help with my baby cherry head

[gianni colameco]

i just got a new baby cherry head about a week ago, he will only take one or two bites of his food before he walks away, I've had tortoises my whole life and i know I'm feeding him the correct stuff i just don't kno why he's doing this. if i put him back on his food he will again take one or two bites and walk off know matter what it is , he spends most of his time buried under the substrate but when he is out he is active and clear eyed , please help with any info or thoughts

 

[naturalman91]

He needs time to acclimate to its new surroundings it can take awhile. But what are your temps and humidity?

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome

It is likely that your baby is frightened right now. You need start the day with a 20 minute soak in warm water, place food in the enclosure and then walk away and leave him to be brave and explore.

It is important you know the temperature in your enclosure. A cherryhead needs a closed chamber and a steady 80F day and night. What temperatures do you have?

It also needs high humidity. What humidity do you have. Is the enclosure covered?

Please post photos of your enclosure and lighting as these will help us to hell you. If you are using the android app, please note it has problems with photos right now and you will need to log into the website version of this site on your phone's browser to upload photos.
https://tortoiseforum.org/

 

[Anyfoot]

i just got a baby cherry head about a week ago, he will only take one or two bites of his food then walk off, if i put him back on his food he does the same thing one or two bites then walks off, i know i am feeding him the correct stuff he does it kno matter what the food is. also he spends most of his time buried entirely under the substrate but when he is out he's active and clear eyed, please help with suggestions

Can we see the enclosure please.

 

[LittleT]

Hi Gianni, I know this is an older post but we just got our new baby cherry head 9 days ago and our baby is acting just like how yours is described here! I'm wondering how long did it take for your baby tortoise to feel comfortable and start eating more and "hiding less"?

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Hi Gianni, I know this is an older post but we just got our new baby cherry head 9 days ago and our baby is acting just like how yours is described here! I'm wondering how long did it take for your baby tortoise to feel comfortable and start eating more and "hiding less"?

@LittleT I'm sure all tortoises differ but I can tell you it took every bit of a month for my RF to settle in, develop a routine, and begin to eat regularly. As long as you've seen your tort eating some I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[LittleT]

@LittleT I'm sure all tortoises differ but I can tell you it took every bit of a month for my RF to settle in, develop a routine, and begin to eat regularly. As long as you've seen your tort eating some I wouldn't worry too much.

thank you for the reassurance! my little guy actually slept OUTSIDE of his covered "cave" for the 1st time yesterday and I got to watch him sleep : ) he sure sleeps a lot! we fed him a small piece of salmon (~1/2"x<1/2" cooked) for some protein last week and that was the most he's eaten in one setting. otherwise he takes only a few bites of greens and a bit more when i had papaya in the house to feed him. hopefully he will start eating more soon : )