Tortoise won’t eat

[Lbucha458]

I have a Russian tortoise that won’t eat I have him in 6.5 foot x 4.5 foot table as that’s all the space I have he sleeps allot and eats very little but my other Russian eats just fine in the same setup but they are in separate tables he has a basking of 97 with a high quality mercury vapor bulb so uvb is offered as well temp last checked last night I keep checking daily the room temp is 80ish it fluctuates a few degrees and fresh water daily he will eat a strawberry or carrot or squash in desperation to get him to eat but I don’t want to feed that much as they can’t process sugar I have tried mustard greens, kale, oak leaf greens, collard greens, the moz tortoise food and even the wet pellet food that comes in the purple bag I forget the name but I’m at my limit I’m not sure what to try his nose is dry his eyes look fine he sleeps allot also when he is active he stands tall and I keep weight on him and on June 21st he weighed 225.23 grams he now weighs 218.45 grams any advice? I don’t have photos at this time I apologize for the inconvenience

 

[wellington]

I would start now soaking in carrot or squash baby food 30 minutes daily and add flavorless baby piedialyte to the water too.
Rill a very small container, one that your tortoise fits in but doesn't have a lot of extra room. Bring water to barely above where the two shells meet. Add a jar of baby food and they same amount of the piedialyte. Hopefully that will help get his appetite back, will give him some nutrition and hopefully will get him back to normal.
In the mean time double check all temps with a point and shoot infrared temp gun and replace the mercury bulb with an incandescent flood bulb. The mercury ones are no longer recommended.
Also if you can't give them more room, why not re-home one as you then could house one properly. Adding more when you don't have the proper room for one is not the right thing to do!

 

[Lbucha458]

I would start now soaking in carrot or squash baby food 30 minutes daily and add flavorless baby piedialyte to the water too.
Rill a very small container, one that your tortoise fits in but doesn't have a lot of extra room. Bring water to barely above where the two shells meet. Add a jar of baby food and they same amount of the piedialyte. Hopefully that will help get his appetite back, will give him some nutrition and hopefully will get him back to normal.
In the mean time double check all temps with a point and shoot infrared temp gun and replace the mercury bulb with an incandescent flood bulb. The mercury ones are no longer recommended.
Also if you can't give them more room, why not re-home one as you then could house one properly. Adding more when you don't have the proper room for one is not the right thing to

I would start now soaking in carrot or squash baby food 30 minutes daily and add flavorless baby piedialyte to the water too.
Rill a very small container, one that your tortoise fits in but doesn't have a lot of extra room. Bring water to barely above where the two shells meet. Add a jar of baby food and they same amount of the piedialyte. Hopefully that will help get his appetite back, will give him some nutrition and hopefully will get him back to normal.
In the mean time double check all temps with a point and shoot infrared temp gun and replace the mercury bulb with an incandescent flood bulb. The mercury ones are no longer recommended.
Also if you can't give them more room, why not re-home one as you then could house one properly. Adding more when you don't have the proper room for one is not the right thing to do!

I would start now soaking in carrot or squash baby food 30 minutes daily and add flavorless baby piedialyte to the water too.
Rill a very small container, one that your tortoise fits in but doesn't have a lot of extra room. Bring water to barely above where the two shells meet. Add a jar of baby food and they same amount of the piedialyte. Hopefully that will help get his appetite back, will give him some nutrition and hopefully will get him back to normal.
In the mean time double check all temps with a point and shoot infrared temp gun and replace the mercury bulb with an incandescent flood bulb. The mercury ones are no longer recommended.
Also if you can't give them more room, why not re-home one as you then could house one properly. Adding more when you don't have the proper room for one is not the right thing to do!

I would start now soaking in carrot or squash baby food 30 minutes daily and add flavorless baby piedialyte to the water too.
Rill a very small container, one that your tortoise fits in but doesn't have a lot of extra room. Bring water to barely above where the two shells meet. Add a jar of baby food and they same amount of the piedialyte. Hopefully that will help get his appetite back, will give him some nutrition and hopefully will get him back to normal.
In the mean time double check all temps with a point and shoot infrared temp gun and replace the mercury bulb with an incandescent flood bulb. The mercury ones are no longer recommended.
Also if you can't give them more room, why not re-home one as you then could house one properly. Adding more when you don't have the proper room for one is not the right thing to do!

As far as space I think I have plenty to house them they also have a outside enclosure that is 20x40 just for the Russians I have so the enclosures inside my reptile room aren’t the recommended size but from the other species I have they do just fine also in the same indoor size have kept them for a few years I’m no master by no means but saying I don’t have the means to house them is a bit of a stretch big guy also the only reason mvb aren’t recommended is they stop producing uvb as soon as early as 3 months but I keep check on it as I have a meter I do biweekly checks with so I’ll stick with the mvb I’ll try your soaking method tho thank u!

 

[wellington]

As far as space I think I have plenty to house them they also have a outside enclosure that is 20x40 just for the Russians I have so the enclosures inside my reptile room aren’t the recommended size but from the other species I have they do just fine also in the same indoor size have kept them for a few years I’m no master by no means but saying I don’t have the means to house them is a bit of a stretch big guy also the only reason mvb aren’t recommended is they stop producing uvb as soon as early as 3 months but I keep check on it as I have a meter I do biweekly checks with so I’ll stick with the mvb I’ll try your soaking method tho thank u!

Didn't know you had outside area for them as you never mentioned it. However, keeping them for a few years and doing just fine doesn't mean they are thriving. Just saying. If they are adults then they should be living outside at least when temps are right.
No, the mercury bulbs are not recommended because they are too decimating to the shell and causes pyramiding no matter how high the humidity is. But I guess you know more than I do. Lol. Good luck.

