valloveshertort
New Member
Hi there.
I’ve had my sweet tortoise for about a year and a half now. I love him so so so much, and I’ve done so much research and tried my very best to care for him the best I can. But lately, he doesn’t seem right. He won’t eat, doesn’t want to even come out of his hide anymore. His eye sockets seem sunken, which I know can be caused by dehydration, which I’m guessing is because he won’t eat his veggies and normal diet. I have been soaking him for about 30 minutes every day, just as the vet suggested when I last took him in. But the vet told me he was likely just hibernating and I shouldn’t worry.
i’m getting so upset because it just feels like I can’t do anything right. I’m starting to wonder if I’m the best person to care for my tortoise, or if I need to consider rehoming him. I’m just scared that I’m not giving him the right care. I don’t interact with him much at all, because everything I’ve read has told me how solitary they are and that they shouldn’t be handled more than is absolutely necessary. But that feels neglectful. I change his substrate about once every month, and I use top soil with a little bit of peat mixed in. He has a large water dish and I feed him fresh food every morning. He gets pellets and re-hydrated freeze dried fruit and veggies with a little flower food topper as well. His hide is large and he spends almost all his time in it. It has sphagnum moss in it that I moisten once every couple days so its nice and humid for him. He is currently in a 40 gallon low enclosure, and is indoors, but has proper lighting.
Can someone please just tell me what I’m doing that’s good and what’s not? I love him and I just want to do the best thing for him.
I’ve had my sweet tortoise for about a year and a half now. I love him so so so much, and I’ve done so much research and tried my very best to care for him the best I can. But lately, he doesn’t seem right. He won’t eat, doesn’t want to even come out of his hide anymore. His eye sockets seem sunken, which I know can be caused by dehydration, which I’m guessing is because he won’t eat his veggies and normal diet. I have been soaking him for about 30 minutes every day, just as the vet suggested when I last took him in. But the vet told me he was likely just hibernating and I shouldn’t worry.
i’m getting so upset because it just feels like I can’t do anything right. I’m starting to wonder if I’m the best person to care for my tortoise, or if I need to consider rehoming him. I’m just scared that I’m not giving him the right care. I don’t interact with him much at all, because everything I’ve read has told me how solitary they are and that they shouldn’t be handled more than is absolutely necessary. But that feels neglectful. I change his substrate about once every month, and I use top soil with a little bit of peat mixed in. He has a large water dish and I feed him fresh food every morning. He gets pellets and re-hydrated freeze dried fruit and veggies with a little flower food topper as well. His hide is large and he spends almost all his time in it. It has sphagnum moss in it that I moisten once every couple days so its nice and humid for him. He is currently in a 40 gallon low enclosure, and is indoors, but has proper lighting.
Can someone please just tell me what I’m doing that’s good and what’s not? I love him and I just want to do the best thing for him.