# how can I force feed a tortoise



## HorsesAreMyPassion (Oct 24, 2015)

my turtle wont eat and hasnt for the past week and a half im rehabilitating him and he has a crack is his shell will he be okay.and im not realkynsure what kind of turtle he is


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## wellington (Oct 24, 2015)

Hello and Welcome. We need more info please. Kind of turtle, enclosure, heat, temps, basking temp, food. All this will help us help you.


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## Morob7 (Oct 24, 2015)

If you do not know the type of turtle, perhaps with a couple of pictures someone can identify it for you. It may help to know what you have offered as food, where you got it and in what type of habitat it is living.


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## Yvonne G (Oct 24, 2015)

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

I love horses too.

From what little I can see of your tortoise (not turtle), it might be a Manouria, a Greek, a Gopherus. And all of these take different care. Please post pictures top and bottom, front and back of your tortoise and we'll be better able to let you know if he's trying to hibernate or if there's something else wrong.

(that crack doesn't look bad to me)


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## Yvonne G (Oct 24, 2015)

...I forgot to address your question. DO NOT TRY TO FORCE FEED THIS ANIMAL!!! You might cause irreparable harm. If he's trying to hibernate, he needs to clean out his digestive tract. So, pictures please.


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## Tom (Oct 24, 2015)

Yvonne hit the nail on the head.

We need to know what species we are dealing with and what is going on.

Rare is the case where force feeding a tortoise is the right course of action.


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## HorsesAreMyPassion (Oct 24, 2015)

He has free range of my living room all wires are concealed and has access to food and water his basking area is 87 degrees and he eats kale romain lettuce carrots and a lot of other greens I live in Florida and I believe it's a he because his bottom shell has an indented shape


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## HorsesAreMyPassion (Oct 24, 2015)

I did some research I think he's a gopher tortoise am I right


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## meech008 (Oct 24, 2015)

Hi there! My experience is pretty much just limited to my own personal Russian tort but I do know one universal thing for all tortoises is that they should have their own enclosure  I'm sure Tom and Yvonne can give you more information on how to house that species, if that's what it is. It's a dangerous practice to let torts roam your house because the likely hood of injury is very very high. I remember reading one thread about a member who always supervised her tort very well and then discovered that he had swallowed a needle. They can eat things you don't even notice are there so fast! Plus with his own enclosure he will be much happier and feel much more secure. Hopefully someone can come on here and help you determine what tort you have so you can have a good start  welcome to the forum!


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## ZEROPILOT (Oct 24, 2015)

I'm also in Florida.
If it is a Gopher, you might want to reconsider keeping or even handling it.
Unfortunately builders can pay a fee and put a condo right on top of a tortoise colony, but we can NOT interfere with or possess one.
I'd place him back where he was found or as nearby as you can.


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## HorsesAreMyPassion (Oct 24, 2015)

I have a license to keep and rehabilitate endangered animals so Odontoceti have to worry about putting him back and I have two living rooms the one he is in is strictly for my tortoises it is like one big enclosure


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## meech008 (Oct 24, 2015)

HorsesAreMyPassion said:


> I have a license to keep and rehabilitate endangered animals so Odontoceti have to worry about putting him back and I have two living rooms the one he is in is strictly for my tortoises it is like one big enclosure


Do they have any substrate to burrow in? What about a hide? Do you house multiple species of tortoises together?


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## Yvonne G (Oct 24, 2015)

Yes, that is a protected gopher tortoise. The 'weather' inside your house is not correct for him. He needs to be outdoors where he can tell that it's still warm and the days are still long. If you can't keep him outdoors, then he will need to be set up in a large tub or enclosure where you can have the light on for 14 hours a day and have his overall temperature in the habitat 85F or so. They need to be able to keep their core temp up in the 80's or they can't digest their food. He's not eating for two reasons - he's not warm enough (because of living in the house and not in a dedicated habitat), and he's trying to clean out his digestive tract prior to hibernating.

You may think your house is warm enough, but if you remove your clothes and lay down on the floor - the same floor he's laying on - you'll soon realize it's pretty cool down there. Not being under his light all the time, his inner core soon cools and he stops eating.


