how often should he be drinking?

[sara]

I am concerned that my 2 yr old R.F. isnt drinking enough. and he hides alot. I changed his substrate from an orchid bark to a pete soil mix. He lives in a tortoisetable and has a u.v. lamp for day use and a heat lamp for night use.
Before When i had the bark in there he was always under the lamp and drank regularly. Now I never see him drink, and he hides all day. I have to bring him out and put him in front of his food. then he will eat.
I take him outside if weather permits, durring my lunch our so he can roam.
should i just leave him alone? is it a bad thing to put him infront of his food? I have had him for 3 weeks now. also , he will not poop in his box, but will outside. how often should he poop? He gets a varity of leafy greens and veggies and a little fruit mixed in every other day.and how often should i give him a soak?

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

S/he may just be getting used to the new substrate. I would recommend getting some cypress mulch substrate, its the miracle one in my opinion (prevents bugs, easy to clean, doesn't get to dry or wet, my RFs love it). Saying how much a tort should drink is hard, since sometimes you might not catch them drinking, it depends on if you are keeping it humid enough, what they are eating, etc. Also if you have had your RF for only 3 weeks, don't sweat it. New RFs are awfully shy, and they may seem like they are starving themselves, but they will come out and eat and be more active when the time is right. Unless a tort is sick it won't starve itself. I think you are probably doing things right, just don't agitate him/her too much, let them warm up to you. If s/he does seem sick (trouble breathing, sunken eyes, limbs are flaccid when you pick them up) then you want to take them to the vet. Could you post a pic of your guy?

 

[sara]

thanks, I will get some pics up soon. I looked for cypress mulch, any idea where i can find it? do you think maybe even on line? His eyes and nose are clear, and he has a good appitite when he wants to. when he gets going, he can really move when he wants too!
if i find cypress mulch, how will i know it wont have any fertilizer or chemicals? stupid question, i guess it waould say so. o.k. thanks for the info, will get berts pics up and home up soon.

 

[Missy]

If you have a Lowes, Menards or Home Depot they all should carry cypress mulch. Make sure you don't get cedar it can be toxic.

 

[Homerist]

i believe they should be drinking daily.
I watched a documentary on wild tortoises sometime back and it mentioned that tortoise can lower their metabolism rate to really low, no food no water for days, some even weeks to stay alive in harsh conditions.

But for us pet owners, we wouldn't want our torts to starve or thirst! ahaha
so just make sure there's clean accessible water changed daily for your beloved tort.

 

[sara]

i believe they should be drinking daily.
I watched a documentary on wild tortoises sometime back and it mentioned that tortoise can lower their metabolism rate to really low, no food no water for days, some even weeks to stay alive in harsh conditions.

But for us pet owners, we wouldn't want our torts to starve or thirst! ahaha
so just make sure there's clean accessible water changed daily for your beloved tort.

thank you for the advise. I have a low dish of water for him and also at the other end a soaking dish. So he has options. I also kina thought they get moisture from their leafy greens and stuff. I also spray his food with water to kep it fresh durring the day. i hope i am not over doing it. but he seems very healthy so far.

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If you have a Lowes, Menards or Home Depot they all should carry cypress mulch. Make sure you don't get cedar it can be toxic.

I had my husband check all over. no luck. we live in wyoming, about 45 min from cheyenne. I thought someplace i would find it. no luck. Think i will try on line. its said one can find anything on line. we'll see.
so, would any other mulch work? I know pine is very bad and now cypress. is there possibly any other choice?

 

[DoctorCosmonaut]

Both petco and petsmart sell it, however I think they have names for their cypress mulch substrates like "forest floor"
You can order it online here:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752596

I am sure other places online may carry it to.

But it sounds like you are doing everything right... New RFs just need a lot of adjusting at first sometimes.

