I'm freaking out about everything...

[ShellyII]

Seriously, like everything. I've read care sheet after care sheet, snooped through all the forum topics. And I am super worried! I've never had a baby tort this young and small. I got her yesterday. The guy I bought her from shipped him from CA, said she is about a month old. She is very tiny. Haven't weighed her yet, will do that tonight.

I have a large Rubbermaid tub with plain top soil in it. (no access to Orchid bark or the coco coir stuff at this time) I keep the soil damp. She has an UTH and a UVB bulb and a basking bulb. Temp in her moist hide is 82-86, basking 95, cool side 79-81. has shallow water bowl. When she was in CA, she was eating Mazuri food soaked along with whatever greens he was giving her. She came with some Mazuri food, so I have offered that, along with chopped up kale, collard greens, bok choy and grass. She hasn't eaten yet, she seems to want to be in her moist hide most the time. When I went home for lunch she was out and about, but didn't look to have eaten anything.

I also have a large baby pool that is 5 foot across, made of stiff plastic, outside surrounded by a play pen and has mesh top so nothing can get in. Again, top soil in there and starting to grow grass, multiple hides, I water half of it to keep moist.

questions:
1. how long can she go without eating?
2. can I put her outside in the evenings when I am home, or should she stay in since she is so small?
3. I know my set up may not be ideal, but I want what is best for her, what should I change?

 

[dmmj]

First off please relax. They are very forgivimg on poor care,as long as yoi make imprpvements it should be ok.relax and enjoy your tortoise.

 

[Yvonne G]

1. Babies should eat every day. I chop up greens, weeds, plants and grasses into very tiny pieces, then I place the baby in front of the food and quickly move out of sight. (hollyhock leaves, mulberry leaves, grass, cheese weed, endive, escarole, zucchini - it all gets chopped up together)

2. Not much benefit from the late evening sun. UVB is better in the mid day. I wouldn't worry about outside until you can be home on your days off.

3. Take a look at this thread and make adjustments to your care accordingly:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

(I love your doggy. I have one like that too)

 

[ShellyII]

what improvements

 

[Yvonne G]

what improvements

After you read the thread I linked for you, you will see what needs to be improved/changed.

 

[ShellyII]

I've read it multiple times, I'm not seeing it. If you know what needs to be changed wouldn't it be helpful to just say so??

 

[ShellyII]

I'm done. Tortoise for sale.

 

[Myroli]

I'm done. Tortoise for sale.

How much?

 

[BEmom]

I've read it multiple times, I'm not seeing it. If you know what needs to be changed wouldn't it be helpful to just say so??

I hope you are not giving up on your new tortoise so quickly. I don't think that Yvonne G was implying that you were doing anything necessarily wrong. I think she was just trying to be helpful by referring you to the care sheet. If you are doing what it says to do there then you are doing alright. That's all. Everyone so far has been very helpful to me and I am sure that they are just trying to be helpful to you as well. I haven't gotten my first tortoise yet, but I am a nervous wreck just trying to research to make sure I am prepared so I get how you feel. I hope you stick it out with your tort.

 

[JoesMum]

Please stop panicking. Tortoises all take time to adjust to new surroundings, some take days and some weeks or months.

Establish a routine: Lights on, soak for a good 20 minutes, feed and then walk away. Leave your tort alone to decide whether it is safe to exp, ore. If you stand watching it is intimidating.

Soaking is really important for young torts and for those settling that aren't eating problem. It also helps to get the tort used to being handled. Your tort will eat when it's hungry and it feels safe to do so. And you will be fine

 

[Tom]

What type of UV bulb are you using?
How much time is the baby spending outside?
Are you doing daily soaks?
Is the top of your tub partially covered to hold in some humidity?

