HELP!! (baby won't eat, just sleeps)

[Jordan palmer]

Alright

 

[Jordan palmer]

And also me soaking my baby will make her start to wake up and start eating? my table is all at the right temperature around

 

[Yvonne G]

Jordan: Soaking the baby daily will get its eyes open, however, if you don't have the habitat set up properly, his eyes will soon stick shut again. Everything has to be right for a baby to thrive. It's very important for you to read that baby russian care sheet and make the necessary adjustments to your habitat and care.

Also, if you're using one of those coil-shaped UVB lights, turn it off immediately and buy a different kind of UVB light. the coil-shaped bulbs harm baby tortoises' eyes.

 

[Jordan palmer]

I do not have a coiled light and I have read through it and I am doing everything right

 

[Jordan palmer]

I do not have a coiled light and I have read through it and I am doing everything right

 

[hmtrushell]

I have seen tortoise eyes shut like that due to a vitamin A deficiency. It could also be an eye infection.

 

[Magilla504]

Jordan,
Keep your habitat set up correct. Do what Yvonne and the care sheet says. Then....use patience! Think about it this for a minute. When or if you get sick and go to a doctor. Do you instantly feel all better when you walk out of their office? Of course not. Treatments and/or medications take time to work. Caring for a hatchling is ALOT more detailed and unforgiving than caring for an adult. Just like a human baby, they are much more fragile. So keep following the directions everyone is giving you and don't let yourself become discouraged or impatient.

Good luck friend !

 

[Jordan palmer]

I have done everything in the care sheet it's starting to frustrate me and I am worried I have done everything everyone has told me to do I am caring for her properly I know I am

 

[Jordan palmer]

I am trying not to get impatient I am just worrying sick that she will die

 

[Tom]

Coco coir, also called, Eco-Earth and Bed-A-Beast, works best for baby russians. Dry wood chips are probably leaving him all dried out. Babies need daily soaks to maintain good hydration. A damp substrate will help give him some needed humidity and a humid hide will help too.

What are you using for heating and lighting? What are you using for UV?

What are your four temps? Warm side, cool side, basking area and overnight low? How are you measuring those temps?

Read these:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Jordan palmer]

I have took her to the vet, they said that she is still very young and shouldn't been sold at her age and also she has swallow eyes and is very week so I have to bath her in warm water with these vitamin drops they have gave me she has just started opening one eye and I also have to mush up fruit and lay her in it

 

[Yvonne G]

Well, Jordan, it sounds like you've found a vet who knows a bit about tortoises. The vitamin water soaks should help. I wonder at him asking for the fruit though. Russian tortoises don't and shouldn't have fruit.

 

[Jordan palmer]

So what do you suppose they eat

 

[Yvonne G]

What? I thought you said you read the care sheet? Dark, leafy greens, plants and weeds. I'll copy/paste from the care sheet for you:

Diet:
Russian tortoises need broadleaf weeds. You will need to learn about the weeds near you and which ones are okay to feed or not. Pics can be posted here on the forum in the "Plant ID" section, or you can take samples to a local nursery. Look for dandelion, sow thistle, mallow, filaree, hawksbit, and many more. If you are not 100% sure that your source is free of pesticides and other chemicals, don't feed anything from there.
You can grow your own food too. Here is one of my favorites: http://www.tortoisesupply.com/TestudoMix
I also get lots of seeds here: http://www.groworganic.com
If you must use grocery store foods I like to favor spring mix, endive and escarole heavily. Also add in carrot tops, cilantro, mustard, turnip and collard greens, and lots of other leafy greens.
It is a good idea to add a product called "Salad Style" to grocery store greens to add some fiber: http://www.tortoisesupply.com/salad-style-food-topper/
This is a new food topper and I like it a lot so far: http://www.tortoisesupply.com/HerbalHay
You can also feed them grape, mulberry and hibiscus leaves, tender young spineless opuntia cactus pads, Mazuri tortoise chow and ZooMed Grassland tortoise food. Alternating and mixing up any of these foods will give your russian a good diet and meet its nutritional needs.

Supplements:
I like to have cuttle bone available for them to munch on at will. I also sprinkle some "MinerAll" on the babies food a couple of times a week and a reptile vitamin supplement once a week. I don't think adult males need any supplementation if they are getting a good varied diet, but I like to supplement egg laying females and babies with a pinch of calcium carbonate powder once or twice a week. I usually use either the ZooMed or RepCal brands.