Russian Tortoise won't eat?

Question

I recently got a tort in December. When we first got her she was very active and ate daily. About a month ago she stopped eating. Sandee is still very active, and drinks, and has regular soaks daily... she just wont eat. We even got her a larger enclosure thinking that she may be stressed due to the lack of space to explore. She loves the new space, spends most of her day wandering, and climbing on her log and rocks. Often she will come to the side of the tank and great us. Her temperatures are set at 95 degrees under her basking light, and the rest of her enclosure is kept at room temperature, about 70 degrees. Is it possible that the substrate isn't getting warm enough, and it has slowed her digestion? How long can they go without eating? Her fecal matter was tested and she didn't have any worms or parasites... also, her eyes are bright.... Does anyone have any ideas for me? I would appreciate any suggestions!!!

Answer 1

Regular soaks daily- forced by you, or chosen by her? I was thinking about humidity and dehydration. Russians spend much of their day in dark burrows where humidity is over 70%, and they can be come dehydrated with their dry diet and dry habitat without humid hiding palces, free access to water, etc.

Soaks don't really do a lot for dehydrated tortoises- their skin is waterproof and it would take longer than the usual soak time to really suck up any water that way. Soaks DO allow the tortoise to absorb water through the vent or cloaca, which can trigger defecation.

95 is a bit warm and 70 is a bit cool as well- but I prefer to guage temps by behavior. Does she seek out or avoid the high or low temps? The substrate temp is a useful point- have you ever measured it? It is possible that it is a lot cooler than you think. I use a ZooMed under tank warming pad to boost my substrate temps in the winter.

A healthy torotise that is drinking OK and feels like it has a little heft to it can go several weeks (actually, even months) without food, but as a rule of thumb, after about a week we start to get worried.

The only other thing I can think of right now is food choices. Maybe she just does not like what she is being offered.

Try http://www.tortoisetrust.com.uk for ideas on diet and care for this species!

Answer 2

We have 2 Russian Tortoises. They eat like horses! Daily if we let them! They do hibernate in the winter but ONLY if you let them get cold. By this I mean between 40 and 60 degrees. It sounds like you are keeping their habitat at a regular temperature. Our torts will not touch the store bought food made for them at Petco. What they eat is Romaine Lettuce, Veg-All (unsalted in the can) and the occasional mixed fruit (not much or they get the runs). They like dark leafy green vegetables the best. No broccoli! You should also be providing a calcium and vitamin mineral supplement (either a powder on food or I use a cuttlefish bone or calcium block left in the enclosures which allows the tortoises to regulate the amount of calcium in their diet.). We use alfalfa for their litter. Your pen may be too warm in the warm end and too cool in the cool end. The warm end should be about 85 degrees and the cool end 75 degrees. I don't think the temperature would stop her from eating though. If she is active she should be eating. The only time ours don't eat is when we let them hibernate. Do a google search on Russian Tortoise. Habitat, Hibernation, Care, Diet. Check your local pet store. There is a wonderful web site called the tortoise trust. They say if your tortoise isn't eating: Observe closely for other symptoms. May indicate a severe parasite infection, a metabolic problem such as renal or liver dysfunction, or even a broken jaw or ear abscess which causes pain on eating. Requires further investigation by your veterinarian. (I read this under the definition of Totoise Anorexia at http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/commondisease.html#Anorexia.

I hope this helps!

CK

Answer 3

Hey , maybe you should cook up a hefty plate of Borscht .LOL
Just kidding .
I bet they don't eat like clockwork, mother nature is not like that . Gopher turtles come out once in a while here and eat and then disappear for days . Also, find out if they hibernate .
I had many different kinds years ago. Some got too big . The memory sure makes me wish I had some again.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORY .

Answer 4

You could always try to get her a companion tortoise.

My father has a male & female Russian Tortoise. One wasn't enough for him.