Tortoise losing weight

[Sarebear36]

Hi
I am getting concerned about Mishka losing weight and still being very lethargic (I posted on a different thread with some questions when we first got him and i did add some photos to this thread afterwards too). He was 550g on 12 May and today weighs 528g.
He has recently been wormed as the poo sample we took to the vet showed moderate load (second dose was 6 days ago).
He is now in his outdoor run through the day, and we just bring him inside for the night, so he isn't getting any time under his heat/UV lamp at the moment.
He seems to potter about for an hour or two and then go into his 'house' and sleep for the rest of the day - is this normal??
Some days he eats most of what we give him, other days he eats very little.
We are bathing him 3 or 4 times a week. His food is dusted with Nutrobal alternated with calcium powder.
Is there anything else we can do differently?
I am so appreciative of your advice and expertise!
Thank you
Sarah

[Nina]

Hi Sarah,

Gosh, I'm not sure what to say as his outdoor enclosure looks nice and your husbandry sounds fine. I've looked back at the photos of him, and sort of judging by the size of him in your hand, 528g doesn't sound bad, but photos can be deceptive. What was his weight the previous time you took it, before the 550g weight?

It could be that his tummy is just recovering from the second dose of worming medicine, but I don't think that completely explains it. Can you remind me if you are in the UK? The hot weather we've been having might have made that gravel in his enclosure feel a bit hot to walk on (it's uniikely but thought I'd throw that idea out). Your enclosure looks fine and there is lots of interest there for him to walk around and explore. I wonder how he would react if you removed a small area of gravel (if that's possible), exposing the bare earth. In the wild they would be walking on sandy soil, so they do quite like compacted soil to walk on.

I'm just wondering how he might react outside the enclosure. Is it possible to put him on the lawn for a bit -- supervised obviously -- and let him wander around and also give him some food there? Just to see.

Certainly in the wild tortoises tend to be most active in the morning, then they retreat and nap during the middle of the day when it's hottest and then often come out about 5 or 6 p.m and have another nibble. So sleeping for part of the day is normal, but his appetite does sound depressed and it would be good to find out the reason why.

Nina

[lin]

Hi Sarah.
In addition to what Nina has said I was wondering how long this has been going on and agree that the weather could be the factor for this eating inactivity.
These past couple of weeks it was been vey hot or very overcast and humid and tortoises will hide up during the day to try and keep away from it. I would try and offer his food early in the morning, fresh and just washed to make it yummy, cool and crispy, and again as the sun starts to go dawn, around 5 ish and see if that helps.
Let us know.
Oh, , and just to check has all the enclosure substrate he is in been renewed since the worming so as not to reinfect?

Lin

[Sarebear36]

Hi Lin and Nina
Thank you for your replies. I am in the UK, in the North East. The photo obviously doesn't show it well, but his outdoor enclosure is all soil, not gravel!
His indoor substrate has been replaced and he didn't start in his outdoor one until after his working treatment started.
We always feed him first thing - he ate quite a bit of what I gave him yesterday, but none of what I have him today!
We only rescued him in May, so I don't know what he weighed before......There are some photos of him on the other thread.
He really doesn't seem to enjoy being bathed, he scrabbles about trying to get out. So he is only in for a few minutes - is that long enough?
Any thoughts are gratefully received!

[Sarebear36]

Hi Lin and Nina
I am still a little worried about Mishka....he has out a tiny bit of weight on and now weighs 532g, at least he hasn't lost any more.
However he has hardly eaten anything the last few days and is just constantly sleeping......I find it hard to know whether this is normal.
We put him outside each day and after about 10 minutes he goes under the slate or the grass and falls asleep. We put a range of fresh food in every day and he hasn't touched in the last 2 days.
Should I be worried?!
Sarah

[Nina]

Hi Sarah,

I'm really not sure at all about Mishka. His weight sounds fine, and he has put on a couple of grammes since the end of June, but he really shouldn't be sleeping all day. Did you try him out on the lawn, or somewhere else where there is a fair amount of sunshine, just to see if he behaves any differently. Weather can have an effect on them, and it's been cooler the last week or so, but if Mishka doesn't perk up it might be worth seeing a good reptile vet. I can't remember if you saw a reptile/exotics vet before, but if you didn't then it's important that the vet isn't an ordinary one but is one that is specially qualified to treat reptiles, and we can help you find one near you if you don't have one already.

Best,
Nina

[mapquestdirections]

Hello all. I am a bit concerned about my tortoise as he is loosing weight. He has lost 23g over the past 2 months.

[Nina]

Hi mapquestdirections -- sorry I don't know your real name,

Can you tell us a bit more about your tortoise -- what species is he, how old, what he weighs now, and what sort of set-up he is in (indoors and outdoors)? If you'd like to send a photo of your set-up that can help too, as sometimes a little tweak can make big changes. Is he active or does he want to sleep all day? Is he eating? Sorry for all of the questions, but there are so many factors that could be contributing to his loss of weight, so more details will help us to pinpoint it.

At this time of year when days are getting shorter and temperatures are cooling down, lots of tortoises are sort of going into hibernation mode, but there are ways you can encourage him to perk up again.

Nina