Hi guys,
I have a 2-year old marginated tortoise called Donatella. Earlier this year, in lockdown she became poorly and we took her to the vets as she had problems with her eyes and wasn't active/eating etc. The vet did tell us then that Donatella was underweight, but she had a course of antibiotics and had been growing in size and weight and had been doing very well.
The past week, Donatella has stopped eating and has only eaten a few pellets which have been fed from my hands. She has stopped doing this and isn't eating at all. She is around 4.5 inches long and weighs 174 grams, around 4 weeks ago she weighed nearly 200 grams. I bathe her every few days and I feed her a daily amount of pellets for her nutrition and typically give her kale/cress to enjoy as she doesn't eat the dried tortoise food I get from an exotic pet shop. The temperature in her tortoise table typically stays at around 30 degrees C in the day, and the humidity is always fine. Today I mushed her pellets with cucumber and also watermelon to see whether this would entice her - it didn't. She hasn't got any signs of infection or illness, she's still as active as she usually is (she's never been very active since we got her).
Does anyone have any ideas of what could be wrong with her? Do you think she may be attempting to hibernate? I'm reluctant to hibernate her as I think she's underweight - does anyone know if she is underweight, given her weight and measurements? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm cautious about taking her to the vets in case she is fine just due to the hefty price tag.
Thanks!
Baby Tortoise Losing Weight & Not Eating
Re: Baby Tortoise Losing Weight & Not Eating
Hi Marco,
Welcome to The Tortoise Table and congratulations on providing a home for Donatella.
It might well be that Donatella is wanting to hibernate, as Marginated torts are a hibernating species, and it's that time of year, but as she has been ill and might be underweight, I don't think I would risk hibernating her this year. It's really important that tortoises are in the best of health for hibernation.
Just to double check, was the vet you took her to an 'exotics/reptile' specialist, or just an ordinary vet? It's really important that the vet is qualified or experienced in treating reptiles. I'm not exactly sure if she is actually underweight for her size. Have you measured her SCL (straight carapace length)? If you aren't sure then here is how to do it: https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... 3zYV-3TWNI
What is the temperature directly under her heat/light source at the height of her shell (a thermometer mounted on a nearby wall will give a misleading lower temperature). You want to aim for 30C directly under the lamp and 20C at the cool end of her table. If you can send us a photo, we might be able to suggest a few tweaks that will help.
If she is wanting to hibernate -- which is the most likely cause of her lack of appetite, then you need to fool her into thinking that it is a bright summer's day. See if you can increase the light if possible and make sure the temperature is right and that the lights are on for about 12 hours or more each day. Here is a link to our article on overwintering a tortoise -- have a read and do come back with any questions you might have:
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... 3zaTO3TWNI
Regarding her diet, really, fresh weeds and flowers are far better for a tortoise than most of the commercial foods because they tend to be too high in protein, but I don't think that now is the time to radically change her diet, as the main thing is for you to get her eating again.
Finally, you probably already have a care sheet for Marginated tortoises, but if you don't then here's a good one:
https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf
Nina
Welcome to The Tortoise Table and congratulations on providing a home for Donatella.
It might well be that Donatella is wanting to hibernate, as Marginated torts are a hibernating species, and it's that time of year, but as she has been ill and might be underweight, I don't think I would risk hibernating her this year. It's really important that tortoises are in the best of health for hibernation.
Just to double check, was the vet you took her to an 'exotics/reptile' specialist, or just an ordinary vet? It's really important that the vet is qualified or experienced in treating reptiles. I'm not exactly sure if she is actually underweight for her size. Have you measured her SCL (straight carapace length)? If you aren't sure then here is how to do it: https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... 3zYV-3TWNI
What is the temperature directly under her heat/light source at the height of her shell (a thermometer mounted on a nearby wall will give a misleading lower temperature). You want to aim for 30C directly under the lamp and 20C at the cool end of her table. If you can send us a photo, we might be able to suggest a few tweaks that will help.
If she is wanting to hibernate -- which is the most likely cause of her lack of appetite, then you need to fool her into thinking that it is a bright summer's day. See if you can increase the light if possible and make sure the temperature is right and that the lights are on for about 12 hours or more each day. Here is a link to our article on overwintering a tortoise -- have a read and do come back with any questions you might have:
https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... 3zaTO3TWNI
Regarding her diet, really, fresh weeds and flowers are far better for a tortoise than most of the commercial foods because they tend to be too high in protein, but I don't think that now is the time to radically change her diet, as the main thing is for you to get her eating again.
Finally, you probably already have a care sheet for Marginated tortoises, but if you don't then here's a good one:
https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf
Nina
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