My male pancake is not going to eat like he normally does. He just sleeps all day, if I put him in the food bowl he will eat, but he does not get up and go and eat like he normally does. Any idea why?
Eating Concerns
- Thread starter CourtneyG
- Start date
- Status
Have you checked to make sure your enclosure temps are spot on?
The cool side is in the 70s, warm side In the 80s to 90s and basking spot is 105. The temps have been stable since I got him almost a year ago.
There is a female in the tank and she is not acting any different.
What type of substrate are you using? what is the age of the tort? how long have you had this tort? how long have you had the female tort--did you have one first then introduce the other---how long did you wait to introduce them to one another? what does their diet consist of?
It is a mix of coconut coir and top soil. My male and female are wild caught, but I want to say maybe 6 or 7. I have had the female for about 6months. I introduced the female to the male, I had the male first. About a weeks time before I introduced them(no parasites and both are wild caught so I doubted there were diseases they both were not exposed to) Their diet is spring green mix with grassland tortoise food and mazuri mix spread over the leaves and the once weekly dusting of calcium powder.
sounds like a bullying issue. You need to separate the female and male into separate enclosures. The idea is nice that you want a new tort for a friend to the other, but tortoises don't like company. I would check again for parasites or any diseases, if they were out in the wild there is a good chance they have something. Sounds like your female is mean to the male and causing him to quit eating because of her presence. I guarantee as soon as you separate them, the male will eat when he learns he is on his one and the female can't interfere. Its in their best interest to not be kept together. If you can't afford a new enclosure I suggest finding a new home. Also, bullying isn't always seen to us, but rather is invisible to the eye. She showed her dominance in one way or another and the male has backed down and fears her. Give her a nice new home, keep him in his old one since thats where he was first, and let them live separately.
Pancakes are a community species. And my male has been eating fine for the time with the female being in his tank for almost half a year. I have been watching the tank and it looks like he is coming out to eat, but on an every other day bases. I am going to collect another fecal from on of the torts and see or parasites again, but I doubt there are any. I am also talking to my zoo vet friend today, so I will present this to him and see what he thinks.
I also do not suspect bullying at all, my male is actually the larger one and normally first to eat in the morning.
I also do not suspect bullying at all, my male is actually the larger one and normally first to eat in the morning.
Had a talk with my friend and he says pancake are notorious for getting a slight bit impacted and not wanting to eat then. Just have to soak him.
Was kinda the reason I was inquiring about substrate and diet
Soaks are a fantastic treatment....I don't know what the temps are outside where you live---but sometimes a nice sized soaking tub with warm water set outside with partial sun and partial shade can do wonders...the larger tub and the factor of outside will get a tort moving a bit--which is beneficial in getting the tort to exercise the poo on through....lol....Please keep us posted so we know all is aok too
A lot of people argue that the said species is used to being in packs or groups, all untrue. I really don't think you should keep them together. Still seems that bullying could be possible. Size doesnt matter either in bullying cases. You do what you want with your torts, but if problems persist then separate them and see if it helps.
He had a hug poo that was very grassy and he ate. It was very funny soaking him, he tried to escape through the handle gaps, and then he managed to scale the side of the plastic tub and almost got out. Man pancakes really can fly they are such masterful escape artist.
LOL....they are a flexible critter for sure....
- Status
Similar threads
- Trudy_the_tortoise
- Tortoise Health
