Tortoise not eating

[Sarahbrown1102]

Hello all,
I am new, so hello!!! I got a Russian tortoise last Tuesday, 7 days ago from petco, and she hasn’t eating anything……..
She’ll drink water while she soaks and she is pooping and peeing after each soak, once a day or every other day.

I have offered her spring mix, yellow squash, bok choy, watermelon, strawberries, and carrots is this normal and what can I do? I dont necessarily want to take her to the vet but will if I have to I guess.


She is in a 45 gal indoor enclosure. Basking side is between 80-100 degrees, cool side is usually around 70.

Thank you!!!!

 

[wellington]

Stop feeding fruit. 45 gallon enclosure for what is likely an adult is way too small. An adult Russian needs a minimum of a 4x8 foot enclosure.
Post pics of tortoise and enclosure but be sure to get that enclosure improved asap.

 

[Sarahbrown1102]

Stop feeding fruit. 45 gallon enclosure for what is likely an adult is way too small. An adult Russian needs a minimum of a 4x8 foot enclosure.
Post pics of tortoise and enclosure but be sure to get that enclosure improved asap.

I should mention that she is not an adult and I was told fruit was okay as a treat. She hasnt eaten it, I am offering it to entice her to eat something.

 

[TammyJ]

Hi and welcome! Please post pictures of your tortoise and enclosure so we can best help you make any changes needed.

 

[Sarahbrown1102]

This is her and her TEMPORARY enclosure. we are getting her a bigger enclosure that isn’t glass. This is just what we have for the meantime. She comes out everyday for her soak and exercise.

 

[wellington]

That looks like an adult. Never seen or heard of the big box stores selling babies.
Stull no fruit. It messes with their gut flora and can cause bigger problems then not eating.
Give him time to settle in. To entice eating use some romaine. Romaine isn't the best to feed a lot of but can be part of a varied proper diet and most tortoises seem to love it and is much better then fruit for your russuan.

 

[Sarahbrown1102]

Thank you! The adult thing is good to know. Petco said she was about a year old, I guess I don’t know what constitutes as an adult tortoise LOL. I will try the Romaine lettuce To see if I can get her to eat some thing. Fingers crossed thank you

 

[TammyJ]

Sometimes their not eating is just because they are in a new place and feel insecure. It may take a while. Just make sure the enclosure and it's climate are right, then the eating will follow.

 

[RosemaryDW]

Welcome!

Pet stores want your money and don't know much, if anything about tortoises I'm afraid.

Very few Russians in the U.S. are captive born; rather they are taken from countries like Kazakhstan when they are nearing sexuality maturity; there are no babies or young tortoises where you were.

Russians are from an extremely dry and harsh climate; there is no fruit there! And their systems are not designed to handle it as a result. I personally would not feed her carrot right yet either, as it is also relatively high in sugar. Carrot on occasion down the road will be fine.

She can't easily drink out of the bowl they sold you either, sorry! It is for reptiles with flexible necks, like snakes and lizards. Get her a flat and cheap terracotta plant saucer that is bigger than she is and sink it level with the substrate. If you are lucky you can return the one you bought.

She's soaking and going to the bathroom so she's fine; probably still shy, that's very common. Tortoises can go a long time without eating; they are nothing like mammals. As mentioned above it's the enclosure that is key to their health.

I would suggest you find out what she was eating in the pet store, she's probably used to it by now and they can get pretty focused on one food type. If it's a pellet type, wet some and mix a bit of the new foods you are trying in with it. As they get used to the new one you can decrease the old stuff. Nothing wrong with dry foods as a supplement if it's a good one; it just shouldn't be the full diet. She won't starve herself, I promise.

Don't feel bad about getting bad info from the pet store; it's happened to most of us.

 

[zolasmum]

Welcome!

Pet stores want your money and don't know much, if anything about tortoises I'm afraid.

Very few Russians in the U.S. are captive born; rather they are taken from countries like Kazakhstan when they are nearing sexuality maturity; there are no babies or young tortoises where you were.

Russians are from an extremely dry and harsh climate; there is no fruit there! And their systems are not designed to handle it as a result. I personally would not feed her carrot right yet either, as it is also relatively high in sugar. Carrot on occasion down the road will be fine.

She can't easily drink out of the bowl they sold you either, sorry! It is for reptiles with flexible necks, like snakes and lizards. Get her a flat and cheap terracotta plant saucer that is bigger than she is and sink it level with the substrate. If you are lucky you can return the one you bought.

She's soaking and going to the bathroom so she's fine; probably still shy, that's very common. Tortoises can go a long time without eating; they are nothing like mammals. As mentioned above it's the enclosure that is key to their health.

I would suggest you find out what she was eating in the pet store, she's probably used to it by now and they can get pretty focused on one food type. If it's a pellet type, wet some and mix a bit of the new foods you are trying in with it. As they get used to the new one you can decrease the old stuff. Nothing wrong with dry foods as a supplement if it's a good one; it just shouldn't be the full diet. She won't starve herself, I promise.

Don't feel bad about getting bad info from the pet store; it's happened to most of us.

Welcome - our Hermanns tortoise loves radicchio - he would eat it all the time. I think the red colour is especially appealing. It has a bit more fibre in it than lettuce - maybe worth a try, - you can probably get it in mixed salad packs if it's hard to find.
Good luck
Angie

 

[MenagerieGrl]

So, they can go for a while w/o eating but they need to keep hydrated. Make sure your soaking for sufficient time.