when should I worry?

[biglove4bigtorts]

Neither tort has eaten yet. I am sure they are settleing in and it hasn't helped that I meddled in the enclosure with putting in a hide and such, but even after misting, the seem uninterested. I have them heated with an infared heater to about 83F on one side of the enclosure, no other heat. I have a ambient light from a grow rack of violets behind them and I placed a 48'' fixture with UVB and a daylight bulb, that is on for maybe 6 hrs a day, since they dislike exposure to bright lighting. I have a large basket, covered with faux ferns that occupies the cool end of the cage, and also provides areas under the ferns, but not under the basket to walk and hide. They are on moist coir and ambient temps are between 74F-78F, with around 70F being the normal nightly lows. I will use a ceramic heat emitter in place of the infared bulb, but the one I had decided it wouldn't work, so infared is on for now, though off at night, as the torts could see just fine in the red light and I worried it would disrupt thier sleep. The habitat is 40''L X 24'' W and dark green, plenty tall enough to prevent them seeing out and open topped for air circulation. I have a terracotta saucer for watering and a plastic one for food, though I may change this to terracotta to help with beak and nail wearing. I have misted them a few times today to stimulate fedding, but have tried to stay away and avoid disturbing them for now.

Food I am offering is a chopeed mix of:
white mulberry (new leaves)
dandelion leaves
dandelion flowers
viola flowers
mill thistle leaves (tender new growth)
blackberry leaves(tender new leaves)
wild rose(tender new leaves)
mullein (small amount of young leaves)
chickweed (small amount)
bitter cress(small amount of newer leaves)
and young grape leaves

they have touched none of it. They do soak in the water, regulate back and forth between the cool area of the cage and the warmer area and seem normal, though fairly sedate. I'm sure much of the food is forgein to them as well, b/c I like to feed field grown greens, when I can, b//c they have so much better nutrition than supermarket stuff, that has been grown in overworked and overused soils. I will get out and pick up some turnip greens, collards, and romaine to see if I can entice them this weekend. I also tried soaked forest tortoise diet by Zoomed, with no luck. I just had a container on hand, not something I want to use regularly.


Anything I should change and when do I get concerned about thier inappetite? Thanks in Advance

 

[Itort]

You may want try mixing some fruit such as plums or peaches in. Mine go nuts for soft fruit.

 

[harris]

You live in Pa right? I live in Ohio. Mine too was shipped to me from Fla. It literally took 5 1/2 months for him to start eating regularly. The only thing he would show enthusiasm towards throughout that time were nightcrawlers and redworms; he would go nuts over them, but NOTHING else. I always made his regular food available but to no avail. Then one day he just started eating and now eats like a monster. I gotta believe it may have something to do with the climate change, no matter how well we try and replicate it. They just sense it. He also seemed to really take off when I moved him out of the Redfoot's room, which is kept at 80-82 degrees. He is now in an environment with a room temperature of 72 degrees and a basking section @ 80. However you just got yours a couple days ago so they could just be settling in and mine might have been an isolated case. Try a few worms to get them going.

 

[biglove4bigtorts]

Thank you both for the advice. I think i will go out and get some ripened fruit for them. I am undecided on allowing animal protein in thier diet. From what I have read in studies of wild animals, and there have not been many, very little to no animal matter was consumed. I have also read the accounts of keepers having thier tortoises seek out, unearth, and eat wotms, snails, slugs, and pill bugs. I don't think anyone feeding worms is doing the ''wrong'' thing, just not sure yet, if I am willing to do so.
At this point, I am going to be stubborn and allow them thier normal diet, with adding in a few fruits and store-bought greens and hope the get hungry enough to just eat. They shouldn't starve themselves, if the environment is right. I'm going to wait them otu and not try anything drastic for the first week.

I would be very interested to know what your provisions for your are, Harris. What do you keep them in and what are your plans for winter housing, when they are larger? Do they ever get housed outside?

 

[Stephanie Logan]

I know you are worried about your new tortoises, but just think of the stress and anxiety the rest of us are experiencing from the lack of photos of these exotic little guys! It's really unkind of you to make us wait so long...

 

[biglove4bigtorts]

RE: when should I worry? UPDATE

Below is what I sent to Vic Morgan, after consulting his advice.
As fare as pix, how to I get pix sent to my email onto the forum? Anyone tells me and I'll post em. I have not camera atm and all I have is pix from my partners iphone in my e-mail, with no clue how to get them to post here.



I didn't get to the store yet, just did what you said and after the lights were on for an hour or so and they weren't in the warmer end, I moved them there. I let them sit and warm up for 30 mins or so, then put thier food down...same stuff I had been offering them. I left it in larger pieces,as you mentioned, also. I waited another 30 mins, misted them, pushed the food closer to them and sat stark still and watched. After about 10mins, the female went over to a large, dandelion leaf and snarfed it down, follwed by the male. I knew they would get it soon enough...just a big change for them. Did you house your juveniles together? They do seem to interact and signal to one another...I enjoy seeing them yawn and extend/ retract thier heads at one another.

 

[harris]

I currently only have one, which is just over 3yrs old. Inside he is kept in a 4 x 6 enclosure. I have another one coming in early May which is after the enclosure is expanded to 8 x 8. Outside he has a 6 x 12 pen which is 75% in the woods and 25% on the grass. He is left out only during the day and brought in at night as he is still pretty small.
I am fortunate that my brother owns a construction company. So in early Spring of 2012, we are putting up a building behind my house which will be 20 x 30. It will be somewhat of a heated greenhouse. The Manouria will be the sole residents of the building when they get larger.

I am glad yours started eating.