Greek Tortoise WON'T Eat.....Please Help!

[Gillian M]

Hi everyone. I need help with my tort asap. My Greek tort just will NOT eat! It used to eat Roman lettuce and only Roman lettuce. I do know that such a diet is anything but healthy, however I tried to hand feed it other food time and once again but it just would not eat! I was told by a member in the forum not to give in whiich I appreciate, and I didn't give in, but I cannot force the poor creature to eat something...can I? I know that torts can go on for long without food, but...what is that in numbers?
Recently my tort has not eaten anything! As a result it won't poop: it has had constant consipation although I give it a soak in warm water daily.
It is still warm here and temperature reached a maximum of 24 degrees Celcius. So long as it is warm my tort eats. I don't think it's time for hibernation, do you?
As for the place, nothing has changed except for a new carpet I'd bought a month ago. By now I guess my tort should've got used to it.
Whenever the weather permits (like today) I take my tort for a "walk" in the sun. It used to enjoy it I could tell. The last time I took it for the said walk....it hardly moved, which confirms that there's something wrong.
Your help woud be very much appreciated and.. the sooner the better.
Thank you all.

 

[Ciri]

I know this may sound surprising, but it really could be the new carpet. Carpet has a lot of toxins including formaldehyde. It could be having an adverse impact on your tortoise. I know birds are very sensitive to chemicals such as those in our laundry products, and using the wrong ones can kill them. Birds are reptiles like tortoises. So it is possible that that level of exposure might be enough to cause a problem. Do you have a room without new carpet you can move the tortoise to? If you had some time to see if the tortoise would perk up, then you would know more.

I actually had to recently remove the carpet from my house because it was making me sick. It's not that unusual anymore – there's just too many chemicals in our environment.

 

[Gillian M]

I know this may sound surprising, but it really could be the new carpet. Carpet has a lot of toxins including formaldehyde. It could be having an adverse impact on your tortoise. I know birds are very sensitive to chemicals such as those in our laundry products, and using the wrong ones can kill them. Birds are reptiles like tortoises. So it is possible that that level of exposure might be enough to cause a problem. Do you have a room without new carpet you can move the tortoise to? If you had some time to see if the tortoise would perk up, then you would know more.

I actually had to recently remove the carpet from my house because it was making me sick. It's not that unusual anymore – there's just too many chemicals in our environment.

Thanks very much your answer as well as your help.

Frankly speaking I've tried to feed my tort in a room without a carpet but it just would not eat, so I don't think it's the carpet (no offence to what you said). I've also tried to feed it in the...sun which I know torts love. I have a feeling it's something more than the carpet, the place, the weather which is rather unstable now. I'm going to have to do more research: the matter is really worrying me.

Anyway, thanks once again your help, which I appreciate.