Hi again chaps,

Should i move Mr Browns sleeping area, he sleeps at the opposite end to where his basking light is and i'm worried he isn't warm enough, his table is in the kitchen and the tempreture is never below 12 degrees even without the heating on, but Mr Brown is sleeping most of the day and night, only waking up at around 6.30pm, he wonders round for half an hour or so and then goes back to sleep, would he be awake more if he slept nearer his light and warmed up a bit quicker in the morning, i turn his lights on about 7.30am. He beds down under shredded paper but dosnt really cover himself completely.

Due to being dehydrated in Sept he is not gonna hibernate this time, and i'm still bathing him every couple of days .... should i reduce it if he's sleeping more.

Thanks again for all the help

Debs

Hi Debs

I wouldnt worry about moving his sleeping area, but you could try 'getting him up' in the mornings and putting him in his basking area to warm him up.  Despite all our efforts providing uv and basking lamps, tortoises still know what time of year it is, and many will naturally slow down over the winter months, so we need to encourage them a bit to be active.  Regarding bathing, if you give him a warm bath in the morning, this will also wake him up a bit.

Hope this helps,

Arlene

Many thanks Arlene, always nice to get a speedy reply, Mr Brown will be having a warm bath before i goto work....

Cheers

Debs

Hi Debs

Just wondering how Mr Brown is getting on?

atb

Arlene

Hi there Arlene,

He seems fine, is eating ok, but i never see him drink,  but i think his body clock has gone completley to pot, he wakes up in the evening now around 6ish and stays active for hours, even if i turn off his basking light he dosn't settle down , and when he does finally go of to sleep it not under his bedding, its just where ever he fancies.... i'm worried that he might get too cold and was thinking about getting a heated mat for under his substrate, what do you think ?

Just to complicate things, this morning he was awake at 6.45...

Thanks for checking up on him, i keep thinking that this time next year he will be snuggled up and fast a sleep ( assuming he stays healthy) and i will miss him so much.... i will be a nervous wreck.

Look forward to hearing what you think about the mat

Bye for now

Debs 

Hi Debi

My hermanns tend to just go to sleep where-ever, they dont seem to have a 'bed area' that they prefer either!  If Mr Brown is still in your kitchen, I wouldnt bother with a heat mat, keeping them too warm overnight can cause problems too.

Dont worry about next year, there are lots of people here who will help you both through the process :)

Arlene

Thanks, i didn't know keeping them too warm might have it's own problems, so i won't bother with a mat.

I have a few photos of my little fellow so i'm gonna have a try and put them on the gallery, but don't hold your breath, me & technology do not mix....

Thanks again

Debs 

Hi Debs

If you don't manage to upload your photos give a shout and I'll be happy to talk you through it.

Helen

Thanks Helen, i think i know how to do it now but will have to give it a try on my home computer, i usually log on at work but i had better do the uploading at home... so as soon as i get a spare moment ....... which will probably be in 2010..lol... i will give it a go.

thanks again