I recently bought my tortoise violet from petco but I'm having trouble with getting her eating . I got her the 1st and she hasn't ate anything . I tried feeding her pellets which they recommended for her I now know they aren't good for her so I tired feeding her dandelions radish leaves but nothing she won't eat anything . I do soak her in warm water twice a day . She goes out in the grass and seems normal I just don't know how to get her to eat . I'm also having trouble with her enclosure , I want her to have a lot of space but I can't think of any way to build her enclosure please help with pictures or anything of your enclosure . Any thing will help thanks
Beginner ,help! (won't eat)
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RE: Beginner ,help!
Hello and Welcome
Keep feeding your tort and give him/her some time. It takes a while to get accustomed to their new surroundings. Also, do not stand over her when you feed her. Put the food in and walk away. Soak once a day for now, once she starts to eat, you can cut that back to 3-4 times a week as she is most likely a 3-4 year old wild caught. Check out these threads for enclosure ideas. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forum-7.html
Also, if you get get an outdoor enclosure made for the warmer temps, that's best. A kiddie pool works good for a temp outdoor enclosure. Also check out the tortoisetable.org for more edible ideas.
Hello and Welcome
Keep feeding your tort and give him/her some time. It takes a while to get accustomed to their new surroundings. Also, do not stand over her when you feed her. Put the food in and walk away. Soak once a day for now, once she starts to eat, you can cut that back to 3-4 times a week as she is most likely a 3-4 year old wild caught. Check out these threads for enclosure ideas. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forum-7.htmlAlso, if you get get an outdoor enclosure made for the warmer temps, that's best. A kiddie pool works good for a temp outdoor enclosure. Also check out the tortoisetable.org for more edible ideas.
Re: Beginner ,help!
Everything is new for your tort and she is frightened of you, her enclosure and what is happening.
You need to reassure and that, unfortunately, takes time to build trust. A couple of weeks or more is not unusual.
Establish a routine so that your tort understands what to expect and when.
1. Use a timer for the lights so that they go on and off at the same time each day. They need to be on for 12 hours. (More about lights later)
2. Before your tort has warmed up, soak her in a bowl that she cannot see through or out of for a good 20 minutes. If she is warm, she will try to escape. Use warm, not hot, water. You need to experiment to find the temperature that she likes to lounge in.
3. While she soaks, prepare her food. Fresh is best. Pellets are a good supplement, especially in winter, when fresh weeds are hard to come by; pellets must be soaked and mushy before serving. Serve food wet (helps with hydration) on a flat stone, slate or tile (helps with beak maintenance)
4. Pop her back in her enclosure and walk away and leave her to it. Don't feel tempted to stand and watch as it is intimidating. Give her space to be brave and start exploring.
5. Leave her in her enclosure the rest of the time. Exploring your home may seem cute, but opens her up to all sorts of dangers and will worry her about this big thing that keeps grabbing her every time she relaxes.
You need to be sure your heating and lighting is right for your tort to eat Your tort needs:
1. A basking lamp. Your tort is cold blooded and basks in order to get the energy to move around and, most importantly, to digest its food. This lamp should point vertically downward. It can be a standard household spot lamp, a special reptile spot lamp (I.e. a household spot with a picture of a reptile on the packet and therefore more expensive), or an MVB lamp (which is also a UVB source)
2. A UVB source. The best one is the sun outside (the sun's UVB can pass through clouds). Indoors you need to use either a tube UVB or an MVB lakp which combines with a spot lamp... both these bulbs must be replaced every 12 months as their power dimishes with age. Do not use a Compact (coil) tyoe UVB as these cause serious eye problems with tortoises.
You do not need any form of lighting at night and definitely no coloured bulbs. Additional heat is best done using a Ceramic Heat Emitter ( CHE ).
Everything is new for your tort and she is frightened of you, her enclosure and what is happening.
You need to reassure and that, unfortunately, takes time to build trust. A couple of weeks or more is not unusual.
Establish a routine so that your tort understands what to expect and when.
1. Use a timer for the lights so that they go on and off at the same time each day. They need to be on for 12 hours. (More about lights later)
2. Before your tort has warmed up, soak her in a bowl that she cannot see through or out of for a good 20 minutes. If she is warm, she will try to escape. Use warm, not hot, water. You need to experiment to find the temperature that she likes to lounge in.
