Baby Cherry Head stopped eating

[LilCherryHEAD]

Hey everyone,

So after months of research and going back and forth I finally got a baby Cherry Head tort. He arrived much smaller than expected but I felt I would still be able to give him proper care. Ive had him for about a month now and everything was great until 5 days ago he stopped eating. I cannot figure out why. He is kept in a 4’x 2’ enclosure with cypress mulch as the bedding. I keep a water dish for him to drink and food available at all times. Ive been giving papaya, mango, dandelion and mustard greens. The enclosure is kept between 80 on the cool side and 90-95 on the warm, heat is supplied by a CHE and the enclosure is lit dimly by a UVB tube light and another dim tube light. Humidity is kept at 80% or higher buy a humidifier I piped into the enclosure. I soak him every day and feed protein in the form of boiled shrimp once a week.

I feel like Im doing everything exactly by the book and I am at a loss. I do not want to lose this guy so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[LilCherryHEAD]

 

[LilCherryHEAD]

 

[yaycolin]

View attachment 306028

Are the lights sitting directly on the glass? The glass is filtering out all of the UV light. If that black dome is housing your CHE, and it is sitting directly on the glass, then most of that heat is probably not getting into the enclosure. Also, a fogger is not the best form of humidity.

 

[LilCherryHEAD]

Thanks for your reply, you’re absolutely right about the uv not getting through the glass, cant believe I missed that. I Immediately fixed the problem and fitted the fixture inside the enclosure. As for the heat, it certainly passes through the glass I have three electric temp probes inside the enclosure. Directly under the CHE the temp of the bedding is a constant 102.

Quite literally 3 minutes after I put the UBV light under the glass the little guy came out of hiding and has been sitting under it.

Are there any serious concerns with the fogger?

Hopefully he eats soon.

 

[vei489]

Are the lights sitting directly on the glass? The glass is filtering out all of the UV light. If that black dome is housing your CHE, and it is sitting directly on the glass, then most of that heat is probably not getting into the enclosure. Also, a fogger is not the best form of humidity.

Yaycolun- Why is a fogger not the best form of humidity?

 

[Blackdog1714]

Yaycolun- Why is a fogger not the best form of humidity?

It introduces cold wet air into the lungs which is especially for bad HUmans ---Breathing in cold humid air leads to effect of supersaturation and liqiufication of water vapor in the airways. With a closed chamber just adding hot water to the substrate should easily maintain the humidity needed.

 

[vei489]

It introduces cold wet air into the lungs which is especially for bad HUmans ---Breathing in cold humid air leads to effect of supersaturation and liqiufication of water vapor in the airways. With a closed chamber just adding hot water to the substrate should easily maintain the humidity needed.

Thanks for that. I have mine on a timer and it doesn't stay on long.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Thanks for your reply, you’re absolutely right about the uv not getting through the glass, cant believe I missed that. I Immediately fixed the problem and fitted the fixture inside the enclosure. As for the heat, it certainly passes through the glass I have three electric temp probes inside the enclosure. Directly under the CHE the temp of the bedding is a constant 102.

Quite literally 3 minutes after I put the UBV light under the glass the little guy came out of hiding and has been sitting under it.

Are there any serious concerns with the fogger?

Hopefully he eats soon.

102° would kill a Redfoot in short order.
A hot side and cool side is not needed.
An all over AMBIENT temperature of 80 to 86 is needed. With 82 being petfect. In my opinion.
High temperatures will make him uncomfortable and low temperatures will make food digestion impossible.
Daily soaks may help things.