Forstenii

[juli11]

So ca. 1,5 moth ago I got a cb female forstenii. She is ca 7 years old. She lives the hole 7 years by my friend. Now I get her. She isn't eating.. Only drinking some times. She sits the hole day under the heating with close eyes. I don't know what's wrong.. 1 hour ago I make a quarantine enclosure. So she has a higher humidity and I can watch her better. Is that normal for forstenii that they need a long time to "arrive"?

 

[Yvonne G]

It sounds like your new tortoise would benefit from the baby food soaks. Place a jar of Gerber strained carrots in a small tub with a small foot print, but tall sides so it can't climb out. Add a little warm water so the liquid comes up to the middle of the tortoise's sides. Leave the tortoise in there for about a half hour, and do this every day.

Ask the previous owner what they have been feeding the tortoise and offer these food items to the tortoise. Sometimes a tortoise doesn't recognize new food as "food."

I copied this off the WCT web site:

Diet
I. forstenii are omnivorous, consuming both animal and plant material in the wild. In captivity this may be duplicated by feeding a very minimal amount of low fat dog food or whole prey item twice a month. Meat should NOT be fed as a part of the daily diet. Occasional earthworms and other insects will be very much appreciated. They will also naturally forage for insects in their outdoor habitats. We have found that I. forstenii thrive on a diet supplemented with Mazuri Tortoise Diet. Wild caught animals will actively seek out yellow foods such as corn and squash which can be utilized to switch the animals over to the following diet.

The diet offered should consist of:
Mazuri tortoise diet
Leafy greens (dandelions, clover, endive etc.)
Fruits
OCCASIONAL minimal meat based protein.
Diets rich in meats are invariably high in phosphates and low in calcium. This can cause serious problems for tortoises which need high levels of calcium for healthy bone and carapace development. Additional calcium supplementation is therefore highly recommended. For proper growth as well as egg production, powdered calcium can be sprinkled on all foods once a week to help meet these requirements. It is suggested that one use calcium supplemented with vitamin D3 if the animal is being maintained indoors and calcium without D3 if it is outdoors. Provision of a cuttlefish bone, which can be gnawed for it's calcium content as well as for proper beak growth, is also recommended. Usage of whole prey items as an OCCASIONAL protein source has the added benefit of providing bone for calcium as well as various vitamins and minerals in the gastrointestinal tract of the prey.

 

[juli11]

Okay thanks. I'll try the warm bad. By my nougeiy I do it too and after a few repetitions they start eating..
I feed everything rats mouses worms banana tomato( one time she eats the tomato) salat carrots..
So at the moment the quarantine terra is very wet tomorrow and warm tomorrow I will try to feet again..

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She takes her first bad in normal water after one hour.. Good

 

[FLINTUS]

Pics aren't opening for me. But have you tried mushrooms-especially the smelly ones like s hitake-sorry have to write it like that as otherwise the forum thinks I'm swearing ? I don't know a forest tortoise that doesn't like them.

 

[tortadise]

Does that terrarium have ventilation? May be too hot. Also forstenii need many places to hide I would place a good couple hides in there. A good set up will make the animal feel secure. If she doesn't eat after being set up properly then you should worry. But right she appears to be very stressed in that environment. They also dont like bright light either.

 

[juli11]

This terra is only for a short time. The terra has some points where fresh air can come in. The lighting isn't so heavy you're right. But at the moment it is evening and the light doesn't shine in my room.. I feed her mushrooms too.
That's the first thing I feed by new tortoises. My lobatsiana eats mushrooms 1 day after arriving mushrooms. So I have to look I will tell what happen ;-)

 

[FLINTUS]

Try the more 'exotic' mushrooms to bring her out. My other suggestions for food would be papaya and if you're trying to get her something green to eat, bamboo. If all else fails I'd be tempted to try sugar cane, the Aldabra's in Mauritius were fed it constantly and did really well, and the sweet taste might lure her out.
Any news on the warm baths? Closed eyes can often be a sign of dehydration. What are the temperatures in the terrarium?
I would also try placing leaf litter in there for her to bury into. Forest tortoises always get so much less stressed when they have it.

 

[juli11]

Ok thanks. At the moment I only feed champignons and austernmushrooms (don't know the English word)
Yes tomorrow I will do everything. I will feed some new fruits and the warm bad.
I will let you know what happen.

 

[Benjamin]

How is the tortoise doing?

 

[juli11]

Hi,

Sorry I forgot to reply to the forum. I was ill :-(. Because of that I didn't make a warm bath. Tomorrow. I only feed different foods. Now I try apples and other kind of mushrooms. No tortoise answer.. Humidity 90-95% 27C.
I don't know. Maybe tomorrow. Eyes are open the most time. But she doesn't move so much.

 

[Benjamin]

Test for protozoa and amoeba as soon as possible, this species is very prone to them. It will kill them. Temps 84-86F day, 78-80F night, humidity at 90-95% could be too high depending on how you implement.

Cooked sweat potato, carrot or most any squash served warm. No bright light, indirect lighting is best in your case.

What is her straight line carapace length and weight?

 

[juli11]

Ok thanks. What's Protozoa?
Tomorrow I will test the new food. What's a better humidity? I don't have bright light. More dark light.. :-D so in the terra isn't a bright light.

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The measures I will post tomorrow together with new pictures

 

[juli11]

Update!

One moth later without eating I sent her to the animal doctor in Munich (ca. 600km away from me). I sent her this long way because she is the really professional reptile doctor in Germany - I think-. So she arrived one week ago. After the first look from the doctor we know that she has oxyure. The doctor doesn't know how much these parasites destroyed in her body. So I have to wait. These parasites came from the first owner. Normally he dewormed all of his animal every year but these year he didn't because of the fast wether change. So that he didn't dewormed and the stress she gets from the house moving are the reason for the propagation of the oxyuren. I will keep you inform about the next steps and what happen.