baby cherryhead help?

[cherryheadlife]

I just put my baby tortoise in his new habitat about 1 hour ago and he isnt eating or drinking at all, he stays in a corner farthest away from the uv bulb. When you pick him up he closes his eyes and his head does this slow bobbing thing. Im nervous and paranoid because im new to tortoises and reptiles in general. Plus, i ordered it from a site with mostly bad reviews but I didnt know about the site until after I ordered it.

 

[Gillian M]

Welcome to the forum! Dont worry, dont panic....dont forget your tort is in a new place a new environment: it takes torts time to adapt, When I got my beloved Greek tort (just over 3 years ago) I had almost your same feeling, till I made a lot of reseach and later joined this forum. Here, I can assure you one can get the help one needs as a beginner. So dont worry,and good luck. (I'd love to see a photo of your tort.

 

[cherryheadlife]

 

[cherryheadlife]

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

i would change the water bowl, its a flip hazard. use one of these water bowls also maybe put some plants in his enclosure for him to eat and hide in.

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

the tort isn't moving because he is just getting use to his new environment, nothing to really worry about

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

what are his cage temps and humidity levels?

 

[Gillian M]

That's so.....cute. Take good care of it and keep in mind that torts must see light, sun, and are to be soaked warm water. I soak my beloved tort daily. Take care now that Winter is near and please keep us updated.

 

[Gillian M]

the tort isn't moving because he is just getting use to his new environment, nothing to really worry about

Hi! That's exactly what I think. I told Cherryheadlife that torts need time to adapt.

 

[cherryheadlife]

Thanks for the advice! Im not sure about the temps yet, im going to finish getting everything he needs tomorrow.

 

[stojanovski92113]

Hi there what a beautiful cherry head you have there! Just give your little guy some time to adjust to his new home & he will come around. It's very important that you give him soaks in lukewarm water and change his water dish immediately as that one you have is not safe for your tort and put a saucer for a water dish buried into the substrate so it is easy for him to climb into & out of, it will be so much safer for your tortoise!! What kind of light are you using? A coil bulb, a mercury vapor bulb?

 

[DobbyRed]

I have three Reds and the last one I got, it took him 3 weeks to get comfortable in his habitat. Just give plenty of warm soaks and a good varity of foods. He will start being a good tort soon.

 

[kathyth]

You should research Turtletary.com Redfoot Caresheet and The Tortoise Library on line.
It's very important to maintain proper temps and humidity throughout the entire environment.
Very cute baby!

 

[Michael in MO]

looks like a beaut, yeah the water dish is not ideal if you think you'd be able to soak your tort an hour after the light turns on and again 2 hours before the light turns off.. I'd pull the dish. It looks like it takes up 1/4 of the enclosure.. let your baby acclimate, make sure it's warm and your light is on a 12 hour cycle.. or it gets light that long even if it's just room light as long as the enclosure is kept warm..

 

[tortdad]

The head pumping is completely normal. His lungs are located in the top portion of his shell and torts don't have a diaphragm mussel to move air in and out like we do so the do the head bob, pump there front legs In and out, and swell there throats like a frog (all normal breathing).

What kind of bulb do you have? Spend $10 and get this to monitor the temps and humidity levels. Keeping the correct temp and humidity is a life and death matter for him.
http://m.homedepot.com/p/AcuRite-Di...mperature-Comfort-Monitor-00619HDSB/202260980



0.0.1 Redfoot (Spike)
0.0.1 Cherryhead Redfoot (Bruce Wayne)
1.0 Sulcata (Hal Jordan)