 

[Homerist]

Hi sara,

you are providing two sources of water for your tort, which is great!
monitor the drinking and soaking pattern, very soon you will witness your tort drinking while soaking.

the very first time i freaked out while my star was drinking, cause he dunk his face and head into the water as if drowning! ahaha

 

[dmmj]

Mine drinks everytime I fill up his waterbowl, which is almost everyday of the week.

 

[sara]

I want to thank you to all of the encouragement from everyone! your all so helpful. I just dont want to screw it up, i have become so attached to my guy! he is such a crack up! I havent seen him drink for a couple days, so tomorrow i will give him a saok. I have seen him dunk his head and have a drink when i soak him.
I never thought of these guys having such personalities! when we are outside for "play time", he likes to go up to new things and take a bite, that includes me! then he moseys off to something else. He is very inquisitve and doesnt let anything get by. I just crack up at some of the stories i read here.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Congrats on your first redfoot tortoise!

How long from top front of shell to back [ straight line.. not OVER the curve ] is he? This is known as Straight Carapace [ top shell ] Length - SCL.

A 2 yr. old redfoot will be about 4 1/2 - 5 inches SCL.

Read this.. it has worked for many years for several of mine and others' redfoots - http://www.turtletary.com/redfootcare.htm

Not sure where you got your 'care' info.. you are doing what you were told I'm sure. The caresheet above shows pics of how they will grow from following it. It was developed from the advice and experience of several redfoot tortoise keepers and breeders over a minimum of 10 years each.

Keep us posted

NERD

 

[sara]

Hi sara,

you are providing two sources of water for your tort, which is great!
monitor the drinking and soaking pattern, very soon you will witness your tort drinking while soaking.

the very first time i freaked out while my star was drinking, cause he dunk his face and head into the water as if drowning! ahaha

he wont soak on his own, only if i put him in his "tub". he puts up with it for about 1o min. then wants out. I make him stay in for 10 min., change it, make him soak for another 10. then he gets mad and hides and pouts for the rest of the day. but the water level in his dish never changes so i know he isnt drinking. I have been soaking him 2x a week. should i do it more?

---

Congrats on your first redfoot tortoise!

How long from top front of shell to back [ straight line.. not OVER the curve ] is he? This is known as Straight Carapace [ top shell ] Length - SCL.

A 2 yr. old redfoot will be about 4 1/2 - 5 inches SCL.

Read this.. it has worked for many years for several of mine and others' redfoots - http://www.turtletary.com/redfootcare.htm

Not sure where you got your 'care' info.. you are doing what you were told I'm sure. The caresheet above shows pics of how they will grow from following it. It was developed from the advice and experience of several redfoot tortoise keepers and breeders over a minimum of 10 years each.

Keep us posted

NERD

oh, then he is older. I just measured him and he is 7". so maybe he is around 3 yrs old?

---

i believe they should be drinking daily.
I watched a documentary on wild tortoises sometime back and it mentioned that tortoise can lower their metabolism rate to really low, no food no water for days, some even weeks to stay alive in harsh conditions.

But for us pet owners, we wouldn't want our torts to starve or thirst! ahaha
so just make sure there's clean accessible water changed daily for your beloved tort.

I kinda figured maybe he slowed his metabolisim or something. He eats just fine , when and how much he wants, is alert , clear eyes and nose. I cant help it, I am a "worry er".

 

[Homerist]

hi sara,

if your tort is eating, pooing, alert, pacing around, clear eyes and nose, seems fine to me! don't worry.
he should be drinking while you are away.

for younglings, i read that 3-4soaks per week is good enough.

once 1 year old the soaking can reduce to once per week.

these soaking ritual is meant for Indian Stars.
not too sure about other torts.

 

[Yvonne G]

Cypress mulch is pretty hard to find in big bags in the western U.S. If you'd like to order online, Tyler Stewart of tortoisesupply.com sells it. The shipping probably wouldn't be too bad as he's in Las Vegas.

http://www.tortoisesupply.com/categories/Substrates/