New tortoise not eating, not pooping and always sleeping PLEASE HELP

Ericacooper

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hi I got my new 15 month old Hermann on Saturday and he was very lively the first 1.5 days. He did not eat a lot though. Anyway he’s still barely ate but not pooped yet either although he has had two wees that I’ve seen and now all he wants to do is sleep. His table has got the coco soil stuff that I keep moist and his temp under his uv/heat light is 32c. I’ve offered him all fress mixed lettuce and dandilion Leaves with barely a sniff. Where he is in his table it does not have oodles of natural light and I’m thinking does it need a strip uv light also?
I’m hoping he’s just settling in but it’s worried me he was so lively at first and now he’s not :(
I’m worried sick,,,,,,,
 

T Smart

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Hi,

You you mind posting a picture of your setup? It should help identify the problem.

-32 C is a little low. Try to get it around 35 C (95 F).

-Yes, you’ll need to provide a UVB tube (don’t get the coil bulbs).

-I’m assuming your using a dual UVB/heat bulb? It’s my understanding that these aren’t the best. Hopefully someone can clarify this.

-Have you been soaking? If not, I’d suggest a warm bath (around 90-95) to liven him up.
 

Ericacooper

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I’ve got the UV light/heat light combined but not the additional UV tube. At the coldest part of his table it’s about 20c

5644CB1C-39F6-4293-B061-5CB47DD7369C.jpeg
 

Ericacooper

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Just checked and his boldest part is actually 16c and his warmest is now 36c. I’ve just moved his heat lamp down slightly
 

Ericacooper

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Ps I have been docking him once a day for around 20 minutes which he seems to enjoy
 

Gillian M

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Don't worry. Torts do not like change. Therefore, they need time to adapt to it.

Please post pics of your tort as well as his enclosure. This will enable us to help you more easily. Give your tort daily soaks in warm water.

And a very warm welcome to the forum.
 

Ericacooper

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Thank you for your welcome :). I’ll add some pics on now. The little log is what he sleeps in (he’s asleep now) and at the end I’ve added some moist live moss.
 

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Ericacooper

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Don't worry. Torts do not like change. Therefore, they need time to adapt to it.

Please post pics of your tort as well as his enclosure. This will enable us to help you more easily. Give your tort daily soaks in warm water.

And a very warm welcome to the forum.

Just as a matter of different opinion do you think I should get a uv light tube?
Thank you
 

Gillian M

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Thank you. He’s really captured my heart already. Just hope the little fella is ok
Please try to raise the temperature of his enclosure. Torts do tend to lose appetite during Winter. (I live in Jordan where temperature drops to 10 degrees C and at times even less. I've noticed that Oli does not eat that much and becomes less active when it's that cold).
 

JoesMum

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Just as a matter of different opinion do you think I should get a uv light tube?
Thank you
A Mercury Vapour Bulb (MVB) such as you have is fine, but you need to be aware that the UVB output fails long before the bulb actually blows. Either you buy a UV meter to test it at regular intervals, or you must replace the bulb at least every 9 months. In the likely lifespan of your tortoise you will find that a fluorescent tube UVB lamp used with a separate basking bulb will work out cheaper.
 

Ericacooper

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A Mercury Vapour Bulb (MVB) such as you have is fine, but you need to be aware that the UVB output fails long before the bulb actually blows. Either you buy a UV meter to test it at regular intervals, or you must replace the bulb at least every 9 months. In the likely lifespan of your tortoise you will find that a fluorescent tube UVB lamp used with a separate basking bulb will work out cheaper.

Thank you. The one he’s got is brand new but I’m thinking maybe replace it for just a heat bulb and get a separate fluorescent strip uv light as where he is had not got oodles of natural light.
I took him out last night in the lounge with us a bit where it was warmer and he perked up no end.
 

JoesMum

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hi I got my new 15 month old Hermann on Saturday and he was very lively the first 1.5 days. He did not eat a lot though. Anyway he’s still barely ate but not pooped yet either although he has had two wees that I’ve seen and now all he wants to do is sleep. His table has got the coco soil stuff that I keep moist and his temp under his uv/heat light is 32c
That isn't warm enough. It needs to be 35-37C directly under the basking lamp and this must be on for 14 hours a day.

You have an open table and no night heat. Your youngster will be too cold at night. You need to get some sort of roof over the enclosure and add a Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) with a thermostat set to 27C. This can run 24/7 and will keep the ambient (general air) temperature high enough.

. I’ve offered him all fress mixed lettuce and dandilion Leaves with barely a sniff. Where he is in his table it does not have oodles of natural light and I’m thinking does it need a strip uv light also?
I’m hoping he’s just settling in but it’s worried me he was so lively at first and now he’s not :(
I’m worried sick,,,,,,,
Tortoises are cold blooded. They cannot eat unless they are warm enough. At this size, a basking lamp alone is not enough. If they get too cold overnight they take too long to warm up next day. If the ambient temperature is too low then the tortoise will move away from the basking lamp to stop over-heating and promptly get cold.

It is very important that a tortoise that isn't eating is soaked for at least 30 minutes in warm water daily. Do this first thing in the morning and offer food straight after. Some people make the mistake of feeding only in the evenings, but tortoises aren't programmed to eat late in the day.
 
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JoesMum

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Thank you. The one he’s got is brand new but I’m thinking maybe replace it for just a heat bulb and get a separate fluorescent strip uv light as where he is had not got oodles of natural light.
I took him out last night in the lounge with us a bit where it was warmer and he perked up no end.
Please don't let him roam the floors of your home. The dangers include:

- being away from the heat, humidity and UVB he needs to be healthy

- being stepped on or escaping (you only have to be distracted for a moment and we see it too often on TFO)

- Eating something they shouldn't. Human hair and dust bunnies impact in the gut and they lack intelligence when it comes to bright coloured things. Again you only have to be distracted for a moment

- Stress. Tortoises don't handle change well and motoring round is often a tortiae looking for somewhere to hide.

- Constant attempts to escape the actual enclosure once a wider world is known about

Your tortoise is happiest and healthiest with all 4 feet on the ground in their enclosure where they know there's nothing trying to eat them. Get the temperatures sorted as per my previous post asap.
 
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