Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wilko69]

my mums tortoise has suddenly stopped eating and isnt moving its still alive but just wont eat or move any suggestions in which it could be and any advice on what to do until i can get him to the vet tomoz

[terrypin]

hi what type of tortoise is it and how is it being kept do you have a uv source and what sort enclosure do you have and the heating if any.although before all that i would suggest a warm bath as if it is suffering from dehydration or any type of renal problem this should help and i cant think of any condition it may have that this will cause it problems.if you have other tortoises i would isolate it until the vet has given the all clear .how old/large is it and how long have you owned/kept it.
terry

[-EJ]

The type of tortoise and the conditions under which it is kept would be helpful.

Keep in mind that the tortoise can go for quite a long time without food... water is essential.

Ed

Originally Posted by wilko69

my mums tortoise has suddenly stopped eating and isnt moving its still alive but just wont eat or move any suggestions in which it could be and any advice on what to do until i can get him to the vet tomoz

[wilko69]

It is a Spur thigh tortoise, which is kept in a 2ft vivarium with UV and heat lamp, which then goes into a heated conservatory during the day.

Water is always available but I will try a warm bath tonight..

Thanks for your help. they are 4 years old and accompanied by a male who is rather horny......

[-EJ]

How big is the tortoise?

How much wattage is the lamp?

What are your temperatures at each end of the enclosure?

To understand better... he's kept in the 2ft long viv by himself... at night?

Ed

Originally Posted by wilko69

It is a Spur thigh tortoise, which is kept in a 2ft vivarium with UV and heat lamp, which then goes into a heated conservatory during the day.

Water is always available but I will try a warm bath tonight..

Thanks for your help. they are 4 years old and accompanied by a male who is rather horny......

[wilko69]

They are kept together, and not sure about wattage, will check. She is about a large palm size and he is slightly smaller..

[-EJ]

You're keeping 4, 4 inch size tortoises in a 2ft viv with a heat lamp?

You mentioned this was for overnight accomodations. Is that the case?

Again, the temperatures are important. How deep is the substrate and what type of substrate do you use in the viv?

You mention the viv is 2 ft long... how wide is it?

Ed

Originally Posted by wilko69

They are kept together, and not sure about wattage, will check. She is about a large palm size and he is slightly smaller..

[terrypin]

hi it sounds like things are getting hot and it is probably very dehydrated ,i really dont think a heated conservatory is helping and they really need access to a cooler shaded area so they can thermoregulate what sort of substrate do they have access to in the day as they may want to dig down to escape any extremes of temperature.im sorry but i dont think spurthighed tortoises should be kept in vivariums as they need a good temperature gradient of at least 10 degrees which is difficult to do in a 2' vivarium.i keep my spurthighed juveniles in a open pen until they are 4" when they live outside with the adults all year.the juvenile pen is 5'x3'with a combi uvb/heat lamp and in the summer is only used at night as they spend all day outdoors.
terry

[EVIEMAY]

Have to agree with Terry conservatories can get dangerously hot during the day.

[incrisis]

forgive me if this seems like I haven't read the posts correctly, but there have been a number of questions unanswered

How many torts are kept in the viv?
Do they only stay in the viv at night or is the viv moved into the heated conservatory with the torts in it?
are they all the same species?
are they all the same size?
what are the dimensions of the viv, apart from being 2ft?
what is the temp gradient in the viv?
what is the temp in the conservatory?

a lot of questions I know but makes answering your problem a lot easier