Worried my little one is sick

[Greektort2015]

my little guy I have had for a week, he did really well the first few days now he is not acting himself he seems lethargic, he sleeps all day under his basking lamp. He doesn't eat very much, I have never seen him drink. he seems to pep up after a soak he never drinks from it. And today during his bath his poop was loose. I'm worried he is sick. Top picture is today and bottom picture is the first day we had him.

 

[dmmj]

He looks good from the pics. Clear eyes always a good sign. It would be hard to pinpoint, but loose stools usually indicate parasites. Just a guess, temps? Diet?

 

[mikeylazer]

Are you using a coil type uvb? Lethargic behavior can be early signs of the damage uvb coil bulbs cause.

 

[Gillian M]

That is such a cute little tort! It looks fine, but please listen to the experts-not to me.

And a very warm welcome to the forum.

 

[spud's_mum]

My torts poops are loose if they are in water, however I beer see him do it so idk if they just break up in the water or actually come out loose.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Check your bulb first, no coil or red lights, then the temps and humidity.
Then vary the diet.
After that, maybe think of parasites and a vet visit.

 

[redfootdaddy]

Is he lethargic or just sleepy? I wouldn't panic just yet (okay panic a little) but if the habitat is okay then he might just have eaten a lot the first few days and now he has a food hangover. Also, they can take in water through their cloaca so if his butt has been in the water he's been drinking.

The loose poops could be diet or could be stress. More fiber, but not too much more. Do you have access to a prepared tortie diet? We feed that once a week, it has much more fiber than her usual diet. She'll gorge herself, poop out something the size of her head, and then sleep for two days.

Tracking is your friend - how long you soak, what kind of poops, what you've been feeding, what he has or hasn't been eating. once you have a couple weeks of data you should have a good picture of what he needs.

We actually use an app called CareZone - it's for taking care of chronically ill humans, both my wife and I use it for our various medical conditions, but we also have a profile set up for our redfoot to be able to track her diet and health.

 

[Greektort2015]

He was laying his head in my hand with his neck extended which he never has done before. He acted like this for two days. Yesterday he started eating normally again. I am hoping it was diet. I am new at this and always worried I am doing the wrong thing. The days he acted funny was the day I sprinkled calcium on his food. He would not eat it. The next day I gave him zoo med grassland tortoise food he wouldn't touch that either. I gave him spring mix Monday and he at it all up. He seems to be pooping more around his enclosure. Some are softer. My enclosure temps are 85 degree in the warm end with 100 degree basking spot. Cool end at night is 74-75. During the day 77. Humidity I have a hard time regulating it varies between 45-65. I find it hard to keep the coco coir damp. I use the long tube uvb light. I called a vet and am going to bring a stool sample in to be checked. I'm happy to hear his butt has been drinking lol.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

My baby RF woldn't touch food with the white supplemental sprinkles on it no matter how little, then I started using a product called REPASHY. It is light brown in color and tortoises don't seem to mind it being on the food.
see if you can find some and give it a try.
As you already know, your humidity and your low temperatures are too low.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

He doesn't like the sprinkled supplement and he doesn't like the zoomed food. That's not a sign of illness. It's very common. Offer a cuttlebone and leave it in the habitat. Feed fresh food and stop feeding the jar food.

Many tortoises do not like the taste of supplements. Consider not using it at all. At least use a much smaller amount. It doesn't do any good if it's not ingested. Recommend dosage may not be reasonable. Cut back to once a week, and use a tiny tiny bit. See how that goes.

There's no reason your tortoise should eat zoo med. My hermann's loves the smell and eats it eagerly, but my Russians won't touch it. You can offer it every now and again, but there's no reason your baby needs to eat it.

Feed a variety of broad leaved greens.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Many people also finely grind up cuddlebone to sprinkle on the food.

 

[redfootdaddy]

Also, resting his head on your hand - could be a sign of affection. If our baby is warm and comfy and feeling good, she'll stretch out her head for petting.

I totally understand being worried about not doing things right, but one thing I learned is that you have to give any changes you make time.

For humidity (I don't know your set up) but we brought ours up by covering the top of the enclosure with foil, adding an aquarium bubbler, and doing a thorough soak weekly. While she's in her bath, I'll pour, mist, and spray at least 2L of water into her tank.