New desert tortoise owner needs help!

[Sunflower]

Hello everyone!! I just got my little guy yesterday from a friend! He's a young desert tortoise... Not sure how young, he's about 5 inches in length I'd say... I'll be obtaining his permit in the mail in a few days

Any who, when you first acquire your tortoise how long does it take for him to get comfortable and start eating?? He hisses at my room mate and I when we pick him up, tho he has enjoyed me rubbing his head a couple times. He won't eat yet which is what worries me!! I put lettuce and other leafy greens in his hut and he slept through the night and didn't eat at all. This morning I let him roam around the front yard then cooked some zucchini and squash till it was soft enough for him to eat... He's in his hut right now but still won't touch any food. Any suggestions?

 

[dmmj]

It takes a while for them to settle, could be days could be a week or two. As for the hissing mine still does that when he withdraws, so he may never stop. As long as there is no noticeable weight loss, don't worry, offer a little bit of food everyday until he starts eating.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Sunflower:

Welcome to the forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

It may take up to a couple weeks for them to settle into a routine and start eating. Some start right away, and others are a bit shyer. Just don't handle him much, let him become accustomed to the routine: Turn the lights on in the a.m., set out the food. Leave alone. Clean up the food in the evening and turn off the light. A good soak every other day or so also helps them. He's probably around 4 or 5 years old at that size.

As soon as you can, set up some sort of pen outside and allow him to be in the sun and to graze on weeds and grasses.

 

[Sunflower]

It takes a while for them to settle, could be days could be a week or two. As for the hissing mine still does that when he withdraws, so he may never stop. As long as there is no noticeable weight loss, don't worry, offer a little bit of food everyday until he starts eating.

Okay thanks! Good info to know... Hopefully he will start eating soon! He's got fresh organic, pesticide free and locally grown veggies stocked up so the hissing is normal then? I was thinking maybe he's doing it cause he's not used to me yet... He's pretty used to the living room so far though, he loves hanging out by the screen door and props himself up and just watches outside it's so cute!
Thanks!

---

Hi Sunflower:

Welcome to the forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

It may take up to a couple weeks for them to settle into a routine and start eating. Some start right away, and others are a bit shyer. Just don't handle him much, let him become accustomed to the routine: Turn the lights on in the a.m., set out the food. Leave alone. Clean up the food in the evening and turn off the light. A good soak every other day or so also helps them. He's probably around 4 or 5 years old at that size.

As soon as you can, set up some sort of pen outside and allow him to be in the sun and to graze on weeds and grasses.

Thanks! My name is Brittany and I live in sunny San Diego Good idea about having a routine! I'll have to follow one and see how he does. He did great last night, he went to bed around ten or eleven and I stayed up cleaning my room and he slept soundly until 9am when he woke up, and woke me up by rustling around and then I let him roam around for awhile

 

[dmarcus]

Hello Brittany and welcome to the forum..

 

[ascott]

Hi and welcome! Sunflower (is that your given name? :>) I would not take the "hissing" sound to heart....it is very common...I believe (as my opinion here is by observation only and not scientific) is a surprise type reaction....kinda like when two people come around a corner not expecti.g the other...not really scared just surprised....all four of mine will make that noise unless I first let them know I am going to pick them up...I always put myself in li.e of their sight..approach slowly give their shell a rub and pick them up low and slow....my old man has bad eyesight so even with all of that he will still blow air . And just curious? Did you say you cooked their veggies for them? I wonder if that lowers any vitamin benefits?? I know they can pretty much eat raw veggies if ya cut them small enough...so just was wondering? Have fun with em....they are great!

