General tort questions

Use this forum to discuss general questions about any aspects of tortoise care.
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Tarajane77
Posts: 50
Joined: 26 Jun 2020, 20:26

General tort questions

Post by Tarajane77 » 27 Jul 2020, 12:40

Hi,

I'm back with questions about Jemima... :lol: :roll:

I'm just wondering if I'm doing something wrong...Jemima goes from active days to bone damn idol days! :oops: :oops:


As you know she was a rehome so I did the best I could in a short space of time. She lives indoors in a table, and goes outside in her pen weather permitting OR if the weathers bad she goes in a pet pen indoors supervised....indoors/outdoors I always put things in her enclosures so she can hide or things to offer stimulation. She mostly just looks uninspired and miserable for all I do for her!

She used to love climbing up on her bridge in her table and be sat waiting at her food bowl but today she didnt get up till dinner and hasn't eaten yet (it is a horrific rainy day btw).

Her eyes are clear, shes been worm tested in the past fortnight (all clear)and her poopies are moist and formed. Shes urinating and its chrystal clear and only a slight trace of moist urate if any. She is fed only fresh picked wild plants, and I'm gradually reducing the flowers to greens to balance the ratio. She has put on 32gs in the last month from 354g -386g in the last month. She's also bathed for 20mins x3 times a week.

I'm not sure if I should disturb her if shes napping to get her moving and put her under her heat lamp. Is it cruel of me to disturb her if shes sleeping?? She seemed to love her indoor playtime yesterday and loved me holding her AND talking to her.

She can have RARE outside play days where she sits in her plant pot and scowls at the world and the next shell carry her plant pot to the other end of her run..

She's got a dual solar glow basking light/UV. It's the correct temp/10" away from her shell top(is 12" the recommended distance), reading 32°. She has a water dish in her enclosure. Only has top soil in there. The basking light is over one corner so she can have an ambient temperature and her covered sleeping area maintains a temp of 20-22°.

Any advice would be welcome and I'm prepared to make any changes you suggest. I was wondering if a strip light and separate basking light would be more appropriate?

The only other change ive seen in the last few days is shes been doing a crazy dance inside her Willow tunnel in her indoor pen..she raises herself up on her hind legs and keeps her front ones on the floor..and sways her front sideways left to right vigorously ..not sure if this is a dominance/sexual maturity thingy..but the willow tunnel has always been in there??

BLIMEY, but I wanted to give you all her stats so you could help US best as possible x

THANKYOU, JODY FROM WIRKSWORTH
Jody K

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Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: General tort questions

Post by Nina » 27 Jul 2020, 13:10

Hi Jody,

It could well be light levels that cause the idle days (but also tortoises, like people, just have some days when they aren't as active -- lol, I'm having one of those days today). Sometimes on dark, dreary days they seem to sense that, even though the light in their tortoise table is artificially produced.

Also, sometimes they just get bored indoors. You could try rearranging the 'furniture' in her table, just to vary things a bit. Or, if that top to her 'sleeping area' is removable, you could try taking that off and it would give her an additional place to explore during the daytime.

Her temperatures sound fine, although I wouldn't let it go above 32C (are you measuring the temperature directly under the light at the height of her shell?).

Re disturbing her if she is sleeping. If she fails to wake up in the mornings, it could be a hibernation instinct coming into play. This does sometimes happen with Horsfields when we have grey days, so you could get her up and put her under the lamp, but I would wait and see if this is a strong pattern (like if she doesn't wake up for two or three days in a row). i've had to do that with mine sometimes, and what usually happens is they sit under the lamp, warm up, eat and then go straight back to bed, and then I repeat the process and put them under the light again. A week or two of being put under the lamp in the morning usually breaks that cycle and then they start getting up themselves.

We're due to have sunny, warm days for the rest of this week, so I would get her outside as much as possible. In nature they tend to wake up and eat in the morning, sleep during the middle of the day, and then have a roam around and another search for food in the late afternoon/early evening, and I find that mine do that outside here as well.

Not sure about the little dance, but I have certainly heard of other tortoises doing that -- especially if you are affectionately scratching the back of their carapace, or showering them with water. I don't think it's anything to be concerned about (but fun to watch).

Nina

Tarajane77
Posts: 50
Joined: 26 Jun 2020, 20:26

Re: General tort questions

Post by Tarajane77 » 27 Jul 2020, 15:31

THANKYOU Nina,

Yes her lamp temp is always taken at her shell height directly underneath daily. I'll take on board the advice for placing her under her lamp if she's having a lie in. :lol:

If I can wear a t-shirt she's always out in her pen. I'm happy the weather like you said is improving tomorrow. :mrgreen:

I'm doing a soil change this week so I'll rearrange her items.

Shortly after I sent you this she came out, had inside playtime and is ROSTING round her table...TYPICAL!! :roll:

I'll be in touch with more questions very soon.. :lol:

JODY FROM WIRKSWORTH :D
Jody K

User avatar
Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: General tort questions

Post by Nina » 27 Jul 2020, 16:34

Aww, that's great to hear that she perked up (I guess she was just having a Monday morning lie in)!

Nina

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