New baby sulcata very shy.

[Djtown47]

I just got my first tortoise a sulcata I named Zeus and he's about 5" long he's very shy he usually hides. If you make any movement at all he hides in his shell and stays in for awhile. He eats and seems healthy just not very social. Is there anything I can do to help him become more lively so I can handle him?

 

[Heather H]

Hi and welcome. When did you get him?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi DJ, and welcome to the forum!

Is that celery you're feeding him? Please take a look at the care sheet for Sulcatas that's pinned at the top of our Sulcata section. Celery isn't a healthful diet for Sulcata tortoises.

Your tortoise isn't a brand new baby. He looks to be a couple years old. So probably where he lived before you, he was not treated 'kindly.' Not to say he was mistreated, but if they had kids, he may have been poked and prodded. Just keep working around him slowly and be easy with him. Gentle. He'll come around. And once he realized you're the food god, he'll look to you for his next meal.

 

[Dizisdalife]

Welcome to the Forum. When he becomes comfortable and secure, has all the basic things that he needs for survival, he will become more active and sociable. Right now he is so small that he looks at everything as a predator. As he gets larger he will become more self secure and develop more personality. There are a number of things you can do to help him feel secure in his habitat. They can be found in the care sheets at the top of this section.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Please read those care sheets. He looks like he's not getting enough humidity, (80%). And you won't get humidity with hay as your substrate, it molds. Use, cypress mulch, or orchid bark, or plain top soil or coir. Humidity is very important to him. Also his diet is super important. There's so many small details that are so important..,So please read the care sheets and continue to stay in touch and ask questions....