New tort

[rocky1998]

My tortoise eats very little and burrows himself in a corner, he's very quiet and I'm thinking of just giving him a bath everyday to get some water into him and also he hasn't poo'ed or peed at all... So what else do you suggest ? My other tortoise is getting along fine whereas my sisters has a little bit of trouble ... But I just got them a week ago and I got the tortoise I'm talking about jut about 5 days ago.. So they both are pretty new to their surroundings...

 

[Jd3]

How many? What kind? How old? In one cage? What size cage? Temps(cool, warm basking)? Humidity? UVB? What kind of food?

 

[Jlant85]

First all...


WELCOME! Lol.

Well since he is new and got a new home, he's still getting use to the place and so they tend to be shy. Give it a while to get use to the enclosure. Try giving him a nice soak so he doesn't dehydrate. Check your temperature and make sure it's in fine order.

Temp:
Basking: 90+ degrees
Cool area: 70-80 degrees
Night time 75 degrees

Now lets talk about your substrate. What type are you using? I like to use coco coir and bark bedding. I mix mine but to each its own. I don't use wood chip/shavings because it tends to dry up a lot quicker and humidity suffers cause it.

Last thing. what's your humidity level at? Since I don't know what tortoise you have you'll have to research that.

This is basic of the basic so until we know what you have, you can at least start checking for the things I just told you.

Post pictures so people can tell your more details. We love picture her in this forums! Plus some can tell if he/she is healthy. Tell your sister the same thing.

 

[sparkle]

Are they in separate enclosures?

 

[JoesMum]

Re: RE: New tort

Are they in separate enclosures?

Good question. Torts are largely solitary and don't want or need company. It is better to house them separately to prevent bullying which could result in ilness or even death.

 

[rocky1998]

I've been told on numerous occasions that infact Russians are very solidarity but I do still keep them in the same pen, I have realised that.. My sister will be getting married soon and talking her tortoise with her so I'm not bothered by that, and right now they seem to be getting along fine ...
I use a mix of topsoil and sand for my substrate , I don't like using anything damp since Russians live in dry terrain
I use an Arcadia UVB floodlight and a simple desk lamp with a 60 watt bulb for basking ...
There is 2 russian(horsefield) tortoises in 1 enclosure ...
They are both almost 2 years old
I feed them a mix of dandelion leaves and flowers clovers daisies rocket parsley hibiscus pansies aloe sowthistle hawkbits sheperds purse and I sprinkle them 2-3 times a week with calci dust or nutrobal
The pen size I understand is really quite small ... I shall be upgrading very very soon though I'm talking about in a months time ...
I tend to use degrees Celsius when I refer to temp so cool area being 20-24 and hot area being 25-29 ..

 

[sparkle]

It might look like they are getting on but that doesn't always means they are........and I speak from experience. I had to separate my 2 Russians and the bullying was very subtle but it made one of my torts very poorly. She would just bury herself in the corner of the enclosure and lost all her appetite.

She got so weak she nearly died and I had no idea what was wrong with her ....... The minute I separated them she was wondering around her enclosure and eating lots!

I would definitely suggest you separate them.

Good luck with it all

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

I also think you should separate them. The one that's hiding and not eating normally is probably being bullied. It doesn't even take actual biting or shell-butting. Head bobs can be enough to intimidate a subordinate tortoise. In nature, they may have such interactions every once in a while, and that's fine. But in captivity, such stress day in and day out is not good for them. I'd separate them.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

RTs need some moisture and humidity in their environment. In the wild, the surface is arid, but they can burrow down as deeply as needed to get to a moister microclimate. They will increase the humidity by peeing in the burrow. So,even though it may seem like it should be, replicating their natural environment isn't done by keeping them dry. Some people offer moist hides by having a damp sponge in a clay flowerpot. Most if us dampen the substrate. We have a water dish available 24/7 too.

 

[rocky1998]

Yes I do sometimes once a week spray the substrate with a plant sprayer and mix it up so it clumps when I press it together but I do this only on a couple of bits in my enclosure so the substrate is dry and slightly damp so the tortoise can have the best of both

 

[Jd3]

Wait. Is that picture their enclosure?

That is your number one problem. That isn't big enough for newborn hatchling. Two larger torts is outrageous.

Use something temporary. A plastic tote/bin

How can something that size have a warm/cool difference?

Even if this is just the hide box then it is still too small. Which I'm hoping is the case.

They need their own burrows/hide. You want to think they are getting along fine... But yet were still here, having this conversation.

Two torts together in the appropriate size enclosure is one thing. But this isn't big enough for one. Be fair to your animals. They don't have a choice.

 

[Vickie]

Wait. Is that picture their enclosure?

That is your number one problem. That isn't big enough for newborn hatchling. Two larger torts is outrageous.

Use something temporary. A plastic tote/bin

How can something that size have a warm/cool difference?

Even if this is just the hide box then it is still too small. Which I'm hoping is the case.

They need their own burrows/hide. You want to think they are getting along fine... But yet were still here, having this conversation.

Two torts together in the appropriate size enclosure is one thing. But this isn't big enough for one. Be fair to your animals. They don't have a choice.

Its obviously one of the hide boxes since you can see a door cut into it. So no need to jump on him without seeing the rest is there?

---

My tortoise eats very little and burrows himself in a corner, he's very quiet and I'm thinking of just giving him a bath everyday to get some water into him and also he hasn't poo'ed or peed at all... So what else do you suggest ? My other tortoise is getting along fine whereas my sisters has a little bit of trouble ... But I just got them a week ago and I got the tortoise I'm talking about jut about 5 days ago.. So they both are pretty new to their surroundings...

OH and btw HI!!! Glad to see you on the forum. There are a lot of good heartened people on here I am sure will give you tons of great advise and I really cannot add to what some of the others are saying. But again just wanted to say Welcome!

 

[rocky1998]

Yeah it is a hide box for shade lol, I don't really mind I know I'm going to get a massive bookshelf, and get my joiner to split it horizontally or vertically and add 2 shades boxes ... I'm sure that will be big enough