[scotton]

I have my hermans tortoise in a tortoise table with half covered in soil and half in sand , over which his lamp shines. One half of the table has a cover on it which is filled with hay. Whenever we take him out the soil seems very cold and he feels cold also. The temp in his bed area is about 65 degrees. His table isn't by a door or a window but it is against a wall opposite the radiator. He's very inactive and someone told me he may be cold and that I ought to transfer him to a viv. Does anyone else think along the same lines. I am quite happy to go out and buy him one if he is cold. I did try to warm the soil before putting it in under the lamp but obviously it hasn't retained the heat very well. Its the first time I have used soil as a substrate as I used reptiturf before but looked on the forum and eveyone suggested using soil. Is he cold do you think?

 

[annsimpson1]

if the 65f is the night room temps then thats fine its needs to be 70f at least through the day, and the temps under the heat lamp/basking area 32-36c, soil always feels a bit cold but thats natural and as long as either you're getting your tort up in the mornings or he's doing it himself he's fine. They always feel cold in mornings it wouldn't make a lot of difference what the ambient temp is as your tort gets his heat from a direct source not from the air around him, so even if you had him in a hot room he'd still feel cold if he didn't warm up under the light. I always like to have a routine if they are inside ie about an hour or so after the lights go on the tort is given a warm bath then put under the heat lamp, he should then get around to haveing something to eat, at this time of the year if you don't get them up it will become later and later before they do so themselves. It can be a real job to keep them active through the winter if your not hibernating, I'd check your temps etc before considering a viv they seem to be fine and even if you put a dry or warmer feeling bedding in the table the tort will still feel cold, you could wrap him in a twoel and he'd not get warm without the direct heat. You could try lengthening the amount of hours the light/heat is on as you want to try to make him think its summer

 

[den_bish]

Firstly let me say that I don't mean this to be offensive, but bascially torts are cold blooded animals and unless they are directly under a basking lamp ( or have recently been so) they will feel cold. Mine certainly is first think in the morning when he first gets up (as they would in the wild) and then they seek somewhere warm to sit and heat up. So if your tort is only feeling cold at this time then there is nothing to worry about.
I am assuming that you have a UV and heat lamp for him to bask under and warm up to his required temp and have a good temp gradient so that he can move around and moderate his own body temp.
If you are worried about it being too cold overnight (my house is freezing!) I have a ceramic bulb on a thermostat to provide background heat overnight.

I hope that helps

 

[scotton]

My tort wont come out to bask unless it is after his bath and then he may stay about 20 mins and goes straight back to his bed. That is the only time he makes an appearance and actually eats at the same time. If I didn't wake him I dont think he would ever make an appearance!

 

[annsimpson1]

what are the temps? you could try upping them a bit if they are low or if they are to high you will also get the same reaction ie either trying to get away from the heat or not enough, its hard to keep a tort awake that wants to hibernate you just have to keep on waking them etc. Keep an eye on his weight gain if he's not moving around much aim for 2-4 grams a month.

 

[purplepixie]

How old is this tortoise please?

 

[scotton]

He is 3 years old

 

[Mrs Mental]

Arent sure if I've read your original post wrong lovey but the soil and sand should be mixed up together not on the table seperately. Also I'd change the hay in his bed as it can get mouldy when damp/wet - try using plain soil and he'll dig about in it to get comfy. I arent sure why half the table has a cover over it? I'm thinking that maybe the basking light isn't warm enough (should be 30-35 degrees under the lamp) and there isn't enough warmth and light spreading around the table

I would take the cover off and try using a plant pot tipped on its side and half buried int eh soil for him to sleep in instead of under the cover. Also he may see the light better and seek out the warmth on his own in the mornings that way and also he'd be warmer than under the cover - think of him as a solar powered little guy, he needs heat and light to get himself moving and feeding so in the mornings when he wakes he should seek out the basking spot and loll about underneath it for a warm up. Under his cover I'm thinking he cant see it so he's staying where he is.

As for feeling warm, he's cold blooded hunny so wont feel warm unless he's directly under his lamp. Try moving the lamp a little closer (lwoer down) to the table and it'll increase the temps for him.

Keep bathing him daily and feed him after a bath as that stimulates his belly and he'll be hungrier then.

Is this the first winter you've had him? And do you know if he's hibernated before? If he has hibernated before he may be slowing himself down to hibernate again.

Let us know how he gets on lovey wont you. : victory:

 

[purplepixie]

Where did you get your tortoise from?
Sorry but it is relevent.