Advice please (not eating)

[ustwoandthekids]

Hi I got my tortoise about 4 days ago its a marginata tortoise born 2011 so still quite small, anyway since I have had it, it's only had a couple of mouth fulls of food, I know it's only little but I would of thought it would be eating more by now. I have been keeping it on the same food it was already on til it settled but is there anyway I can in courage it?

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: Advice please

We get this a lot here on the forum. The most usual reason being the baby isn't warm enough. Can you tell us a bit about how you have the baby's habitat set up and what lights/heat you are using?

Also, it sometimes takes a week or more for new tortoises to acclimate.

 

[ustwoandthekids]

Thanks for your reply. I have it in a tortoise table indoors, I have a lamp which is a reptile one that's meant to do both the heat and the day light it's 50watts, he doesn't seem to go under it very much so I often put him under myself. The light is on all day and goes off when I go to bed normally only off for max of 7 hours at night, house is still warm over night. I do have separate basking lamp and day light if that would be better? using the mixed one as that's what the pet shop recommended. Food at the moment one day curly kale and next day pellets as this is what he's was on before didnt want to change til he's settled

 

[Yvonne G]

50 watts is not very strong. I use a 100watt bulb. Have you measured the temperatures all over the floor of the habitat? You want it to be at least 100F directly under the light, going to around 80-85F on one end and room temp, but not cooler than 70F on the other end of the table. You may have to move your heat sources down closer to the floor of the habitat, and maybe even cover or partially cover it.

 

[ustwoandthekids]

I just checked the temp down the warm end and I think it's to high it's saying 95f so I think he's not going under it cause its too low down so getting to warm so he's staying down the cool end, so you may be right he's may not be warm enough just highed the lamp so fingered cross he will start going under it and hopefully will help

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Send that message before saw your reply I thought it had to be at around 80f, it's at around 95f

 

[Kerryann]

Have you tried soaking him? My marginated gets really hungry after a good soaking. I usually soak him in warm water for about 20 minutes and he drinks a lot during his soaks and daily too.

 

[ustwoandthekids]

He is now eating well the morning after I put this on here he decided that he would become very lively, he had a good explore of his tortoises table, had a drink had another good walk around, then went under his lamp, then ate loads and then tried to climb I was so happy as was really getting worried. He had a nice soak today which he seemed to enjoy

 

[ustwoandthekids]

Hi again, humbug seems to being doing quite well does worry me as does sleep a lot am guessing because still young, as when wide awake is quite active, he's not poo yet, last time poo was in the box when bringing home about a week ago, so am daily bathing but worry about temp of bath as don't want to be too warm or too cool, very worrying all this tortoise stuff but want to make sure I get it right x

 

[Kerryann]

Hi again, humbug seems to being doing quite well does worry me as does sleep a lot am guessing because still young, as when wide awake is quite active, he's not poo yet, last time poo was in the box when bringing home about a week ago, so am daily bathing but worry about temp of bath as don't want to be too warm or too cool, very worrying all this tortoise stuff but want to make sure I get it right x

My marginated does what we call ninja pooing. I'm not sure if he eats it or hides it but he doesn't need as much poop cleaned out of his cage. I have had him for almost a year and that also worried me at first. He also rarely poops in his soak whereas my Russian poops every time at least twice. He is very healthy and eats well.

 

[ustwoandthekids]

Thanks for your reply will try not to worry to much yet

 

[Kerryann]

If he/she is eating well and is healthy I would only marginally worry about it.. It was a huge worry for me when I first got my Henry.