3. While she soaks, prepare her food. Fresh is best. Pellets are a good supplement, especially in winter, when fresh weeds are hard to come by; pellets must be soaked and mushy before serving. Serve food wet (helps with hydration) on a flat stone, slate or tile (helps with beak maintenance)
4. Pop her back in her enclosure and walk away and leave her to it. Don't feel tempted to stand and watch as it is intimidating. Give her space to be brave and start exploring.
5. Leave her in her enclosure the rest of the time. Exploring your home may seem cute, but opens her up to all sorts of dangers and will worry her about this big thing that keeps grabbing her every time she relaxes.
You need to be sure your heating and lighting is right for your tort to eat Your tort needs:
1. A basking lamp. Your tort is cold blooded and basks in order to get the energy to move around and, most importantly, to digest its food. This lamp should point vertically downward. It can be a standard household spot lamp, a special reptile spot lamp (I.e. a household spot with a picture of a reptile on the packet and therefore more expensive), or an MVB lamp (which is also a UVB source)
2. A UVB source. The best one is the sun outside (the sun's UVB can pass through clouds). Indoors you need to use either a tube UVB or an MVB lakp which combines with a spot lamp... both these bulbs must be replaced every 12 months as their power dimishes with age. Do not use a Compact (coil) tyoe UVB as these cause serious eye problems with tortoises.
You do not need any form of lighting at night and definitely no coloured bulbs. Additional heat is best done using a Ceramic Heat Emitter ( CHE ).
RE: How can I get Shelby to eat ?
Is shelby a new tort?
Karlah_22 said:
Is shelby a new tort?
RE: How can I get Shelby to eat ?
Give her a nice soak with warm water leave her in there for about 15-20 mins ... Change the water if it gets cold or your tortoises poops or pees get too much for you! And leave a small mound of food in the enclosure .. Do this everyday till you see some results
Give her a nice soak with warm water leave her in there for about 15-20 mins ... Change the water if it gets cold or your tortoises poops or pees get too much for you! And leave a small mound of food in the enclosure .. Do this everyday till you see some results
How can I get Shelby to eat ?
Yeah well I got her the 1st . Well during the night it's at 72 her cool side is at 85 . And the 95 temp is on one side where she gets sun light through a window . I bathe her every other day , she's starring to get used to doesn't really like though
Yeah well I got her the 1st . Well during the night it's at 72 her cool side is at 85 . And the 95 temp is on one side where she gets sun light through a window . I bathe her every other day , she's starring to get used to doesn't really like though
RE: How can I get Shelby to eat ?
Try adding some carrot baby food to her water when you soak her. If she takes a drink when she's being soaked then she'll get some food as well.
Is the sunlight the only light source she gets? Do you have a basking lamp and a UV bulb in her enclosure?
It may just be the case that she's still a little unsettled in her new home. Torts are just like us in that respect - it takes time to adjust to new surroundings, and some take longer than others.
Try adding some carrot baby food to her water when you soak her. If she takes a drink when she's being soaked then she'll get some food as well.
Is the sunlight the only light source she gets? Do you have a basking lamp and a UV bulb in her enclosure?
It may just be the case that she's still a little unsettled in her new home. Torts are just like us in that respect - it takes time to adjust to new surroundings, and some take longer than others.
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How can I get Shelby to eat ?
Did you recently change her substrate and what is her substrate
Did you recently change her substrate and what is her substrate
Hi Karlah:
Try putting some romaine lettuce directly in front of her hiding place.
Try putting some romaine lettuce directly in front of her hiding place.
Karlah, if I'm reading your temperatures correctly and 85 is the cool side during the day; then your problem maybe that placement by the window is causing your day temps to be too high on the cool side. Sun coming through the window can cause excessive heat buildup that your air conditioner cannot overcome within the enclosure; moving the enclosure away from the window is the bet option(UV light doesn't pass through glass very well; so the tort gets little benefit from being in the sun from the window).
Ideally one end of your enclosure should have a basking light with a temperature in the 95 to 100 range. And the other end should have a cool temperature of around 70 to 75 degrees. If your cool side is over 80 then your tortoise will think it needs to burrow and slow down its metabolism to wait out the heat of summer.
Is your enclosure long enough to maintain a cool end and a warm end?
Good luck.
Ideally one end of your enclosure should have a basking light with a temperature in the 95 to 100 range. And the other end should have a cool temperature of around 70 to 75 degrees. If your cool side is over 80 then your tortoise will think it needs to burrow and slow down its metabolism to wait out the heat of summer.
Is your enclosure long enough to maintain a cool end and a warm end?
Good luck.
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