New baby sulcata, worried about health

[Kel2eyj66]

My boyfriend recently bought me a baby sulcata tortoise for Christmas, which I'd been preparing for for a while, and he came in today. He's about 2in and seems healthy. However, my boyfriend ordered him from backwater reptiles, which I've heard good and bad things about. How can I make sure he's healthy and how long without him eating should I be worried? He's been sleeping in his shell since I've gotten him and hasn't attempted to eat yet, granted I've only had him for a few hours.
Thank you

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Soak him in water water for 30 minutes to help rehydrate him after his journey. Do this every day. Make sure the enclosure is warm enough- don't let it fall below 80F anywhere, day or night. Keep it warm and hydrated, and provide the right environment and diet. Not much else you can do.

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome to TFO.

Your baby is very cute and will rapidly grow into a 100lb+ bulldozer.

If you haven't already, can I recommend that you read the relevant TFO care guides. They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information about on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some vets and breeders too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

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

We're always happy to look over pictures of enclosures and lighting to check it over.

 

[Maro2Bear]

It will take some time for your new lil guy to settle in and feel safe, warm, and comfy. You can help with the soaking as noted above and by creating the perfect enclosure, good temps, lighting, moist substrate, and a nice, snug moist hide for your guy to hang out and sleep. Plus, give him time to settle in and feel safe, avoid the urge to constantly pick him up to "check" on and play with.

You might want to upload a pix of your enclosure so Forum members can ensure there aren't any obvious issues. Lighting, enclosure lid, heating, temp and humidity gauges, water and food dishes, humid hide, etc.

Good luck!