Tom and Tiny are on week three of wind down. I have been bathing them three times a week, but neither of them have poo'd at all whilst in the bath.

So I have had another read of the wind down posts by Julia and Dawn, and think I may have been doing things wrong. I have been slowly reducing their heat/uv, and we are now down to 4 hours a day. However there is no mention of reducing the temperature in the posts. I have been raising their light slightly so that the shed isn't quite so warm for them, but in doing this, I now realise I have taken away their basking spot, which I know would make them more active and probably more likely to poo.

My question is, what do I do now? The shed is currently has an ambient temperature of around 15 degrees. Do I need to give them their basking spot back? Only I think this will make them more active again. Do I have to stop wind down and start it again in another couple of weeks or so? I really am not sure what to do now. If they had poo'd I wouldn't be too concerned, as that would show that the last of their food is passing through them.

Gail
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It may be that they have poo'd and in their house and you just haven't noticed it? Not all mine poo in the bath. As for temps, I don't reduce the heat just the length of time the heat is on, the last week before hibernation I turn heat lamp off so they just have room temp/background heat if outside - mine didn't have anything as temps were still in the mid teens and have only really dropped down to 10 degrees in the last couple of days!

So do I need to lower their lamp again and give them back the basking spot? Will this confuse them if it suddenly becomes warmer for them? We begin our final week on Sunday.

Gail
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Hi Gail, I've noticed mine have poo'd in their house where they sleep , mucky pups! Lol. So I'm thinking the same as Dawn. They may have poo'd in theirs.

I also leave my lights in the same place, just alter the length of time they are on for

Mind you , saying that mine have hardly been under their lamp this week?!?
Should I be worried ?

If it was me , I would lower it but see what others say.
Even in the wild you can get some warmer days than others, while they are winding down.

Personally I wouldn't bother putting the lamp back on, chances are they have emptied their guts now.... as for temps, some of mine went down at beginning of October when we had that really hot week, and have stayed buried despite the heat lamp being on in their house.....

I bathed them both tonight, but to be honest Tom was asleep when I got him out, so not sure I should still be bathing him or just leaving him. He hadn't moved for a couple of days. Tiny was still awake and looking confused about the lack of warmth and food. I hate wind down.

Gail
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I think sometimes we worry too much about them.... I was talking to a parent at work the other day and she said that she had in her family an 80yr old tortoise (that had been in the family since it was a baby) and he basically lives in the garden - from the description it sounds like either a hermanns or spur thigh (or similar) and they have never done 'wind down' with him, he lives 'free' in their garden, doesn't have additional heat, comes and goes in the greenhouse for shelter, lives on the fat of the land with a few extra 'bits n pieces' chucked down occasionally, he has never been bathed, he hibernates himself in the winter and wakes himself in the spring and by all accounts has a lovely smooth shell!!!!!!!

She was absolutely gobsmacked when I told her how most torts are kept today!!! She asked if she should change her ways....my answer???? If it aint broke, why fix it!!!!!! I think the fact the old boy is 80 ish says it all really!

So that blows out everything out the water...huh!!???

He sounds like a lovely old man

I think we worry too much.
Hence why I said yes to moving the light back. Because I know if I didn't, I'd worry myself silly but that's me! Lol