why is my tortoise not eating?? Urgen help please!!

[Kurosawa]

Hello again, its been a day and a half since my baby Sulcata arrive in its new home and not once has it eaten to the best of my knowledge. The previous owner had 3 of them in a 3 foot by 1/5 foot plastic tub on gravel with rabbit grass. He said that it suits them just fine and they don't eat very much. After much research, ive yet to find out if the rabbit grass is suitable for them. Futhermore, the claims that he has had the sulcatas for a little over a month with no problems. how here is where i come in. I bought one of the hatchlings from him, used woodchips (fir) as a substrate upon recommendation from the folks at a local pet store. they also recommended romaine lettuce for the diet. Thus far, ive still got some of the rabbit grass left in its 10 gallon tank. however, my tortoise is still not eating. Is there some sort of acclimation period for sulcatas that i have not read about? it is the second day that i have give Appetite plus+ to my turtle. It walks around the tank several times at a time, so its fairly active. the link below shows the current enclosure:

my photobucket

I plan on placing the entire tank on my balcony tomorrow while im at school under the shade so it can get some sunlight, this may help improve my baby's eating habbits. I also plan on stopping by the local fresh and easy for a bit of spring mix for it.

any help and advice in getting my habitat square away is greatly appreciated. Please, Im very very worried about my tortoise.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I couldn't see the pictures because I need a password to get in, and I won't bother with that. Is your tortoise warm enough? He may just need some time to settle in. Spring mix is good to feed him. I don't know what rabbit grass is, so can't advise you on that. Tanks are really not good to keep hatchlings in, it's hard to regulate the temperatures and you could accidentally cook one. If you put him out in the sun, make sure he has shade. Make sure his substrate is damp...here's a care sheet for you to read up on...

http://africantortoise.com/

 

[Kristina]

I personally would not be using "fir" chips. That sounds too much like "pine" or cedar to me, which is extrememly toxic to tortoises. You can use aspen bedding, or a 50/50 mix of coconut coir and play sand.

With the "rabbit grass," if it is alfalfa, then no, it is not suitable. Other types of grasses are okay. Can you tell us what type of grass that it contains?

Kristina

 

[Crazy1]

The previous owner had 3 of them in a 3 foot by 1/5 foot plastic tub on gravel with rabbit grass. He said that it suits them just fine and they don't eat very much. After much research, ive yet to find out if the rabbit grass is suitable for them.
I bought one of the hatchlings from him, used woodchips (fir) as a substrate upon recommendation from the folks at a local pet store. they also recommended romaine lettuce for the diet. Thus far, ive still got some of the rabbit grass left in its 10 gallon tank. however, my tortoise is still not eating. Is there some sort of acclimation period for sulcatas that i have not read about? it is the second day that i have give Appetite plus+ to my turtle. It walks around the tank several times at a time, so its fairly active. the link below shows the current enclosure:

I plan on placing the entire tank on my balcony tomorrow while im at school under the shade so it can get some sunlight, this may help improve my baby's eating habbits. I also plan on stopping by the local fresh and easy for a bit of spring mix for it.

any help and advice in getting my habitat square away is greatly appreciated. Please, Im very very worried about my tortoise.

"Fir" is Pine ! I would get that out of my hatchlings habitat ASAP!
If you have him in a glass tank and you set him outside what is keeping it from having a crow or other bird from taking off with it( baby tort)? Or regulating its heat (inside glass heats fast)? Remember UVB rays do not pass through glass or screen. The Pet stores don't always know what is best for young torts. Timothy or orchard hay is fine for a sully. Plain dirt is fine for a substrate and spring mix will work well for him at this point. Read the care sheet we provided carefully and start from there.

 

[tortelini]

There is such a thing as rabbit tail grass. It isn't toxic but that doesn't mean it's good for your tortoise either! I would personally stay on the safe side and only feed things that I know to be healthy. Here's a pic of rabbit tail....

 

[Yvonne G]

There is such a thing as rabbit tail grass. It isn't toxic but that doesn't mean it's good for your tortoise either! I would personally stay on the safe side and only feed things that I know to be healthy. Here's a pic of rabbit tail....

I think the "rabbit grass" being referred to here is something the pet store sells, live and growing, for you to put in with your rabbits. Its probably like those little containers of grass sold for your cat to nibble on. I doubt its harmful.

Or if its rabbit grass pellets, this is what I found on that: # Peter's Premium Rabbit Foods and Treats are made from the earth's finest ingredients. All-natural & pesticide free. They are made from fields of fresh green foliate plants such as dandelion, lettuce and clover; nature's own ingredients, consumed by rabbits in their natural environment. Peter's Premium proven formulas have been used successfully for decades by Europe's leading rabbit breeder and were designed for rabbit's nutritional needs.
# Fresh Grass Pellets
# All-natural pellets made of pesticide free freshly harvested grass.
# Taste and smell like fresh cut grass.

