Leigh halsey
New Member
My spurthigh is 2 years old. I have had him/her for 4 months. He has always eaten well but recently has hardly eaten at all. He has never been outside so was told not to worm him yet. Any advise would be welcome . Thanks .
Thank you for your reply .Hi @Leigh halsey and welcome to the forum.
It's a well-known fact that torts do not like change. Therefore they take time to adapt to it. This could be the case with your tort. Furthermore, they tend to lose appetite in Winter.
Any pics of your tort and his/her enclosure?
He/ she is always banging the glass on enclosure to get out ? He enjoys walking around the house .
Thanks for the advice, I have bathed him and he seems to liven up after but still not eating .Hi
I'm the other side of the Thames estuary in Kent with a hibernating Greek spur thigh.
The shortening days are making even those kept indoors think of hibernation.
You do need to double check the enclosure temperatures as they may well have changed, especially at night.
What are the four important temperatures in the enclosure? Warm side, cool side, directly under the basking lamp and overnight minimum. The first 3 are best measured with a temperature gun thermometer that you can get for around £9 from Amazon.
You also need to have the lights on good and bright for 14 hours a day. When were your lamps last changed?
A daily soak in the morning before you leave for work followed by food may well get eating going too.
Thank you I will make changes ,Hello, Leigh, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.
You are right not to hibernate him the first year.
But he needs a lot of other changes in his enclosure.
The light should be pointing downwards.
The substrate is too dry and needs to be replaced with coco coir, cypress mulch or orchid bark.
It is a good idea to use a flat piece of slate or sandstone, even a rough tile for putting the food on. This is easy to access for the tort and some say helps keep the beak trilmmed.
The water dish is a flip hazard. A cheap, shallow terracotta plant saucer or similar sunk into the substrate and big enough for the tortoise to soak in, is recommended.
Fresh broad leafed weeds should be provided where possible.
Have a read of http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
and http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-testudo-graeca-care-sheet-overview.87146/
plus http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/
Then don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions.
As Joe's Mum said, the not eating is likely due to it being hibernation time, so the 14 hours of light a day and the offering of tasty foods will be necessary to encourage him to believe it is still summer.Thanks for the advice, I have bathed him and he seems to liven up after but still not eating .
Offered him/her all sorts of food but still not eating although is lively after bathing .As Joe's Mum said, the not eating is likely due to it being hibernation time, so the 14 hours of light a day and the offering of tasty foods will be necessary to encourage him to believe it is still summer.
And make sure your temps are high enough.
Temperature in enclosure is 80 ?Offered him/her all sorts of food but still not eating although is lively after bathing .
Temps ?Offered him/her all sorts of food but still not eating although is lively after bathing .
80 f ?Temps ?
Basking spot should be 95 to 100°Temperature in enclosure is 80 ?