how long for new tortoise to come out of hide?

[yankeeslover]

I had greek tortoise for 6 days now. Still spends 80% of his time in his coolside hide.. will not eat anything. I do have nice warm spot under mvb bulb. Is this normal behavior? When I do pick him up which is everyother day he stays in his shell. Im sure still scared. But im worried since he won't eat nor come out and bask. Room is quiet.. I have another week to return him to petshop who will in turn send to vet and give me another. I don't want to do this. Is this all normal? ?

 

[mainey34]

Well, lets start with your set up. What type of substrate do you have, what type of bulbs, and what is your temps.

 

[bigred]

Where did you get your tortoise from

 

[Abe]

give us your enclosure detail just to make sure nothing goes wrong there.Besides that,some specimen need relatively long time to be adapted and established with their new environment.

 

[yankeeslover]

sorry... I have too many post going right now, its a homemade 4x3 table that I built last week... using coco coir for substrate... im using a 160 watt mvb for heat and light... per my previous threads this is where im running into trouble.. .under the light is around 100 but outside the light it drops to room temp around 72....humidity is around 55-60 throughout... but inside his large corner hide it is around 65 degrees and 65% humidity... every now and then he will come out and bask for awhile...but only for hour or so, then goes back...will not eat at all..doesn't matter what I try to feed him.... fresh romaine, parsley, mustard greens, squash.doenst matter..doesn't eat it... today I added another light, a zoomed blue light.. 150 watt for the cool end, gonna use that to raise the ambiet temp..actually have to take it back tonight and prob drop it to 75 watt as I have to now keep it about 24 inches above as it raises it too much..lol thanks

 

[lq558]

You can put another tortoise beside him if you have one. This can make the new one feel safe more. I don't want to mix tortoises, so I just put them in different opaque plastic box, from which they can see each other.

 

[Rogue]

Have you tried adding another hide on the warm side? Maybe if it has a choice to hide on the warm side, the warmth and extra UVB will perk it up?

 

[GBtortoises]

Your tortoise is in a completely new environment and surroundings, after being bounced around from several others in captivity. Tortoises take time to acclimate to new surroundings and feel secure enough to begin exploring. It is not unusual for a tortoise in new surroundings to spend a lot of time in hiding. This is what makes them feel secure. Keep in mind that their primary instinct is survival. Set the enclosure up with the correct temperatures and light (duration and intensity), keep a shallow, easily accessible water supply in the enclosure and offer fresh food daily. Pick the tortoise up as little as possible and let it come out on it's own when it feels secure in doing so. The more you handle a newly acquired tortoise the longer the acclimation period will likely be and the more stressed out you're making the animal. Absolutely do not place other tortoises in with it! Unless you've received another tortoise that was previously exposed to this one you are risking the chance of bacterial and parasite transfer. Any and all newly acquired tortoises should be quarantined for a minimum of 90 days from other already established tortoises. The key in acclimating a tortoise is patience, not constant disruption and change.

 

[Abe]

Hi Yankees,i got one of my Indian stars with 5 days shipment from his prev owner who doesnt know how to ship animal.When arrived he is so lethargic,dehydrated and of cource under a great stress state.It takes week or so for him to settled with his new home,and of course with new owner.I hope this is the same case for you,but always make sure there is nothing wrong w/ him.
About he refused eating,try to give him as vary as you could until you found his favorite food such as mazuri,cactus pads,etc. then mix it little bit with what you want to feed him (i've found mine loves hibiscus flower so much 3 days later)and the best time to feed is after a morning soak.Good luck !!