2 replies to this topic

[mildredsmam]

Hi, welcome to the forum.

At this time of year it's quite natural for them to be quite, they know that it's colder, also you have the basking temperature is a bit too hot it would be a lot better at 32, not 35/40 that's way too hot, this could be one of the reasons she's hiding away, tortoises dig down when their too hot or too cold.

Feeding veggies isn't really the best diet, you would be better feeding a more natural diet, you might find this helpful regarding diet http://www.tortsmad.com/diet.htm 

[wizzasmum]

hi,
i'm new here to this forum.
i have a 1.3yo hermann tortoise (eastern) and she is called shelly (shelBy in case it turns out a boy)
she is 7 cm and weighs 72 grams - which is pretty good on the jackson scale
i have quit alot experience with reptiles and worked in a Zoo some years ago, but my tortoise knowledge is kinda novice
she has eaten from the beginning i had her like a champ and i bath her every other day.
she poops and urinates like it should everytime i bath her.
she adores paprika and i feed her good veggies.
i sprinkle her food twice a week with vitamine supplements (D3) and calcium powder, so her shell is not lumpy and hard.
 
but all of a sudden she doesnt want to come out of her soil (as she digs herself in for sleeping..) and has hardly no appetite anymore.
so i dig her up, put her in a bath, feed her some paprika (that she eats a tiny bit while normally she cant stop eating..) and put her back under the sunspot (35 - 40 dgrs) ..but she immediately dig herself in again!
also she rubs her right eye occasionally while she doesnt appear to have a swollen eye and its wide open.
her eylid might be a tiiiiiiiiny bit bigger on the right side where she rubs but its not abnormal and i can see her pupil very clearly.
 
she doesnt have a runny nose, her eyes are opened, she poops/pees...but she dig in and doesnt sunbath any more.
i dont understand why..cos normally she sunbaths all day long.
 
sorry for the long story but pls help me out cos its my baby and i worry..
 
heres a couple of photos of her and her enclosure (the ramp is removable and the enclosure is shut with locks - it is there for when its summer and she is alot bigger, so not for now but just showing what i have build)
its planted with live plants and topsoil/rocks.
6'x3' both ways with 2 stories for climbing excercise.
 
thx guys

As Karen says its normal for them to slow down at this time of year and your high dat time temps will be confusing her too. If she couldn't get away from 40 degrees she would die, so she's doing the sensible thing by hiding. To be honest two story's are very unnatural for tortoises as they are ground dwellers not climbers, so this could be freaking her out too. I would go back to one level if you want her to thrive with no stress. If by paprika you mean peppers then this will upset the gut flora, like all fruits and cause worms to flourish, so best not give her this stuff at all. Are you watering her substrate, as this too is important to prevent shell deformities. Hope this helps, they can be a worry can't they.