Is there something wrong with my tortoise?

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Jan 28, 2018
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London
Hello everyone

Some background info-
I have a Russian tortoise who’s 1 years old, we got him 3 months ago. He has a vivarium which is 3ft (we are planning to upgrade but he’s still tiny for now so has space) he has pure coir bedding and about 3 hides which he likes to climb on and sleep in. On the hot end the temp is usually 32-35 degrees, whereas on the cool end it’s about 26. So I have a few questions:

1. He hasn’t been eating, I think he is bored of his food because when we offered a tiny bit of some food he should only have rarely, he ate it all. He hasn’t been eating his usual food which is like a fresh lettuce mix. What can we give him for more variety?

2. He has been basking and sleeping a lot more since he hasn’t eaten, is this worrying? I sometimes see him climbing but not as much as before. I give him regular baths to make sure he’s hydrated.

3. Are the temps correct? We have a hotter lamp, but when we put in that lamp the temp on hot side went to about 42 and he looks uncomfortable so we take it out pretty quickly.

4. I am thinking of changing his bedding to top soil/play sand mix. Is this better than coir?

Sorry for the long post and lots of questions, please just answer what you can [emoji4] thank you in advance
 

TechnoCheese

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1- you need to be feeding more weeds. Look at this list, and just ignore the grasses-For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata...
https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/For-Those-Who-Have-a-Young-Sulcata....76744/
2- what is your basking spot temp? It needs to be about 36-37 degrees.
3-cool side is fine, but basking temp might need to be hotter
4-you should never use sand in any amount for a tortoise. Your coco coir is fine, but you could also change it to fine grade orchid bark, peat moss, or cypress mulch.
Hope I helped!
 
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How can I get the basking temperature hotter? Our hot lamp gets way too hot.

Where can I get the weeds from?

I will look into the bedding, thanks for your help!
 

TechnoCheese

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5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
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Messages
4,505
Location (City and/or State)
Lewisville, Texas
How can I get the basking temperature hotter? Our hot lamp gets way too hot.

Where can I get the weeds from?

I will look into the bedding, thanks for your help!

You can get the weeds from your back yard, or someone else’s AS LONG AS they don’t treat their yard with chemicals.
 
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I live in the uk and I don’t have a back yard, I don’t know anyone else with one either, could I maybe go to a park and get some? Would they be sad from there?

And yes we have a higher wattage lamp but the temp gets too hot, maybe we could try to lower it
 

TechnoCheese

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5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Feb 20, 2016
Messages
4,505
Location (City and/or State)
Lewisville, Texas
I live in the uk and I don’t have a back yard, I don’t know anyone else with one either, could I maybe go to a park and get some? Would they be sad from there?

And yes we have a higher wattage lamp but the temp gets too hot, maybe we could try to lower it

No, you can’t get weeds from public places like parks. They more than likely treat their yards with some chemicals or another.
Do you have somewhere where you can grow plants? Try buying some seed mixes from here- https://www.tortoisesupply.com/TortoiseFood , or even some of their dried weeds. Your tortoise should not be only eating lettuces, and needs fiber from weeds.
 
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Ok thank you, I wanted to buy seeds online but firstly they don’t grow as we don’t have much light and secondly I didn’t know which ones to get, but I will buy some and start to grow them at home. Thank you for your help. Do you know how I can help him in the mean while? What other foods can I give him?
 

TechnoCheese

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Feb 20, 2016
Messages
4,505
Location (City and/or State)
Lewisville, Texas
Ok thank you, I wanted to buy seeds online but firstly they don’t grow as we don’t have much light and secondly I didn’t know which ones to get, but I will buy some and start to grow them at home. Thank you for your help. Do you know how I can help him in the mean while? What other foods can I give him?

Endive and escarole make great staples, as well as dandelion, arugula, chicory, radicchio, and rocket. Other good foods include mustard greens, turnip greens, kale in moderation, collard greens, and cactus pads/nopales.
 
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