Hello everyone

[healingTortz]

Nice to meet all of you! I’ve been in love with reptiles since I was a child, I just recently got into raising tortoises. My names Daws, and my best friend here is Penelope! Many people hate her because she’s a petsmart tortoise, I didn’t want to do it but I went it there to buy some Guinea pig food and met her and it was love at first sight. I hope this community is active, we have been having an issue, she’s become iLL
She barely eats, she has become weaker, and she sleeps and weezes alot, I took her to our vet and they gave me oral meds, she won’t take them. They also recommended specific brand bulbs and bedding. I got all those but she still isn’t eating ALOT, and idk how to force her to take this medicine without her hating me, also, she’s shedding ALOT more then usual. Any tips?

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Hello Daw's & Penelope, Welcome to TFO (Tortoise Forum)
Can you post some pictures of Penelope's enclosure?
How Long have you had her, How old is she?
Hating you? . . . I don't know if they feel that emotion, and as with human kids, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, to help them.
Are you soaking her? how often and how long?
What are the temps & humidity in her enclosure?
Is it a open or closed enclosure?

You have come to the right place, as there is a LOT of misinformation on the web, and provided by pet shops.
Many of the folks here have years of experience raising & caring for Tort's & Turtles,
and know far more than myself. I'm learning new stuff every day.
@Tom , @wellington, @Yvonne G , hopefully will chime in with additional help

 

[Ray--Opo]

Nice to meet all of you! I’ve been in love with reptiles since I was a child, I just recently got into raising tortoises. My names Daws, and my best friend here is Penelope! Many people hate her because she’s a petsmart tortoise, I didn’t want to do it but I went it there to buy some Guinea pig food and met her and it was love at first sight. I hope this community is active, we have been having an issue, she’s become iLL
She barely eats, she has become weaker, and she sleeps and weezes alot, I took her to our vet and they gave me oral meds, she won’t take them. They also recommended specific brand bulbs and bedding. I got all those but she still isn’t eating ALOT, and idk how to force her to take this medicine without her hating me, also, she’s shedding ALOT more then usual. Any tips?
View attachment 346418

What type of oral meds. You can mix with something she likes to eat. I use mazuri tortoise diet. Also one of Opo's favorite food is grated up squash. I just add the medicine to the squash.

 

[wellington]

We need all care info.
Size enclosure, temps over all, basking temp, night temps.
Diet, humidity, substrate, meds you are giving?
All this we need to help you.

 

[Melissaaburns7]

Nice to meet all of you! I’ve been in love with reptiles since I was a child, I just recently got into raising tortoises. My names Daws, and my best friend here is Penelope! Many people hate her because she’s a petsmart tortoise, I didn’t want to do it but I went it there to buy some Guinea pig food and met her and it was love at first sight. I hope this community is active, we have been having an issue, she’s become iLL
She barely eats, she has become weaker, and she sleeps and weezes alot, I took her to our vet and they gave me oral meds, she won’t take them. They also recommended specific brand bulbs and bedding. I got all those but she still isn’t eating ALOT, and idk how to force her to take this medicine without her hating me, also, she’s shedding ALOT more then usual. Any tips?
View attachment 346418

I will take her

 

[MenagerieGrl]

Um, I don't think the op, @healingTortz is looking to re-home her. He's is just looking for advice.

 

[TammyJ]

Hey there and welcome! Just provide all the details asked for and you will get the best possible help and advice!

 

[healingTortz]

What type of oral meds. You can mix with something she likes to eat. I use mazuri tortoise diet. Also one of Opo's favorite food is grated up squash. I just add the medicine to the squash.

 

[healingTortz]

It’s baytril in a syringe. I finally got her to eat a little bit after putting it on a dandelion. I try to only use fresh washed plants for her diet unless it’s electrolytes or appetite stimulators

 

[healingTortz]

Um, I don't think the op, @healingTortz is looking to re-home her. He's is just looking for advice.

Lol nope she’s not for sale !! I’ve literally been evicted because of her before, we’re stuck together

 

[healingTortz]

I will take her

Hmmm I think I will pass

 

[healingTortz]

We need all care info.
Size enclosure, temps over all, basking temp, night temps.
Diet, humidity, substrate, meds you are giving?
All this we need to help you.

Her enclosure is a 75 “gallon” wooden enclosure from Amazon, her substrate is coconut fiber. She has two hides, a soaking dish, and I only feed her vegetables like broccoli and carrots and weeds like clovers and dandelions (thoroughly washed) sometimes I’ll give her a grape or apple slice, the vet prescribed oral baytril in a feeding syringe

 

[healingTortz]

We need all care info.
Size enclosure, temps over all, basking temp, night temps.
Diet, humidity, substrate, meds you are giving?
All this we need to help you.

Also her basking light in a 60w Uv bulb. I keep it on all day from around 7am to midnight, then just turn it off at night. Should I be doing something different?

 

[wellington]

Her enclosure is a 75 “gallon” wooden enclosure from Amazon, her substrate is coconut fiber. She has two hides, a soaking dish, and I only feed her vegetables like broccoli and carrots and weeds like clovers and dandelions (thoroughly washed) sometimes I’ll give her a grape or apple slice, the vet prescribed oral baytril in a feeding syringe

Stop feeding the fruit. They can't handle it and it messes with their gut. Broccoli and carrots are okay once in a while not daily. The diet needs improving. Broad leafy weeds/greens.
The light should be on like a normal day. Not from 7 to midnight. Think of them in the wild with natural sunlight. 12 hours of light is enough.
She needs a 4x8 foot minimum enclosure. Again, in the wild they roam a big territory. An outside enclosure for warm weather is even better.

 

[TammyJ]

Make sure that she is kept warm, what's the temperature and humidity levels? Maybe this is the problem. Is your veterinarian a tortoise vet?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Dawz, and welcome to the Forum!

The most common cause for a tortoise to stop eating is because it isn't warm enough. Have you measured the temperature at ground level all over the floor of her enclosure? You may have to rig up some sort of framework so you can drape a sheet of plastic over the enclosure to keep the warm air in and the cooler air from your house out.

Soak the tortoise for a half hour or more daily in 50% Gerber strained carrots/50% warm water mixture. This usually gets them to start eating again in about three days.

Another reason the stop eating is because they've been moved away from the "territory" they had gotten used to (Petsmart) and into a new territory. Once she realizes she's safe and food is provided, she'll start eating again. They usually eat like crazy when you first bring them home, then it dawns on them they're not going back to where they belong (Petsmart) and they just hide in a corner.

Unless your vet took a smear to look at under the microscope, I wouldn't give the Baytril. If you don't see any symptoms of respiratory infection why give an antibiotic?

The type of food you're offering might be suspect too. Russian tortoises are browsers. They eat broad leaf weeds and plants, not veggies. So she may not recognize brocolli, carrots, grapes and apples as something to eat. See if you can find a store that sells Santa Barbara bagged salad mix. It contains endive, escarole and radicchio. Really good stuff for tortoises. In a pinch you can also buy Spring Mix bagged salad. There's also turnip greens, romaine, collard - any type of greens you can find in the produce section. If you have access to plants outside, look for grape leaves, mulberry leaves, pansies, hosta, etc.