 

[Sunflower]

Hi and welcome! Sunflower (is that your given name? :>) I would not take the "hissing" sound to heart....it is very common...I believe (as my opinion here is by observation only and not scientific) is a surprise type reaction....kinda like when two people come around a corner not expecti.g the other...not really scared just surprised....all four of mine will make that noise unless I first let them know I am going to pick them up...I always put myself in li.e of their sight..approach slowly give their shell a rub and pick them up low and slow....my old man has bad eyesight so even with all of that he will still blow air . And just curious? Did you say you cooked their veggies for them? I wonder if that lowers any vitamin benefits?? I know they can pretty much eat raw veggies if ya cut them small enough...so just was wondering? Have fun with em....they are great!

Ok so I'll take your advice when it comes to picking him up in a line of sight... I can see why he would hiss if he's surprised!! Yes I cooked the zucchini & squash... I thought it would be easier for him to eat, his mouth looks so tiny!! Is it better to feed them raw?

 

[ascott]

LOL....Ok so if you feel better to cook up the vegs then by all means...Julia Childs will be proud . I know their little mouths loom lime it would be hard...but if you slice the vegs thin a.d small and maybe toss em in their "salad" mix I bet you will see how well he does . But remember...that is my opinion...you two will figure what best works....you will have fun.

 

[Skyler Nell]

Try giving him a warm soak, not to hot, just a bit warm.
Sunshine is the best thing for them! Give him lots of time outside
He should acclimate pretty soon, how is his cage set up?
It would be fantastic if you could post some pics!
Welcome tot he forum Brittany!!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Brittany:

Its really not a good idea to allow your tortoise to free-roam the house. He needs his own habitat and routine. He needs to be close to his heat source. Its very cold for a cold-blooded animal to be allowed on the floor of the house. Plus, he'll get into all kinds of trouble, eating dust or small colored objects, etc. A tortoise is not like a dog or cat. They MUST have their own space and not be allowed to roam the house.

 

[Sunflower]

Hi Brittany:

Its really not a good idea to allow your tortoise to free-roam the house. He needs his own habitat and routine. He needs to be close to his heat source. Its very cold for a cold-blooded animal to be allowed on the floor of the house. Plus, he'll get into all kinds of trouble, eating dust or small colored objects, etc. A tortoise is not like a dog or cat. They MUST have their own space and not be allowed to roam the house.

Why can't he roam the house? He sure doesn't want to be in his hut all day! The only time he seems to want to be in it is when hes ready to go to sleep lol. It's very warm here in southern california, the sun hits my place most of the day so it continually stays warm inside and we have carpet (except for the kitchen). I did make sure that I cleaned and vacuumed every morsel of crumbs or objects off the floor and I keep a close eye on him if he's roaming around. He's not roaming all day though... He's in his habitat when I'm away and at night.

---

Try giving him a warm soak, not to hot, just a bit warm.
Sunshine is the best thing for them! Give him lots of time outside
He should acclimate pretty soon, how is his cage set up?
It would be fantastic if you could post some pics!
Welcome tot he forum Brittany!!

Ok! Yeah I actually gave him a warm little bath yesterday he didn't squirm at all he seemed to like it I took him outside twice today and he loved it... The sun was real warm and he's so curious about people riding by on their bikes he stops and watches them it's so cute his cage setup is kind of small only a few feet wide or so but I'm going to build him a nicer area even though it stays pretty warm here should I get a heat lamp for him still?

I don't have any pix yet, have to upload them on my room mates comp can't do it off my iPad here's a link to a fuzzy phone pic... Not sure if it works tho



http://hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/256760_10100729241391325_12415324_64086692_799503_o.jpg

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Tortoises need their own habitat under a hot basking light. If you took off all your clothes and laid on the kitchen floor you would see it is colder than you think. Tortoises body temps are much different then yours and they shouldn't get as cold as they do on the floor without a basking light. Please believe us as we have years of experience and we are not telling you stuff like this to be mean. It is for the health of your tortoise. He needs to have his body temp about 100 degrees...your kitchen floor is not that hot. Put him in a habitat with a hot basking light and a substrate. Treat him correctly or he will die. Calif Desert tortoises are very fragile...