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## HorsesAreMyPassion (Oct 24, 2015)

My house is 79 degrees and he has multiple lights around and the room he's in is 86 degrees he also has 24/7 access to a 12 x 12 outdoor space that has his burro in it he isn't old either so Maybe it is the hibernation and the coolest spot in his enclosure is around 78-80 witch is near his water and also were my dining room connects to his space and the room he is in is 27 x 18


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## Yvonne G (Oct 24, 2015)

You keep arguing with me. I have over 35 years of experience in tortoise rescue. I know what I'm talking about. Rather than continuing to argue the point that he's warm enough, do as I suggested, remove your clothes and lay on the floor - not under a light - and see how long it takes you to get cold. Your inner core temp is 98.6F degrees. You are able to make that temperature yourself. You need that temperature to be healthy. Your tortoise is cold blooded. He also has to have a high inner core temp and he doesn't generate his own warmth. Being in a room that's 79F degrees doesn't begin to bring up his inner core to where it needs to be. Even 86F degrees doesn't do it. Even if you do it to prove me wrong, please, for your tortoise's sake, do it; lay on the floor naked and see how long it takes you to realize you're getting cold.


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## GotTort (Oct 24, 2015)

Does he look dry? What is his access to water? Do you soak him? That can help keep a tort hydrated.


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## HorsesAreMyPassion (Oct 24, 2015)

I'm sorry if I came off rude I didn't mean it to look like I was arguing but I took your advice the entrance to his outdoor area I connect an enclosure to it so he is still inside and can go out side his basking area is 98 and his cool area and near his water is about 88-90 how long do you think it will take for him to start eating again


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## HorsesAreMyPassion (Oct 24, 2015)

He has 24/7 access to water I soak him 2 times a week and since I found him and I'm rehabilitating I don't know his past and he could of had a really harsh life


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## Yvonne G (Oct 24, 2015)

It takes a while for them to really get warmed up. Make sure that you keep his "summer time" days, by keeping his light on for at least 14 hours a day. This way, hopefully, he'll think it's still summertime and not time to wind down for winter. Once he gets warm and you fool him into thinking it's still summer, maybe a week or two, he'll start eating again.


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## Prairie Mom (Oct 25, 2015)

HorsesAreMyPassion said:


> He has 24/7 access to water I soak him 2 times a week and since I found him and I'm rehabilitating I don't know his past and he could of had a really harsh life


Hello 
I also have a foundling tortoise that I love dearly. Since my tortoise is African, I know that I found an abandoned or unclaimed lost pet.

I was curious how long you've had this tortoise and what circumstances made you feel he needed rehabilitation?


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## HorsesAreMyPassion (Oct 25, 2015)

Yvonne G said:


> It takes a while for them to really get warmed up. Make sure that you keep his "summer time" days, by keeping his light on for at least 14 hours a day. This way, hopefully, he'll think it's still summertime and not time to wind down for winter. Once he gets warm and you fool him into thinking it's still summer, maybe a week or two, he'll start eating again.


Thank you I have one more thing I forgot to ask is that also the reason that


Prairie Mom said:


> Hello
> I also have a foundling tortoise that I love dearly. Since my tortoise is African, I know that I found an abandoned or unclaimed lost pet.
> 
> I was curious how long you've had this tortoise and what circumstances made you feel he needed rehabilitation?


He looked very dry and the crack in his shell and when I found him some kids had him on his back and were messing with him but he was taken earlier today by a Wildlife sanctuary because I believed he should have someone rehabilitate him that has more experience with tortoises I'm more of a mamal person but they called and told me he had swallowed a rock and that's why he wasn't eating but other than that he's healthy for the most part and his crack isn't major just a little bit of some cream that I don't remember the name of and he should be fine and I've had him for about 3 weeks


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## Yvonne G (Oct 25, 2015)

So are you saying that the tortoise is now in the hands of a wildlife sanctuary (its a little hard to understand with no punctuation, sorry)? I doubt he swallowed a rock. Probably what happened is that he has developed a bladder or kidney stone. Many Gopherus tortoises die from this malady...other tortoises too, but mainly the Gopherus species. They're in so much pain from the stone blocking the passages, that they just stop eating.


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## AnimalLady (Oct 26, 2015)

Oh poor baby! So, do you still have him or did the WIldlife Sanct come get him?

He needs to be outdoors, really....Hes a native to Florida and needs to be outside!


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