Russian Tortoise Eating

[Mr. Blueberry]

Hello All!
I'm new to the forum. We just got our Russian Tortoise a week ago. I know that the transition from pet store to home can be very stressful and can cause the little guys to lose their appetite. My tortoise has not been eating much if anything at all for the week. I've provided a variety of greens like dandelion, nastursium, mustard greens, plantains, and even dried and fresh flowers (all on the approved list). I've put in large chunks, cut up small, medium...I'm not sure what to do. He has mostly normal activity, he is digging, he does crawl up the sides of the enclosure sometimes. He can't get out. The temperature in the basking area is from 88 - 90 degrees. Humidity around 50%, in the cooler area it is around 72-75 degrees and humidity is around 60%. Could the temperatures be an issue?
Thank you for your thoughtful feedback.

 

[Tom]

Hello All!
I'm new to the forum. We just got our Russian Tortoise a week ago. I know that the transition from pet store to home can be very stressful and can cause the little guys to lose their appetite. My tortoise has not been eating much if anything at all for the week. I've provided a variety of greens like dandelion, nastursium, mustard greens, plantains, and even dried and fresh flowers (all on the approved list). I've put in large chunks, cut up small, medium...I'm not sure what to do. He has mostly normal activity, he is digging, he does crawl up the sides of the enclosure sometimes. He can't get out. The temperature in the basking area is from 88 - 90 degrees. Humidity around 50%, in the cooler area it is around 72-75 degrees and humidity is around 60%. Could the temperatures be an issue?
Thank you for your thoughtful feedback.

Hello and welcome!

What you are feeding him is ideal, but he has probably never seen any of that and has no idea what it is. New foods have to be introduced gradually over weeks or months. Check in with the seller and see what he was eating before. Probably lettuce. Mix in small amounts of these new food all chopped up and mixed in with the tortoise's old favorites.

What size is the enclosure? They need 4x8 feet as a minimum, but they are often restless even with a large enough enclosure.

Basking temperature should be around 100 directly under the flood bulb. 88-90 is a little too cool, but all else sounds good.

Are you soaking daily? Soaks will keep the tortoise hydrated while it's not eating much, and it helps keep the GI tract moving, which should increase appetite. Soak in warm water in a tall sided opaque tub for 30-40 minutes daily for a couple of weeks. Don't worry about it if the tortoise scrambles to get out the whole time. We call that the tortoise treadmill and its good exercise. All that locomotion also help keep the GI tract moving.

More here:

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[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Mr. Blueberry]

Hello and welcome!

What you are feeding him is ideal, but he has probably never seen any of that and has no idea what it is. New foods have to be introduced gradually over weeks or months. Check in with the seller and see what he was eating before. Probably lettuce. Mix in small amounts of these new food all chopped up and mixed in with the tortoise's old favorites.

What size is the enclosure? They need 4x8 feet as a minimum, but they are often restless even with a large enough enclosure.

Basking temperature should be around 100 directly under the flood bulb. 88-90 is a little too cool, but all else sounds good.

Are you soaking daily? Soaks will keep the tortoise hydrated while it's not eating much, and it helps keep the GI tract moving, which should increase appetite. Soak in warm water in a tall sided opaque tub for 30-40 minutes daily for a couple of weeks. Don't worry about it if the tortoise scrambles to get out the whole time. We call that the tortoise treadmill and its good exercise. All that locomotion also help keep the GI tract moving.

More here:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you so much! This is very helpful. I did soak him and he was very active, did poo a few times. I worried he was stressing himself out by constantly trying to climb out so it was only a 17 minute soak. I will do it again, I believe he ate a little the other day so things are starting to look up. We do need a larger enclosure. Good to hear the temp can be that high, we were worried we would cook him if it went above 99. Thank you again.

 

[Mr. Blueberry]

Thank you so much! This is very helpful. I did soak him and he was very active, did poo a few times. I worried he was stressing himself out by constantly trying to climb out so it was only a 17 minute soak. I will do it again, I believe he ate a little the other day so things are starting to look up. We do need a larger enclosure. Good to hear the temp can be that high, we were worried we would cook him if it went above 99. Thank you again.

 

[Sarah2020]

Thank you so much! This is very helpful. I did soak him and he was very active, did poo a few times. I worried he was stressing himself out by constantly trying to climb out so it was only a 17 minute soak. I will do it again, I believe he ate a little the other day so things are starting to look up. We do need a larger enclosure. Good to hear the temp can be that high, we were worried we would cook him if it went above 99. Thank you again.

Grat your doing soaks and good it poo'd. Make soaks regular are in place and add to your schedule. I soak my Russian AM. Over time you will see White blobs being discharged which is Urates. Initially they can be lumpy but over time they are more liquidity white due to hydration. I agree if not eating keep the soaks. Tortoise hate change so it will take time to bed in and get used to each other and the routine, food, water etc..... I get the clawing on the enclosure if you have a glass front tape up a few inches to avoid it seeing outside. They are escape artists so ensure anything you do is escape proof. Enjoy your new shelled warrior.