What should I do?

[SSJ Tortoise]

I currently have a red foot but I don't know how old she is and she won't eat unless she haves too and I'm thinking of giving her back to the pet store because she ate and seemed happy there. But i just can't let her go, I want to give her away so she can be happy and I want a new yellow foot. Please help!!

 

[Jacqui]

Hi! Let's start with trying to figure out why she is not eating for you okay? Tell us a bit about how you have her setup. Things like size of enclosure, what temps your keeping different parts of it and be sure to take those temperatures right down there next to her on the substrate, what kind of substrate (bedding) are you using, what kind of light and how long is it on each day, what humidity is she at, does she use her waterdish, do you soak her, and what are you trying to feed her? Also how long have you had her and what size is she? Is she active? No runny nose, bubbles or noises?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi SSJ:

Welcome to the Forum!!

Before you even think of getting another tortoise, let's figure out what's wrong with the one you have. Tell us the answers to all the questions Jacqui has put to you and we can go from there.

It sometimes takes tortoises quite a while to settle in and realize their new home is a safe place, and until that happens, they won't eat. But there are other reasons why a tortoise won't eat, so give us some answers. Maybe even a picture of the habitat.

 

[SSJ Tortoise]

I don't know how old she is..I got her in a pet store and I use ReptiBark as bedding. She lives in a 20 gallon glass terrarium. The lighting is a RepiBasking Spot Lamp. I try to feed her baby spring mix with Rep-Cal calcium with Vit.D powder and she won't come out of her Habba Hut to eat unless I force her. I think she has been in that pet store for at least a good month... Maybe she misses whoever used to feed her? Thanks for the help!!!!

 

[SSJ Tortoise]

I have had her for about 2 months and she lives in a 20 gallon glass terrarium. I try to feed her baby spring mix with rep-cal powder on it. This is my first tortoise and i dont know how to read humidity, also when i first got her i think she has been pyramiding and she a dent in her shell. She just hides in her habba hut and never really comes out unless i force her, she never uses her water dish because she just hides and i soak her every Wednesday and Saturday. She is currently 3.75 inches and she is not active at all. She has never had a runny nose, no bubbles, and sometimes she sometimes makes noises that sound like a high pitched fart. I am starting to think she actually misses the petshop

 

[SSJ Tortoise]

I feed her baby spring mix with rep-cal powder on it. Her light is a reptibasking spot light and i dont know how to read humidity. She always hides in her habba hut and is never active, uses her water dish, or eats without me forcing her. I soak her on wednesday and saturday. She lives in a 20 gallon glass terrarium.

 

[Yvonne G]

Your light might be too bright for the aquarium. Can you set her up in a bigger (by bigger I mean more floor space, not necessarily taller sides) habitat, then add some plants, either real or fake, to help diffuse the lighting.

Try offering the food without the calcium on it. You may be adding too much, and it doesn't taste good. You can also offer her some fruit and some moistened dry cat food (occasionally).

I always take my tortoises out of their hiding place and place them in front of the food, then I quickly step out of sight.

 

[SSJ Tortoise]

Do you think it is possible she might miss the petstore?

 

[AnnV]

How do you 'force' her to eat?
What temp is her enclosure kept at? They need to be warm to digest their food.
Does she have regular bowel movements?

 

[SSJ Tortoise]

I usually take her out of her hut and next to the bowl, and what's a bowel movement? Temp is 70-80 degrees F

 

[goReptiles]

Definitely consider a larger enclosure. How big is the tort?

You want the temperature to be warmer. She may not be eating bc it's a little cool.

Like Yvonne mentioned, the light may be bright, making her hide. I've read where some believe baby and young red foots don't need the bright UV lighting as it can hurt their eyes.

I don't think she "misses" the pet store. I don't think reptiles necessarily have the same emotions as people, dogs or other furry mammals.

 

[Watsonpartyof4]

I usually take her out of her hut and next to the bowl, and what's a bowel movement? Temp is 70-80 degrees F

Poo ...does she poop? Temps are too cold ..should be no lower than 80 degrees F. You want temps around 90 degrees during the day.

 

[Madkins007]

Hi SSJ!

Your first tortoise can drive you crazy- there is a lot more to learn and do than people think. Let's start with some basics.

1. Housing. Aim for something that offers room to move, is easy to clean, won't rot or hurt the tortoise. Glass aquaria are OK, but 20 gallons is a bit small. A big plastic tub (35 gallons or bigger, as wide and long as you can find) is often a better starting point.
Part of this is the substrate, the stuff at the bottom of the tank. A good, cheap starter substrate is cypress or other hardwood mulch or bark chips, with Orchid Bark being another good option but there are other options and opinions about this. Aim for several inches of substrate.
Try to include live plants if at all possible. They offer shade, hides, humidity, and help keep the air clean. Some can also act as a snack! Set them in heavy pots or hang them on the sides of the tank

2. Heating. Here is one reason for a big space- you can offer a warm end and a cool end and let the tortoise choose what it wants. In a smaller space you are always struggling for the 'right' temp.
An easy way to provide heat is to use 1-2 ceramic heat emitters (CHE's), which screw into a heat-resistant ceramic lamp socket like a bulb, but have a wide ceramic face that emits heat. They come in several sizes. I recommend a largish size and a thermostatic controller, or a couple smallish ones on each end. The controller lets you set the unit to a nice temp then leave it alone. Otherwise you have to mess around with raising and lowering it all the time.

3. Lighting. Another nice thing about the emitters is that you can now offer lighting separately without worrying about it being too hot or bright. Ideally we want to use something that offers a nice sun-like spectrum, which includes UV-B rays. This means specially made fluorescent or mercury vapor bulb (MVB) lights. I prefer using long, low-level fluorescent to offer a broader lit area. Remember that even a biggish 50 gallon tank only needs about 15-20 watts of lighting to be nice and bright- no need to turn the tank into an Easy Bake oven.

4. Humidity. This is a bit of a pain for a lot of red-footed tortoise keepers, especially those of us who live in dry and/or cold areas. If we let the surface get wet it can bother the tortoise. If you are using several inches of bark or mulch, all you have to do is keep about an inch of water at the bottom. As it warms, it will rise up as humidity past the animal. It helps if you can warm the bottom of the tank (without melting it.)

5 Other.
- Water and food dishes. I like cheap plastic plant saucers for water, sunk into the substrate. I use folded newspaper for dishes and toss after use.
- Lid. The more you can cover the whole thing, the more you can keep heat and humidity in, but the more you trap in mold, mildew, smells, etc. Consider making a tent out of clear plastic over the lights and everything.
- I know I am forgetting things (d'oh, like hides!) cuz Im tired. Check out the Library linked in my sig for other ideas.