I'm re-asking this question here to get a few more responses. Lynnedit has been been amazingly generous with her advice but wanted to see if anyone else had anythoughts as well. Sorry this is long- but I figure it's probably easier if I just get all the details I know you're going to ask out of the way- right up front. 
A bit of background:
My husband and daughter brought home two tortoises on Friday. Details are a bit sketchy. They were sharing an aquarium (guessing 40 gallons) with minimal chunky bark as substrate. Kept at 85 degrees all the time and being fed a diet of spinach and strawberries (possibly some tortoise kibble). Not sure what kind of lighting. The guy told them one was more active than the other. He told us they were male and female and that they got along great. But, who knows?
Our set up:
Two large cement mixing tubs (2x3 each) currently connected by a land bridge- but ready to separate them if need be. The warm/moist side is coconut coir bedding- several inches deep (deep enough for them to copmletely cover themselves if desired). The cool/dry side is aspen, also nice & deep.
Basking area that is 95 degrees. Cooler side of the warm/moist side that is about 75 degrees and the cool/dry side is room temp (right at 70) with a drop to 67 over night. Several hides available but they aren't interested in them.
Light currently is really just a heat source. I am just using an old heat lamp bulp like the kind you see in bathroom fan/heat units. I have zoomed mvb on order- should be here tomorrow or wed. Also a CHE- although I think the mvb should do it and that will only be a back-up. I'm using the (what I now know to be) crappy round thermometers and one of those strip ones. I have a therm-gun on order. But, the therms seem fairly accurate as far as measuring room temp so we're assuming they are at least "ball park" accurate.
We have been keeping handling to soaking 20 mins per day in warm (but not hot) water. After their bath we put them near the food. At lynn's advice, I started baby food soaks yesterday.
We are calling the bigger one Steve (were told male) and the smaller one ToTo (were told female). My guess is that they were petco purchases orginally- but don't know for sure.
Oh! Food. Day one- offered some carrot shaves (I know this is a moderation-only food, but empty fridge after a holiday weekend!) dandelion greens and fresh grass. No one touched it. Day 2- dandelions, a bit of spinach, diced carrots. Steve sampled the dandelions but not sure he ate anything more than a nibble. Toto ate some of the carrot and some of the spinach.
Toto has been poopin' like a champ. Nothing from Steve yet- even in soaking.
Day one: ToTo went into a hide and stayed there. Ater her soak she burrowed in and covered herself completely. She spent all day there although as the day wore on she dug her head out and then would poke her head up periodically. Steve basked for a bit. Explored the enclosure and tested the sides and then parked himself facing a corner. He didn't appear to move until we soaked him again (next afternoon).
Day two: Post soak steve basked for a bit then moved over to a corner in the warm area and parked himself facing the corner and (again) didn't move at all until we pulled him out for the next soak (this afernoon). Toto basked for a bit, snacked, went for a tour of the grounds (including in and out of the second tub multiple times) snacked again, basked for a while, toured again, etc. Eventually she dug herself into another burrow for the night.
Day 3 (today): Steve stayed parked in corner until noon soaking. During soaking, he did open his eyes and might have been drinking the water. He would open and close his mouth (just a little) and put his face in the water/opening and closing his mouth (a little bit) and blowing a few bubbles. Toto unearthed herself and just observed from her burrow all day until post-soak. While they were soaking I prepared a salad of mixed baby lettuce, a few tiny dices of apple, torn raddichio and a little smear of the babyfood carrot on top. Mostly I was hoping to entice steve to eat (color! yummy smelling apple!). No dice. He moved away from it immediately and went back to his corner. Toto was in heaven and ate the entire thing- quite piggily. I gave her another pile of lettuce & radicchio and some torn strawberry leaves. She ate around the strawberry leaves.
Where toto seems alert, if cautious- steve seems lethargic (but no particularly nervous). He has his eyes closed all the time. When he does open them, he's slow to do so and blinks a lot. He often has his head tucked in- but he's also had his neck all stretched out and eyes closed.
I know it's normal for them to not eat at first and to hide as they get used to their new environment. But I'm wondering if Steve has been not-quite-right for some time and the previous owner just chalked it up to different personalities...and maybe that is all it is... but from what I've read, ToTo seems a little more typical.
