A little worried about my new RT

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Treebon

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Hello guys I bought my first ever tortoise two days ago, and I am a little worried. I bought him from a Petsmart after trying for a while to find an adoption center. His eyes were clear, nose wasn't runny, no bubbles near the nose, and he was fairly heavy with a clean smooth and hard shell. I knew that these were things that I was supposed to look out for to make sure it was healthy, and also noticed that his droppings were not runny or streaked.

So confident that I had a fairly healthy tortoise(yes I know he was probably wild captured and I already have a vet appointment set up for him), I brought him home to his enclosure. Right now I have him in a 50 gallon tube with a mixture of peat moss and play sand as substrate. He has one lamp with a UVA/UVB bulb that is 92 degrees right under it, the rest of the enclosure is 80 degrees during the day. He has a log to hide under, a small water dish, and small food dish. At night the enclosure is about 69 degrees which I know may be a little on the hot side, but its the best I can do.

Anyways the second I took him out and placed him in the tub he went straight under the log then after a while into the corner to dig. I put a a bowl of collard greens out for him and decided to just leave him alone and let him get used to his new environment. Well the next day there was some dirt in the bowl, but it looked like he didn't have much of the greens. The same thing happened on day two as well. Today I tried mixing them in with the food he was used to at the pet store to try and ween him off of it but he still isn't too interested. He spends most of his time digging and not exploring much and when I soaked him yesterday he really just layed there and did not move.

Is this behavior normal for a tortoise getting used to a new area? Everyone I have talked to so far has said that it is just stress from moving to a new place, but is that really true? I am also worried that since he hasn't been moving around or eating too much that something could be wrong. Any help would be appreciated guys, and I am glad I joined this forum already!
 

dmmj

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tortoises don't handle moves well, they like routine, give him/her some time and he/she will warm up and get used to you.
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Treebon:

Welcome to the forum!!
 

Treebon

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Thanks for the invite, I had actually been reading this forum as part of my research before getting a tortoise so now I've actually been posting. This seems like the best place to go since you are all experienced tortoise owners it seems.
 

Weloveourtortoise

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Has the little guy started eating more yet? try a mix of greens so he has options... mine will not eat dandilion greens at all and loves raddicio!
 

Treebon

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He still hasn't eaten at all. I am going to soak him again today and maybe he'll finally decide that he wants to eat after that. Either way he is going to the vet on Wednesday so I'll know something soon.
 
S

stells

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Sounds normal settling behaviour to me...

When you go to the vets get a fecal tested for worms and protozoa to rule it out...
 

Treebon

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Treebon said:
He still hasn't eaten at all. I am going to soak him again today and maybe he'll finally decide that he wants to eat after that. Either way he is going to the vet on Wednesday so I'll know something soon.

As an update, since it's too late to edit the post, he ate for the first time today! I went back to the pet store the other day and asked what else they were feeding him other than the stupid pet store mix. They said various lettuces like iceberg and romaine, and whatever they had left over. So knowing that iceberg wasn't the best for him but getting desperate, I mixed a little in with his collard greens and some yellow peppers. Well finally he ate however it seems like he only went for the iceberg. I don't plan on ever giving it to him again and I don't want him to develop a real liking for it, but I'm glad he actually ate, even though it wasn't too much.
 

Stephanie Logan

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Glad to hear he is eating a wee bit for you.

Seems like I have read time and time again on this forum that tortoises just need a settle-in period when moved to a new enclosure...and that they can go a long time without food and still be healthy. My Queen Picky Bean (a.k.a. Taco) only started eating like a tortoise (more than a few bites) in the last three weeks or so, and I have been trying to tempt her appetite since last August--so hang in there!
 

Treebon

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Well I haven't quite come up with a name but I was thinking King Ghidorah since he is my favorite Godzilla monster. Plus it seems like an epic name befitting my awesome pet! Really though I have no concrete name for him quite yet.

As for a picture I just so happen to have one of him and it's the only known evidence of him eating so far haha!
 

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