The "hissing" is not like a cat hissing at you, tortoises make that noise when they suck their heads into their shell in fright. The noise is actually air being pushed out as the head and legs suck in...

 

[ascott]

Hi Britney. I have to plead with you to know that the advice maggie31fan is giving is sound and trust me she is absolutely correct about them being fragile....while they are gladiators when needed and they can survive the harshest arid hot then cold environments.....they survive because their natural resources allow them to survive...but in captivity we have to replicate some of their environment as much as possible.....they need some minimum things...a great constant source of heat (the sun is always the most perfect source....when it is not available we have uv ray bulbs and heat/basking lights....they need to be able to have the earth between their toe nails and tossed up on their shells....they need a sprinkler a couple times a week to play like its raining so they can form a pallet to collect water in to drink (or a semi shallow dish filled with water (up to their horn/bottom of shell) and fresh grown foods...preferably some native items they would come across in the wild...and the oh so important burrow (or equal place of comfort) these basic needs need to be met and then they can be as much of a desert tortoise as they can...it is fun to sit down or lay down on the ground at their level to check their awesomeness out...but remember...this is a species that is rapidly racing towards extinction at a scary pace....love em ...respect em...we are happy you are a member to the forum...and the very best kept tortoise can still have problems...so anyway we can increase their odds is fantastic :}-

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Brittany:

The subject line of your post says, "New desert tortoise owner needs help!"

We're trying to help you.

Your tortoise pulls into his shell when he sees you, causing the hissing sound. That means he's scared.

You are concerned that he's not eating. That's because in order to digest his food, he has to have a core temperature similar to what yours is. Your temperature is 98.6 degrees. That's almost 100 degrees. A cold blooded tortoise can't reach that temperature by himself. He needs either the sun or a light in order to get his core temp up close to 100 degrees. Running around on a floor that is in the 70's, isn't helping him warm up, and it isn't helping him get used to his own habitat's environment.

So, put this little guy in his habitat and make sure he's warm enough. You'll see a drastic improvement in his attitude once he realizes he has a home and he can be warm.

 

[Skyler Nell]

Hey Brittany just saw that picture! Is that your tortoise? If it is, you don't have a Desert Tortoise, you actually have a Russian Tortoise.
You don't need a permit for that little one But the care is pretty similar!
I'm sure he will love a bigger space, but inside on the floor isn't too good for him, of course you can do what you'd like but keeping him like that can lead to many issues. The ground is actually quite chilly since heat rises :/
And I would say yes to a heat lamp, I'm in Southern CA too, and I use one!
I actually have a UV lamp as well (kinda like a tanning booth) because mine live inside part time! Sounds like you're doing a great job so far! Let me know if you have anymore questions

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Skyler Nell (I looked back and I don't think we've ever learned your name):

Good catch!! I didn't click on the link to the picture, but the fact that the tortoise was only 4 or 5 inches should have given me the light bulb over my head! Russian, of course!!

 

[Skyler Nell]

My name is Skyler! and thank you

 

[Laura]

cute little russian. the first time i saw a russian i thought it was a baby desert tort too. I kept him anyway.. he lives outside in a 4x8 enclosure.
Find out what he was eating before you got him. where did they keep him ? That might help him adjust better.
I agree. he needs his own home.. indoor or out.. or both. and be very careful of dogs.

 

[ascott]

LOL....I did not even realize there was a pic . Russians are beautiful...similiar in care to the desert tortoise and russians are often mistaken for desert tortoises....I have a friend who is a game warden and he has been out on calls to help a deser tortoise to find out it is a russian tortoise.....

Skyler I bet Sunflower will be relieved to find out....as now her enclosure can be sized for this smaller species....I just love their little back feet...

 

[Skyler Nell]

Yep, a Russian doesn't require as much room.
I'm not sure what should be done about those pending permits though :/
I didn't think they would send permits via mail, I had to go to a chapter meeting and show pictures of my CDTs, in order to receive mine!