Constantly going to sleep Posted: 04/06/2012 by Esiothetort
Hello and thankyou for reading this. Just yesterday I bought my first Hermann from a local pet store (He is 1 year old), where he/she was kept in a wooden vivarium about 1foot by 2 1/2foot with 4 other tortoises. I got him/her home and set him up in a 2 1/2 foot by 4 foot with a 50/50 topsoil/playsand substrate. water is readily available and so is cuttlefish bone, aswell as large stones and a flowerpot as entertainment. On the first day he seemed fine and very active ate a little and drank some water. he went to his house at around 5. so i turned the UVB and heat lamp off. I had a timer turn the lights on at 5, but he didn't rouse from his house. at 11 I took him out and he felt very cold. I bathed him in luke warm water for twenty minutes and he began to move alittle but didn't drink at all or give off any waste. I then gave him some dandilion leaves but he didn't eat any of them, and when put back into the container he went straight back to his house. please help! thankyou.
Re: Constantly going to sleep Posted: 04/06/2012 by midorigoi.1
Make sure the temperature is right and keep moving him but don't forget it was a big change for him and was probably stressful for him aswell Are there any signs of berthing difficulty ? Or bad health ? If not Give him a day or 2 with the baths etc and don't let him sleep constantly Hopefully he will be up and about by then No doubt Darren or Jane will give you advice on what to do after that Fingers crossed
Re: Constantly going to sleep Posted: 05/06/2012 by midorigoi.1
That should have been breathing not berthing ! Sorry predictive typing !
Re: Constantly going to sleep Posted: 05/06/2012 by Esiothetort
thankyou, we have bathed her twice a day and added an extra lamp, and she is starting to move and eat.
Re: Constantly going to sleep Posted: 06/06/2012 by tortoise7
Hi and
Firstly congratulations on becoming a tortoise owner, they are wonderful and fascinating creatures and I am sure will enjoy learning with us all. It will all be a bit strange for him, so it may take a few days to settle down. Whilst you are observing him, are the ambient temps 20-22c, that will be in the cool end, and in the basking area it should be about 30-32c. When you bath him what are the urates and poo's like (this is normal talk for you now Haha) The baths need to be done everyday. Mine like their routine of bath and then food in the mornings, I do this before I go to work. If you have any doubts I would get him checked over by a specialist vet, unfortunately some petshops don't give the correct care that a tortoise needs, their interest lies in the add on sales like heat mats vivariums etc, all very unsuitable.