Yvonne

---

Some of us here on the forum recommend you soak your new babies (every time you soak them) in either Vitasol liquid bird vitamin water or Gerber strained baby food water (carrots or sweet potato or squash). That way, even if it takes him a while to start eating, he is absorbing some nutrients through the thin skin in areas of his body.

Read the care sheet referred to above and after you've made some adjustments to his habitat, give your little guy a week or so to settle in.

Yvonne

 

[Crazy1]

Sorry my above post was so blunt. I did not mean to hurt any feelings. I was in a time crunch, so forgive me if I did in fact step on toes. Please Understand that Fir is actually Douglas Fir and it is a pine tree. The oils can cause your little Sully problems and even perhaps death. Maggie3fan gave you the link to a great site for Sullys. I just want you and your new shelled friend to live a long, happy and healthy life. And yes it may take a few days for your new baby to get comfortable and start eating. I would place it's food in the same place every time you feed then place the tort at the food. Soon it will understand that that place means food. I also could not see your link as it is passworded so what type of lighting and heat do you have set up for it? Have you named it yet? Oh, yes and I recommend for the time being you soak your hatchling as Yvonne suggested.

 

[nrfitchett4]

I too have our new Sulcata. My 4 year old named it Shelly. So far, 2 days, we are not sure if it has eaten, so I think I will do the baby food bath tomorrow just to be sure. I have soaked it everyday in lukewarm water.
temporarily it is living in a sterlite container with a heat lamp and 24" uvb bulb. I decided to use dirt as the substrate for now with grass hay on top. How long can they go without eating before it is a concern if you do the baby food soak?

 

[Yvonne G]

Tortoises can go several weeks without eating, but you don't want to let it go that far. A baby that doesn't eat is a real cause for concern. You should see some improvement in two or three days of baby food OR bird vitamin soaking, and if not, either a trip to the vet or a really hard look at your husbandry.

Yvonne

 

[DAC8671]

nrfitchett4~how big is your sully? My Ralph is 4 yrs old and is 15 lbs, just over a foot long, about 8-9 inches tall at the tallest.

 

[nrfitchett4]

nrfitchett4~how big is your sully? My Ralph is 4 yrs old and is 15 lbs, just over a foot long, about 8-9 inches tall at the tallest.

maybe 3-4 inches shell length. Born around the holidays. I haven't had a chance to officially measure and weigh the little one yet.

 

[Kurosawa]

thanks so much for all your help guys. Ill get it out of the fir immediately. I bought a bit of Spring Mix today, and placed it in his tank then left for work. By the time i got back three hours later, only a few leaves were left!! I intend on getting him a better substrate this weekend, and have emptied out the fir chips. Thanks again for all your help. His name is Reeses by the way...yes, as in the peanut butter cups.

 

[tortoisenerd]

That's great he ate! Cute name by the way. It's great you want to make his enclosure the best for him--it's really tough when you first start out and get advice all over the spectrum. Best wishes.

 

[nrfitchett4]

it's amazing how little pet stores know.

 

[Crazy1]

Kurosawa, I am so glad Reeses is eating I know it must have made you feel a lot better too. Remember a lot of times it takes a lot of tweaking to make things just right for your particular Tort as each is so different even within the same species. Good Luck with Reeses I'm sure you two will have a wonderful time discovering the wonders of Tort ownership and tort Love.

 

[Yvonne G]

it's amazing how little pet stores know.

Its not only "how little pet stores know," but its that they have to make a buck. Setting up a baby tortoise the way that is recommended on the forums is quite a bit cheaper than setting it up in the recommended pet store way.

Yvonne

 

[Laura]

I think by 'rabbit grass' they were talking about Timothy hay in the small bags you can buy for rabbits at pet stores.. since it says sulcatas eat grass. However.. as you are finding.. hatchlings dont eat hay or dry grass very well, if at all. You can chop it up and sprinkle it over thier spring mix so they get a taste for it. Dont forget calcium sups and heat. If they arent warm enough, they wont eat. Also, not enough lite during the day, might make them sleep too much. Turn off the lights at night, but be sure to keep it warm.
good luck!

 

[dcoolguy68]

it's amazing how little pet stores know.

Its not only "how little pet stores know," but its that they have to make a buck. Setting up a baby tortoise the way that is recommended on the forums is quite a bit cheaper than setting it up in the recommended pet store way.

Yvonne

I agree, almost everything is over priced in stores like petsmart and petco, the only reptile knowledge they actually know very little about would probably be iguanas and even that is not enough lol. By the way what is the name of the vitamin water thing you mentioned?

 

[Yvonne G]

By the way what is the name of the vitamin water thing you mentioned?

It is liquid bird vitamins. I learned this little trick from our very own "Egyptiandan" The vitamins are Vitasol by 8in1 or 8to1 I can't remember. You just put 3 or 4 drops in the water to make it tea colored. If I've told you wrong, Danny will correct me (I hope).

Yvonne

 

[dcoolguy68]

Is it available at Petco? or do only certain stores carry it?