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Lethargic Tortoise

22 16:06:55

Question
QUESTION: Hi,  I have a 10 year old African Spurred Tortoise.   I live in Florida.  He's lived in our fenced back yard and his diet has consisted of a lot of grass, vegetables, lettuce, hibiscus flowers.  My concern is that he has become very inactive.   He is usually staying in one place all day when he used to roam quite a bit.  I have also noticed he is not interested in eating much lately. very few droppings in the yard too.  He has never drank much water but I keep it out.   The weather here has been cooler lately (40 degrees) so I have enclosed a large dog run in a tarp and have provided him a heating pad and a heat lamp that hangs overhead. He feels warm enough.   He has plenty of room to roam around the cage and wander out during the day if he wants.  He just stays put.  I have never brought him to a vet (don't know of a good reptile vet).  Do you think he has an infection or do tortoises go through these periods?  Thanks for your advice.

ANSWER: Hi Helen,

As cold as the weather has been in your area, I suspect he's too cool.  Is he actually spending time in the warmed area, and have you checked the temperatures?  A larger sulcata will be able to spend more time in a cool area than a smaller one, but he'll still need a basking area in the 90 degree range to warm himself back up.  He can tolerate night temps of 60 degrees.  Don't use a heating pad unless it's one designed for livestock (aka pig blankets--Kane makes them), as there's too much danger of a short if he pees on it.  The dog run is probably too big and not insulated enough to hold the heat in well.  Heating up a large dog house or small Rubbermaid shed would work better.  Here's a way to install a lamp fixture in a dog house, deck box, or shed:  http://russiantortoise.org/deck_box.htm  

Signs of a respiratory infection would be wheezing, bubbling/mucus coming from the nose, and gaping/yawning.  It doesn't sound like he has one, but being too cold can eventually lead to one, so see what you can do to warm him up.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your quick response.  Yes, he is spending all of his time the last few days on the heating pad (it is a hard plastic one made for dogs).  He has no wheezing, etc.   I don't think he has eliminated anything in the last couple of days (he hasn't eaten either).  I'll see if I can move him into my garage for a while until this cold snap passes.  He's so big I have to use a wheelbarrel to move him :)

Answer
Moving him into the garage is a good idea.  This cold snap shouldn't last too long, and then he'll be back to his normal behavior.  I know a few people in the South who are having the same issues with the unexpected cold.  Just keep an eye out for the RI symptoms I described.  Good luck with him!