 

[ShellyII]

I'm sorry for snapping. I am frustrated with more than just the tort and vented on the forum. But lets be real, if you see something I am doing wrong, point it out, don't just refer me to a care sheet that I already said I have read.... not helpful at all.
yes, I have half of the enclosure covered. and she has a moist hide with a sponge and damp dirt in it. which is where she spends most her time.
I had her outside yesterday for a bit, but I think I am not going to take her outside until she starts eating. I will only take her out of her enclosure for her daily soak, then leave her alone. Yes she does have a UVB bulb. and I open the curtain so she gets sun light as well.
The last rescue tort I had ate everything you put in front of him almost immediately, so that is why I am so worried.

 

[Tom]

I'm sorry for snapping. I am frustrated with more than just the tort and vented on the forum. But lets be real, if you see something I am doing wrong, point it out, don't just refer me to a care sheet that I already said I have read.... not helpful at all.
yes, I have half of the enclosure covered. and she has a moist hide with a sponge and damp dirt in it. which is where she spends most her time.
I had her outside yesterday for a bit, but I think I am not going to take her outside until she starts eating. I will only take her out of her enclosure for her daily soak, then leave her alone. Yes she does have a UVB bulb. and I open the curtain so she gets sun light as well.
The last rescue tort I had ate everything you put in front of him almost immediately, so that is why I am so worried.

Slow down.

What type of UV bulb are you using? Is it the coil type cfl?

 

[Sheldon the russian tortoise]

It took my tort a few days to get used to his new home and to start eating. I don't think you have too much to worry about.

 

[ShellyII]

I have this bulb: Exo Terra Solar-Glo High Intensity Self-Ballasted Uv/Heat Mercury Vapor Lamp
I got her to eat a little Romaine lettuce over my lunch hour. I took her out of her enclosure, did a warm soak for 15 mins, then put her on a towel in a cake pan and just held lettuce in front of her face until she ate it, she ate maybe 4-5 small pieces, so I put her back in her enclosure with it and she just ran away from the food again, she seemed scared in her enclosure but happy in a cake pan?? what gives?

 

[Lyn W]

I have this bulb: Exo Terra Solar-Glo High Intensity Self-Ballasted Uv/Heat Mercury Vapor Lamp
I got her to eat a little Romaine lettuce over my lunch hour. I took her out of her enclosure, did a warm soak for 15 mins, then put her on a towel in a cake pan and just held lettuce in front of her face until she ate it, she ate maybe 4-5 small pieces, so I put her back in her enclosure with it and she just ran away from the food again, she seemed scared in her enclosure but happy in a cake pan?? what gives?

They will take a little while to get used to changes, chop the food up well. I found the Beginners Mistakes thread useful to help point me in the right direction and helped my identify anything I should/shouldn't be doing. Do you have night heat for her? If not A CHE on a thermostat will keep temps even - it gives heat but no light as they need darkness to sleep. I hope she settles soon.

 

[ShellyII]

thanks, I have a heat pad and cover the entire thing at night, I check on it when I let my dogs out around 1 and it said 82 in her hide where she was sleeping. I hope that's enough

 

[ShellyII]

So do I leave her alone completely besides soaks and putting in fresh food or do I keep trying to hand feed her? She will eat a few small pieces of romaine then is very agitated trying to get out of the small container. If I try and feed her in her enclosure she won't eat at all. And doesn't appear to be eating on her own in her enclosure at all.

 

[JoesMum]

So do I leave her alone completely besides soaks and putting in fresh food or do I keep trying to hand feed her? She will eat a few small pieces of romaine then is very agitated trying to get out of the small container. If I try and feed her in her enclosure she won't eat at all. And doesn't appear to be eating on her own in her enclosure at all.

No leave her alone and walk away. Hand feeding can make matters worse.

Your tort will eat when hungry and not feeling threatened. It's hard not to check up every few minutes, but you have to do it.

You could also by a tray of living lettuce from the supermarket and leave that in the enclosure for your tort to browse on. Water it regularly because it dries out quick. It might tempt your tort to have a nibble