So, I guess where we are is to give steve a few more days and then seen a reptile vet (from the list posted on this forum). Any additional thoughts of what we could/should do?
TIA!!!
A bit of background:
My husband and daughter brought home two tortoises on Friday. Details are a bit sketchy. They were sharing an aquarium (guessing 40 gallons) with minimal chunky bark as substrate. Kept at 85 degrees all the time and being fed a diet of spinach and strawberries (possibly some tortoise kibble). Not sure what kind of lighting. The guy told them one was more active than the other. He told us they were male and female and that they got along great. But, who knows?
Our set up:
Two large cement mixing tubs (2x3 each) currently connected by a land bridge- but ready to separate them if need be. The warm/moist side is coconut coir bedding- several inches deep (deep enough for them to copmletely cover themselves if desired). The cool/dry side is aspen, also nice & deep.
Basking area that is 95 degrees. Cooler side of the warm/moist side that is about 75 degrees and the cool/dry side is room temp (right at 70) with a drop to 67 over night. Several hides available but they aren't interested in them.
Light currently is really just a heat source. I am just using an old heat lamp bulp like the kind you see in bathroom fan/heat units. I have zoomed mvb on order- should be here tomorrow or wed. Also a CHE- although I think the mvb should do it and that will only be a back-up. I'm using the (what I now know to be) crappy round thermometers and one of those strip ones. I have a therm-gun on order. But, the therms seem fairly accurate as far as measuring room temp so we're assuming they are at least "ball park" accurate.
We have been keeping handling to soaking 20 mins per day in warm (but not hot) water. After their bath we put them near the food. At lynn's advice, I started baby food soaks yesterday.
We are calling the bigger one Steve (were told male) and the smaller one ToTo (were told female). My guess is that they were petco purchases orginally- but don't know for sure.
Oh! Food. Day one- offered some carrot shaves (I know this is a moderation-only food, but empty fridge after a holiday weekend!) dandelion greens and fresh grass. No one touched it. Day 2- dandelions, a bit of spinach, diced carrots. Steve sampled the dandelions but not sure he ate anything more than a nibble. Toto ate some of the carrot and some of the spinach.
Toto has been poopin' like a champ. Nothing from Steve yet- even in soaking.
Day one: ToTo went into a hide and stayed there. Ater her soak she burrowed in and covered herself completely. She spent all day there although as the day wore on she dug her head out and then would poke her head up periodically. Steve basked for a bit. Explored the enclosure and tested the sides and then parked himself facing a corner. He didn't appear to move until we soaked him again (next afternoon).
Day two: Post soak steve basked for a bit then moved over to a corner in the warm area and parked himself facing the corner and (again) didn't move at all until we pulled him out for the next soak (this afernoon). Toto basked for a bit, snacked, went for a tour of the grounds (including in and out of the second tub multiple times) snacked again, basked for a while, toured again, etc. Eventually she dug herself into another burrow for the night.
Day 3 (today): Steve stayed parked in corner until noon soaking. During soaking, he did open his eyes and might have been drinking the water. He would open and close his mouth (just a little) and put his face in the water/opening and closing his mouth (a little bit) and blowing a few bubbles. Toto unearthed herself and just observed from her burrow all day until post-soak. While they were soaking I prepared a salad of mixed baby lettuce, a few tiny dices of apple, torn raddichio and a little smear of the babyfood carrot on top. Mostly I was hoping to entice steve to eat (color! yummy smelling apple!). No dice. He moved away from it immediately and went back to his corner. Toto was in heaven and ate the entire thing- quite piggily. I gave her another pile of lettuce & radicchio and some torn strawberry leaves. She ate around the strawberry leaves.
Where toto seems alert, if cautious- steve seems lethargic (but no particularly nervous). He has his eyes closed all the time. When he does open them, he's slow to do so and blinks a lot. He often has his head tucked in- but he's also had his neck all stretched out and eyes closed.
I know it's normal for them to not eat at first and to hide as they get used to their new environment. But I'm wondering if Steve has been not-quite-right for some time and the previous owner just chalked it up to different personalities...and maybe that is all it is... but from what I've read, ToTo seems a little more typical.
So, I guess where we are is to give steve a few more days and then seen a reptile vet (from the list posted on this forum). Any additional thoughts of what we could/should do?
TIA!!!
