumber but it has little to no nutritional value.  A lot of tortoise owners pick weeds or grow their own in pots.  I do both, try www.urbantortoise.co.uk

Tortoises can be fickle if anything changes, they can get in a mood and refuse to move or eat for weeks.  Try to keep a good routine and keep the enclosure the same.  Keep an eye on you tortoises weight as this is a good inicator of how he is doing.  I believe the Jackson Ratio works for Horsfields, you could google that to check.  This is a chart that indicates if your tortoise is a healthy weight.  It may just be for med tortoises though.

Good Luck

Answer 4

I am having the same problem as you! But now i have realised i shouldn't handle him for a couple of weeks, just so he can get used to his new environment. Because, horsefield tortoises can get easily stressed and if you don't get them time to de-stress then they could unfortunatly get extremely ill, and possibly die!

  

Answer 5

Its no wonder your poor tort is poorly the way your keeping him is i'm affraid highly unsuitable. He shouldn't be fed lettuce, carrots or mushroom. His diet should comprise mostly of weeds along with a good calcium and mineral supplement such as nutrabol. Tortoises shouldn't be kept in tanks either as they lack ventilation and have no suitable temperature gradient. I think you should have a look on this website on the care of russians.

http://www.russiantortoise.org/

I also think you should look at this forum too. Join up and ask questions if you need to, you'll get plenty of advice on how to make your tortoises life better than what it is.

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

Does he have any other symptom other than being sleepy? does he have a runny nose? I would have thought anyone noticing such a big difference in their pets behaviour would have taken them to a vet. Here's a link to a site listing recommended tort vets, as he may need veterinary care.

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/england.html

Answer 6

Why don,t you ask at your local pet shop or check out some web sites for advice, may be you could get some phone numbers from the net so you could ring people for advice, hope your tortoise will be ok...

Answer 7

What food are you offering him? Should be mainly greens! Dandelions and weeds are the best thing! Also do you bath him? I find with my Tortoise that baths really keep him alert and he's ready for his exploring after! I bath mine everyday, maybe try this? Also if you don't already make sure he has the opportunity to walk about in safe areas outside of his enclosure.

Good luck

Answer 8

do you have heating and uv lighting in your tank, as if he is active when he is out in the outside run he may be cold when he is in his tank, usually when a tortoise sleeps when it has been active something is upsetting it, he is obviously not happy in his tank so may be changing to a tortoise table would be better, there is more air flow and they are a lot happier on tables, tanks really are not suitable for tortoises here is a site that may help you  http://russiantortoise.org/care_sheet.ht...   it has lots of advice especially for russian tortoises, here is a really good site for you to look at it has lots of good articles about tortoise keeping   http://www.tortoisetrust.org/   hope it helps honey best of luck

Answer 9

Hi there I have worked in the reptile trade for nearly 20 years and have kept tortoise's for the best part of it. Firstly check that you have the viv at the right temperature. The cold spot should be at least 82 faranheight, a horsefield can cope with temperatures in the 100's in the hot end of its viv. A tortoise under the age of 5 shouldnt be in put into the garden unless it is over 82f outside then it is kept out of the wind due to it can get eye infections. 2ndly do you have uv for it. All tortoises need this and it should be on the floor cos if its not within 6" of the creature it doesnt benefit from it, without uv it will die, it is needed for the calcium in which it gives. 3rdly it should be bathed everyday due to a build up of lactic acids, the bathing helps it to go to the toilet which realises the acids. its diet should mainly consist of greens, such as cabbage, greens, flat leaf parcley, rocket, the darker the greens the better, stay away from lettuce and cucumber its not bad for them but they dont contain much nutrients, as it is 90% water (good for a thirsty tortoise but not a hungary one) chop up small so its easier to eat. If you would like any more advise please contact me at [e-mail]

Answer 10

Have you thought he might just want to hibernate.  With all this climate change and weird weather we're having.

Answer 11

stroke him or her gently on there shell( they have nerves in there shells ) and it should wake up , put in the routine of that for about a week at the same time everyday and it should wake up naturally after a while

Answer 12

Your tortoise may be doing that because it's getting to be fall soon. Usually in the fall to winter they will not eat and try to hibernate.