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My tortoise has not eaten for over 2 weeks, i don't understand why

can anyone give me some help im really worried

 

[shootinglou79]

hi jo, what species is the tortoise please

 

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hi it is a female horsfield.

 

[kerrypudge]

How are you keeping her?how old is she?

 

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she is 3 years old in keeping her in a tortoise table. with 2 lamps one blue and a daylight bulb. the temprature when both lamps are on is usually around
35C.

 

[kerrypudge]

whats the blue bulb for?is it a uv bulb??
have you weighed your tort to see if theres been any weight loss?what do you feed her?
You do know that there are no garuantees that she is female especially at a young age.did you get her from breeder or petshop?might be best taking a poo sample to vet to be tested for worms

 

[beestingbutterfly]

what are you offering food wise?

 

[wizzasmum]

Horsfields are around the hardiest of torts. In their native country they eat for only three months of the year. The rest of the time is spent either aestivating or hibernating. 35 degrees is way too hot for a tortoise of this species especially if he is not given deep enough substrate to construct a burrow. He is telling you that conditions are not right. Your temps under the light need to be no higher than 30 degrees, ever and night time temps need to be as low as an unheated house in winter. Without this temperature gradient he cannot thermoregulate and will get sick quickly. Go to www.tortoise.net and follow the advise for Mediterranean tort with the difference that you must have a deep substrate for your tort. Do make sure he is well hydrated by bathing daily. Keep an eye open for urates in his urine. If he has been kept too hot he could well be dehydrated which would mean either no urates or gritty ones.Hope this helps

 

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i got it from a breeder he told me it was female.

thanks for your help every one
i will change the temp and weigh her i will take her to the vets as well just to be on the safe side!!

what should i be offering her to eat?

i just offer babygem lettuce, dandiliyon leaves, cucumber and cabbage.
i also bought some calcium stuff off ebay to put on the food.

 

[beestingbutterfly]

Adults can forage in gardens. Green leafy vegetables with high roughage content (dandelions, beans, broccoli, cabbage, etc) *and fruit for last two months before hibernation* provide hay too. leafy greens but not iceburg lettuce have a look on some tort websites as they may have some listed vegs

 

[wizzasmum]

l

Russians cannot be left to forage in a garden as they ae a burrowing species and will disappear. Tunnels can be nine feet long.
None of the brassica family(cabbage, broccoli, sprouts) should be given as they are high in oxalic acid and inhibit the uptake of calcium, even if calcium is scattered on the food. Beans are high in protein and will cause kidney damage and shell deformities. Aslways think of what the anaimal would get in the wild and try to mimic as closely as possible. Russians in particular are at higher risk of dietry problems due to the fact that they eat for such a small time in the wild. Not many captive russians resemble a wild one unfortunately.
Hope this helps



ts can forage in gardens. Green leafy vegetables with high roughage content (dandelions, beans, broccoli, cabbage, etc) *and fruit for last two months before hibernation* provide hay too. leafy greens but not iceburg lettuce have a look on some tort websites as they may have some listed vegs