When should my hatchling start eating

[Cutva]

Tomorrow is going to be a week since my egg hatched and the baby isn't eating still. His egg sack is absorbed but he doesn't seem to show any interest in food. Is this normal or should I be worried?

 

[Tom]

What species? How are you housing it? What are the temperatures?

 

[Cutva]

Russian tortoise, low 79-80 high 88-90 60% humidity

 

[Cutva]

What species? How are you housing it? What are the temperatures?

 

[Tom]

I like to keep my hatchlings in shoe boxes with the lid on, on damp paper towels until I get them eating reliably. You could set the shoe box in the enclosure there to keep it warm.

Babies in an underground nest will eat egg shells, dirt, mom's poop the she left when she laid the eggs, etc... Many times when they get moved into and enclosure with substrate, their first meal will be substrate. This is not good for obvious reasons. I like to get them eating a wide variety of foods in the shoe boxes for at least a week, before moving them on to substrate.

In other words, when they first hatch, they have no idea what is food and what isn't. In my shoe boxes, there is nothing but a pile of greens to munch on, so they learn what the food is without ingesting any substrate.

 

[Cutva]

I like to keep my hatchlings in shoe boxes with the lid on, on damp paper towels until I get them eating reliably. You could set the shoe box in the enclosure there to keep it warm.

Babies in an underground nest will eat egg shells, dirt, mom's poop the she left when she laid the eggs, etc... Many times when they get moved into and enclosure with substrate, their first meal will be substrate. This is not good for obvious reasons. I like to get them eating a wide variety of foods in the shoe boxes for at least a week, before moving them on to substrate.

In other words, when they first hatch, they have no idea what is food and what isn't. In my shoe boxes, there is nothing but a pile of greens to munch on, so they learn what the food is without ingesting any substrate.

Thanks I had just moved him to his enclosure but when I get home to night I will put him back in. Should I give him the same food that I do my bigger tortoises?

 

[Cutva]

Never mind I just went up to check on the light before I left and the baby was eating! XD I so happy right now!!

 

[WithLisa]

I like to keep my hatchlings in shoe boxes with the lid on, on damp paper towels until I get them eating reliably.

I tried that with my first hatchlings, but they started eating the paper towels right away.

 

[Tom]

I tried that with my first hatchlings, but they started eating the paper towels right away.

Did you have a large pile of greens and their egg shells in there? Mine will eat the paper towels too if there are no greens or eggshells? None of mine touch the paper towels with daily soaks, greens and egg shells available.

Also, the paper towel must be damp and lay flat.

Austin in AZ uses damp hand towels for this reason. He just has a large supply and he puts a new clean towel in everyday.