New Tortoise not drinking or eating/ lethargic

CyrustheRussian

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Hello! I’m in a bit of a predicament. I just received my juvenile Russian tortoise in the mail yesterday morning from Tortoise Town (I know. I saw the thread about the site too late). He has not taken any water or food since placing him in his enclosure. He will only move if I move him! I have been soaking him a little but he hasn’t taken any water then either. I figured maybe he just needs to get used to his new environment but he didn’t move from one spot for over 12 hours straight. From what I’ve extensively researched, he has everything he needs. Because he is a new tortoise I don’t know whether to take this as him being sick or adapting. Any suggestions?
I thought maybe his sleep was thrown off by the transport but I don’t know now. I’ve been measuring the temperature and it’s perfect- about 80 throughout, 95 in the hottest.
Picture: Cyrus in the corner (where he likely won’t move from)3D86A94E-66E9-4F8A-A7BC-9F9DE73C155C.jpeg
 

Sarah2020

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have a good read of the tortoise care sheets posted often in posts and on the forum. I think you will find he is still settling in and probably dehydrated. Try a soak in shallow warm water for 15 mins daily and see if that helps. If you leave them in peace they tend to drink and they will try and scratch at the edge to escape but the water is good for hydration and important and good exercise. Also provide food washed in water so when they finally eat there is water will be on the leaves. Your water bowl need to be shallower so they can walk in and bathe or drink. Good luck your on the correct site for reading and learning.
 

CyrustheRussian

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have a good read of the tortoise care sheets posted often in posts and on the forum. I think you will find he is still settling in and probably dehydrated. Try a soak in shallow warm water for 15 mins daily and see if that helps. If you leave them in peace they tend to drink and they will try and scratch at the edge to escape but the water is good for hydration and important and good exercise. Also provide food washed in water so when they finally eat there is water will be on the leaves. Your water bowl need to be shallower so they can walk in and bathe or drink. Good luck your on the correct site for reading and learning.

Thank you for replying! I’ve been scouring the forum to see what I can do. I’ll look into that water bowl then. I’ve been soaking him since I got him. He sees the food but he’s completely uninterested in it. Thanks for the tip, I try to keep the food wet so if he eats, he will get some hydration. Thanks so much.
 

Jcrice1002

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Ticonderoga
Hello! I’m in a bit of a predicament. I just received my juvenile Russian tortoise in the mail yesterday morning from Tortoise Town (I know. I saw the thread about the site too late). He has not taken any water or food since placing him in his enclosure. He will only move if I move him! I have been soaking him a little but he hasn’t taken any water then either. I figured maybe he just needs to get used to his new environment but he didn’t move from one spot for over 12 hours straight. From what I’ve extensively researched, he has everything he needs. Because he is a new tortoise I don’t know whether to take this as him being sick or adapting. Any suggestions?
I thought maybe his sleep was thrown off by the transport but I don’t know now. I’ve been measuring the temperature and it’s perfect- about 80 throughout, 95 in the hottest.
Picture: Cyrus in the corner (where he likely won’t move from)View attachment 306433
I am also a new ish owner but when we brought home our Gamera she did the same. We were recommended to provide a good hide so she would feel secure and try not to interact with her much. Tortoise do not do well with change and can take a few weeks to feel secure again. Gamera was a few months before she fully acclimated.
 

Sarah2020

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How are you getting on any feeding yet? They do like to burrow so try raising the height of the substrate in the corners by pilling it higher . If still no food and temps are as as per the care sheet then suggest visiting a reptile vet to get a health check. Try chopping the fresh leaves into small pieces as he may be more used to that than whole leaves. Good luck.
 

CyrustheRussian

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I am also a new ish owner but when we brought home our Gamera she did the same. We were recommended to provide a good hide so she would feel secure and try not to interact with her much. Tortoise do not do well with change and can take a few weeks to feel secure again. Gamera was a few months before she fully acclimated.
Thank you so mu
I am also a new ish owner but when we brought home our Gamera she did the same. We were recommended to provide a good hide so she would feel secure and try not to interact with her much. Tortoise do not do well with change and can take a few weeks to feel secure again. Gamera was a few months before she fully acclimated.
Thank you for the tips! This gives me hope haha
 

CyrustheRussian

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How are you getting on any feeding yet? They do like to burrow so try raising the height of the substrate in the corners by pilling it higher . If still no food and temps are as as per the care sheet then suggest visiting a reptile vet to get a health check. Try chopping the fresh leaves into small pieces as he may be more used to that than whole leaves. Good luck.
He is still not eating anything but he has started drinking when I soak him in the mornings and will move around a little bit more. I will try making the corners higher as he does dig a lot in them. Thank you so much for the tips!
 

Sarah2020

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Do you have any dandelion flower weeds or hybiscus flowers growing where your located. If you do wash them and put in to see what happens. Drinking is good. Another thing to try us to place him under the food lamp to warm up and place a little bit of chopped food on a slate or stone under the heat lamp with the food visible they need warmth to eat. It can be a bit if a test and see what works game!
 

TortoiseWarrior

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Your tortoise is stressed out. Give her some space and let her adapt. Just soak as usual and when she is ready to eat she will. It could take weeks or even months but she will come around. Tortoises don't a lot of changes. Patience my friend. luckily you received your tortoise alive from Tortoise town. I've never heard of a tortoise surviving from there. A vet check wouldn't hurt, just so you can have all your bases covered and your tort isn't sick 3-4 months from now.
Wow
 

CyrustheRussian

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Delaware
Do you have any dandelion flower weeds or hybiscus flowers growing where your located. If you do wash them and put in to see what happens. Drinking is good. Another thing to try us to place him under the food lamp to warm up and place a little bit of chopped food on a slate or stone under the heat lamp with the food visible they need warmth to eat. It can be a bit if a test and see what works game!
I looked into dandelion weeds but I couldn’t find them at my grocery store. I’m sure I have some suitable greens in my yard but my yard is treated so I don’t want to use them. Thanks for the tips!
 

CyrustheRussian

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Your tortoise is stressed out. Give her some space and let her adapt. Just soak as usual and when she is ready to eat she will. It could take weeks or even months but she will come around. Tortoises don't a lot of changes. Patience my friend. luckily you received your tortoise alive from Tortoise town. I've never heard of a tortoise surviving from there. A vet check wouldn't hurt, just so you can have all your bases covered and your tort isn't sick 3-4 months from now.
Wow
Yeah I try to only handle him when soaking him in the morning. All the bad reviews I stumbled across about tortoise town were a few days after I ordered him already- I was so sad that I didn’t see them before. That’s why I’m so concerned about his current behavior but I’m a bit more relaxed knowing that he may just be settling into the new environment. I can tell that he is slowly moving around more and basking rather than just hiding away (which he still does for a large portion of the day). Thanks so much for the tips!
 
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