 

[Lbucha458]

Didn't know you had outside area for them as you never mentioned it. However, keeping them for a few years and doing just fine doesn't mean they are thriving. Just saying. If they are adults then they should be living outside at least when temps are right.
No, the mercury bulbs are not recommended because they are too decimating to the shell and causes pyramiding no matter how high the humidity is. But I guess you know more than I do. Lol. Good luck.

Actually seeing allot of ur previous post and a guy named Tom about mvb is why I chose to go that route… I’m new as a member here but have referenced this website many times to find my answers and I seen a conversation u had referring to mvb and a guy named Tom that stated that’s the reason they aren’t recommended anymore is because they don’t last more than 3 months or something like that so now I’m confused… also this is the reason my mvb is on a angle another conversation I understand u was apart of but guess ur mind has changed as well so educate me why was the mvb so good before and people said their tortoises were “thriving” but now it’s the worst thing by ever???

 

[Lbucha458]

Actually seeing allot of ur previous post and a guy named Tom about mvb is why I chose to go that route… I’m new as a member here but have referenced this website many times to find my answers and I seen a conversation u had referring to mvb and a guy named Tom that stated that’s the reason they aren’t recommended anymore is because they don’t last more than 3 months or something like that so now I’m confused… also this is the reason my mvb is on a angle another conversation I understand u was apart of but guess ur mind has changed as well so educate me why was the mvb so good before and people said their tortoises were “thriving” but now it’s the worst thing by ever???

I’m genuinely Curious and ready to be educated

 

[wellington]

Actually seeing allot of ur previous post and a guy named Tom about mvb is why I chose to go that route… I’m new as a member here but have referenced this website many times to find my answers and I seen a conversation u had referring to mvb and a guy named Tom that stated that’s the reason they aren’t recommended anymore is because they don’t last more than 3 months or something like that so now I’m confused… also this is the reason my mvb is on a angle another conversation I understand u was apart of but guess ur mind has changed as well so educate me why was the mvb so good before and people said their tortoises were “thriving” but now it’s the worst thing by ever???

Yes, they used to be the top one recommended years ago. They no longer are. Mine always lasted more than 3 months but I have no idea about how long the uvb lasted. But they are not the ones to use anymore and shouldn't be hung at an angle anyway.
Tortoises we're still pyramiding from the MVB even when the humidity and hydration was right on. They are just to hot and bad on the shell.
Sometimes things and opinions do change, as more is learned.
Best lighting is a tube florescent uvb, incandescent flood bulb for basking and che or radiant heat panels for night heat and added heat. Che should not be used on adult larger tortoises as they can be too harsh on the shell and doesn't disperse enough heat over a larger shell area.

 

[Blackdog1714]

Actually seeing allot of ur previous post and a guy named Tom about mvb is why I chose to go that route… I’m new as a member here but have referenced this website many times to find my answers and I seen a conversation u had referring to mvb and a guy named Tom that stated that’s the reason they aren’t recommended anymore is because they don’t last more than 3 months or something like that so now I’m confused… also this is the reason my mvb is on a angle another conversation I understand u was apart of but guess ur mind has changed as well so educate me why was the mvb so good before and people said their tortoises were “thriving” but now it’s the worst thing by ever???

Years ago drinkware was made out of lead. Through trial and error members like Tom have worked to advance the proper care for tortoises over the years. I went from dogs and cats to two tortoises that are thriving thanks to the knowledge collective on this forum

 

[Sleppo]

We know there may be a more glaring issue here with the specs of how you are keeping them but to get back to the eatling part Wellington gave me some good advice a few weeks back. Try squeezing strawberry juice on some good greens and also into some moistened pellet food, I use the Zoo Med Grassland kind Mazuri works too. You mentioned it would eat strawberries this may be a good way to trick them into eatling it. This new Russian we aquired (it was found roaming a nearby neighborhood) has taken weeks to settle in and eat. I ended up needing to smear sweet potato on his mouth ( and up under his "buck beak" it was quite overgrown) he had no choice but to taste it and then I had him hooked on it. After a few days of smearing it on greens and mixing it into the pellet mush I have him eating daily now, sometime they just need that push. Once you get them eating just back off of what you are using to entice them so they end up just eating what they should be. You can also mix finely diced cucumber into the mush mine love cucumber I occasionally will feed them some in the summer to keep them hydrated, it should not be a staple. Good luck.

 

[Lbucha458]

We know there may be a more glaring issue here with the specs of how you are keeping them but to get back to the eatling part Wellington gave me some good advice a few weeks back. Try squeezing strawberry juice on some good greens and also into some moistened pellet food, I use the Zoo Med Grassland kind Mazuri works too. You mentioned it would eat strawberries this may be a good way to trick them into eatling it. This new Russian we aquired (it was found roaming a nearby neighborhood) has taken weeks to settle in and eat. I ended up needing to smear sweet potato on his mouth ( and up under his "buck beak" it was quite overgrown) he had no choice but to taste it and then I had him hooked on it. After a few days of smearing it on greens and mixing it into the pellet mush I have him eating daily now, sometime they just need that push. Once you get them eating just back off of what you are using to entice them so they end up just eating what they should be. You can also mix finely diced cucumber into the mush mine love cucumber I occasionally will feed them some in the summer to keep them hydrated, it should not be a staple. Good luck.

The strawberry truck worked he is eating for the last 3 days!!!!