The Tortoise Table

Hi everyone,

(As usual!!), I'm a bit worried about Gonzales (7 year old med spur thigh) as its now lighter and warmer here in Ireland but he seems to have slumped into a long lethargy rather than livening up. He is eating, peeing, pooing and soaking almost every day but has stopped clambering around and now just dozes in the corner away from his lamps. He looks OK to my untrained eye - bright eyes, shell looks the same top and bottom, clean nose and mouth, everything looks normal. The only new factor is that we now take him outside if the weather is warm - on the lawn and in his new 6ftx6ft outdoor enclosure. When outside he usually eats then disappears into his hide and never comes out. We take him indoors again if his shell cools down. Do you think he is simply adjusting to the new regime? Sick? Depressed? Don't you wish they could talk?

Thanks,

TP
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Hi TP,

Well, it's difficult to say. If he is eating, pooing and peeing then he's probably fine. I've been putting mine out on warm days too (or sunny cool days for a shorter time), but always bringing them in for a warm-up when their shells start to cool down.

Is he the same now that the weather has turned colder, as when it was nice and warm a week or so ago? What is the temperature under his heat source indoors, and are you able to raise and lower the lamp to increase or decrease the temperature? I found that when it was warm I had to raise my lamp a lot higher, to keep it from getting too warm, and now that it is colder I need to lower it. That probably isn't the problem though.

I do find that when mine are outdoors a fair amount, they get bored when they are back in their table. You have a really nice and interesting outdoor enclosure for Gonzales, where he can explore different areas, and he might just be finding his indoor enclosure is less interesting in comparison. Tortoises do get bored fairly easily, and there's not a lot you can do about that, other than moving the 'furniture' in his table around a bit (rocks, etc.) so it's a different layout for him to explore. I can't remember now, but do you have a second level in his indoor enclosure, where he can walk up a ramp to a different area (that sometimes helps)?

Keep an eye on him, and let us know if he seems to be getting more lethargic, or if he loses his interest in food.

Nina

Thanks Nina. He isn't so lethargic when he's outdoors so maybe it is boredom! Temperatures under the lamp are ok I think. I'll keep an eye. Thanks again for the advice.

TP

Bring on that sunshine, so they can be outdoors for longer!

Nina