Our new sulcata

aimeebeth

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Hi everyone.
We collected our sulcata tortoise (Arthur) last Friday. Have done lots of research and believe we have his home set up correctly. The only thing is he hasn't eaten really since we have had him.
He is in a viv, with a uv and uvb bulb. We have a heat mat. He has a hide, and grass and dirt as the flooring. Temperature under the light about 30-40 degrees, the cool end 20-30.
He doesn't seem to want to come out from hiding at all. When we get him out he likes to wander about the front room. But as soon as he is back in his viv he hides in his log under the grass. Wish he would eat. Tried soaking him this morning to see if that helped but still nothing. Arthur is 2 years old but still quite tiny. About 3 inches.
Can anyone please help?
 

wellington

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Please post pictures of the enclosure and are you giving any humidity?
Don't let him wander around the house or a room. Too many dangerous things and it's too cold on the floor.
 

aimeebeth

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Thank you for replying to me.
Am working at the moment but will send pictures as soon as I am home.
We only let him wander to see if he was lathargic or not. We won't let him again.
When it comes to humidity, upon reading as much as I could I am very confused about it. Currently I just soak his log hide. Could you please give me other tips?
Do you have sulcatas?
Thanks again
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Aimeebeth:

There are plenty of good threads for you to read that are pinned at the top of our sulcata section. You'll learn all about heat and humidity in those threads.
 

JoesMum

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aimeebeth

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Thank you for the links. I may be being silly but I still don't really understand the humidity bit.
Should I be spraying the inside of his viv?soaking his hide?basically making it pretty damp?
 

JoesMum

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To raise humidity you need

- a covered enclosure. The cover must not obstruct the lamps; you may need a gap where those are

- the substrate must hold moisture. Coco coir and orchid bark are good for this. You then tip water into the substrate and give it a good mix with your hands so the substrate is evenly damp, but not wet.

- You can then mist the enclosure which further raises the humidity and also slows the rate at which the substrate dries out.

- How quickly the substrate dries depends on your home. You will need to add more water to it after a while to keep it damp, but we can't give an exact frequency.
 

aimeebeth

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You have been so helpful. Thank you. Am giving the viv a good spray now.
Could the humidity be causing him not to want to eat?
 

JoesMum

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New tortoises frequently don't eat properly until they settle.

I suggest establishing a routine to teach your tort that you are safe:
- lights go on and off with a timer at the same time each day
- soak your tort for 30 mins in warm water first thing before he's warmed up properly
- during the soak, tidy the enclosure and place food
- replace the tort and walk away, leaving your tort to be brave without anyone big and scary watching.

This approach means the tort learns what to expect and also learns that you are the provider of yummy food and should result in the tort learning to trust you.

After that, it's usually temperature problems that cause eating issues. You need to be certain that you're measuring them accurately. I recommend a temperature gun style thermometer as far and away the best. They're inexpensive from Amazon and hardware stores.
 

Gillian M

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Hi and a very warm welcome to the forum! :D

Don't worry/panic: torts do NOT like change. Therefore it takes them time to adapt. ;) This may be stopping your tort from eating till he gets used to his new enclosure, owner, climate, and the rest.

Ask ANY question when in need of help.

Look forward to seeing pics of our tort as well as his enclosure. :)
 
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