New Tortoise but won't eat - Help! :-(

[Nat&Egor]

Hi all

I have recently become mum to a Mediterranean Spur Thighed Tortoise called Egor... He is about 3 years old & loves to climb.

I only bought him on Saturday and since he has arrived with us he hasn't eaten.... He was in a glass vivarium at the pet shop but now he is in a tortoise table with sterilised soil as the substrate. He has a combined UV and heat lamp at one end of the table and he has a protective house at the cooler end. The hot end reaches 30 Celsius and the cool end approx 20celsius.

He last ate on Saturday (& it's now Wednesday!) which was a bunch of dandelions, he gobbled them up but hasn't eaten since! I am now incredibly worried and don't know what to do. I have put a flat leaf parsley plant in his table and am putting down fresh weeds and veg every day but he just isn't interested at all.... What should I do!??? I've bathed him which encouraged him to drink but he still isn't eating.

Your advice is hugely appreciated.

Many thanks in advance

 

[HotdogKnight]

Welcome! Perhaps you could take a photo of your enclosure for us to take a look at? Where did you get your tort from?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Nat, and welcome to the Forum!

It's really not unusual for a new-to-you tortoise to eat like a fool the first day then not eat again for a while. It just takes time for them to acclimate to the new house.

Take a look at our care sheet that's pinned at the top of the Greek tortoise section. There's a list of tasty food items in there for Egor.

 

[Nat&Egor]

Hi all,

Thank you for the speedy response - please find a picture attached.

Let me know your thoughts

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

Hi all,

Thank you for the speedy response - please find a picture attached.

Let me know your thoughts

I'm sorry to tell you but the enclosure is way to small. needs a major upgrade to around 4ft by8ft.

 

[Nat&Egor]

Hello

It's a 5' by 2' table but I assume this is even too small? It's quite easy to extend so this shouldn't be a problem to make the enclosure wider.

Thank you for your help with this!

Hopefully I can report back with a positive outcome soon

 

[Yvonne G]

Darn it, I just hate those pre-made tortoise tables. All they're good for is getting people's money. I'm so sorry you bought that darned thing. Looking at the size of your tortoise in the corner of that table, it's just way too small for him. A table like that would be ok for a hatchling for a year or so, but a grown tortoise like yours needs to be outside. If you have to have him indoors in the winter, then a much bigger area is called for. In order to make that table work you would have to put three or four of them together. It would be much cheaper to build something from scratch.

 

[Kristine B]

I am having the same problem. My little one is only 4.125 inches and think approx 3-4 months old. We have had her for just over a month. She will not eat hay, (even really nice green hay) or any of the plant grasses that we grow. She typically eats one large romaine lettuce leaf per day. She has not eaten since Monday night. She lives her nights in a 20 gallon tank that we vary between 15-30% humidity temp on hot end is about 90 and cool end about 75. She has a rock cave that she loves to sleep in and a little rock "lagoon" that she walks through and two other watering holes. During the day she is out in a grass enclosure, or if we have a lot of kids over she has a large sand box that is filled with the cocoa fiber stuff just like her tank rather than sand. I did notice that one of her little packages was trailing her by a thin stingy substance. Maybe part of the cocoa fiber? I cut it off, and continue trying to get her to eat. She is moving and active.

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

I am having the same problem. My little one is only 4.125 inches and think approx 3-4 months old. We have had her for just over a month. She will not eat hay, (even really nice green hay) or any of the plant grasses that we grow. She typically eats one large romaine lettuce leaf per day. She has not eaten since Monday night. She lives her nights in a 20 gallon tank that we vary between 15-30% humidity temp on hot end is about 90 and cool end about 75. She has a rock cave that she loves to sleep in and a little rock "lagoon" that she walks through and two other watering holes. During the day she is out in a grass enclosure, or if we have a lot of kids over she has a large sand box that is filled with the cocoa fiber stuff just like her tank rather than sand. I did notice that one of her little packages was trailing her by a thin stingy substance. Maybe part of the cocoa fiber? I cut it off, and continue trying to get her to eat. She is moving and active.

welcome to the forum! please make your own thread so to not go off the original post topic.

 

[Kristine B]

welcome to the forum! please make your own thread so to not go off the original post topic.

Sorry - thought that would be odd to ask the same question twice. ;-) Shoule I post under intro or other string?

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

Sorry - thought that would be odd to ask the same question twice. ;-)

i know lots about sulcatas i will help you just copy and paste your first post into your own thread.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Nat welcome to the TFO from AZ, USA . Greek torts Rule !

 

[cmacusa3]

i know lots about sulcatas i will help you just copy and paste your first post into your own thread.

How old are you?

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

How old are you?

16, why are you asking?

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome!

 

[Tom]

You might also try lowering the heat lamp just a little. Basking temp directly under the bulb should be closer to 36.

Also how long are you running the bulb? Try keeping it on for 13-14 hours a day to fool the tortoise into thinking winter is over.

 

[pam]

Welcome