Baby Hermann tortoise - HELP PLS (sleeps all the time)

[Chris Tabone]

Hi,

2 days ago I got a baby hermann tortoise and all it is doing is sleep the whole day. I placed it under the UVB lamp and it went in the enclosure, i took it outside in the sun and again walked into an enclosure. It opens it's eyes for a short period of time until it walks over to a shady part/enclosure. It only took 2 bites of food and nothing else in these 2 days. I placed it in warm water and it barely moved, sometimes it remained asleep.

I have a few questions please as i'm quite new as a tort keeper.

1) Why does it move away from the sun/UVB lamp? It looks as if it doesn't like it.
2) Why isn't it eating or showing appetite?
3) Is it normal that it sleeps all day?
4) Do you think it's sick?
5) What should I do in this situation?

Thanks a lot for your help!!

Regards,
Chris

 

[Gillian M]

One thing I am sure of is that torts take time, and a lot of time to adapt to a new place, enclosure, environment, and the rest. A lot of patience is required here. Don't panic.

In the meantime, please read the "Beginners Mistakes Thread" as well as different care sheets that are available and keep asking questions.

And a warm welcome to the forum!

 

[Gillian M]

Please post pics of your tort and his enclosure. (Sorry, forgot to mention this).

 

[Raymo2477]

Babies hide, it's in their nature. They're vulnerable to lots of predators. My babies hid most of the time until they're a few months old.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Can you post a photo of your light?
There is a type that has been associated with eye issues.
Also, it is perfectly normal for babies to stay hidden and to sleep a lot.