Behavior/eating

[Jsarmento21]

Hi everyone. We got a testudo tortoise exactly 2 weeks ago. Lately hes acting different, one day he didnt eat at all. Next 2 days he barely ate and dug under the side of his log hideout and hid half way under the side hes usually never in that spot. Which is on the colder side of his tank. He doesnt eat his turtle food at all only his fresh green veggies. Just curious if any experienced people think hes fine or somethings up. He usually gets up and is out and about once his light goes on and eats or is waiting for his food.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings & Welcome to the Forum. If you know, tell us more about your new friend. Is it a hatchling a juvenile or an old dude? What kind of enclosure?

Try & take a picture of your tort & enclosure so we can see things.

Ur tort might just be settling in now. It takes time for them to get comfortable.

Happy Torting…

 

[Lyn W]

Hi and welcome,
What species is he?
This is the care sheet for Testudo genus torts (Mediterranean species)

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

Check his temperatures against those given in the caresheet and see if they need adjusting.
If you post a picture of his enclosure and lamps members can see if there's anything that could be affecting his behaviour and hep you to adapt it.

 

[Jsarmento21]

Not shure how old he is. From reading online his temps seem correct. Im not home so i cant exactly remember the temps. But i believe one side is 80+ the other 70 range farenheight. Just want to make shure hes good?

 

[Jsarmento21]

When we got him it just said testudo tortoise.

 

[Jsarmento21]

Not shure if it matters, but we where on vacation since hes being weird. We had someone take care of him but usually we have the blinds open and the room full of light. And my daughters always hanging out nearby.

 

[Lyn W]

Testudo is the genus, I'll leave the species ID to someone with more idea but the caresheet, I linked covers all and would make a great starting point for you to check your set up and make any changes you need, which we've all had to do because of incorrect and outdated information that's still being passed on.
From your pics I think his enclosure could be too small for him, they need space to roam for digestion and bone health so maybe look at giving him a bigger home in the near future.
What sort of lamps are you using? They can have a big effect on torts.

 

[Jsarmento21]

The petsmart guy recommended that size to us. And the lights. I will read that article and try to findout the lights we have.

 

[Lyn W]

The petsmart guy recommended that size to us. And the lights. I will read that article and try to findout the lights we have.

Pet shops are notorious for selling unsuitable and unsafe equipment - they are profit driven and know very little about current tort care.
If you are using any sort of coiled or cfl type bulb then it needs to be changed asap because they can burn tort eyes, MVB bulbs which give heat light and uvb in one also aren't recommended anymore because they dry and damage shells, Common mistakes which many of us have made.
Many of us use T5 HO tube kits for uvb, with a separate flood basking bulb. (spots are too intense).

 

[Jsarmento21]

Yeah i read online before we got him to educate myself and when we got him everything he said was different. Ill have to check that out.

 

[Jan A]

Yeah i read online before we got him to educate myself and when we got him everything he said was different. Ill have to check that out.

BTW, welcome to the forum. There is a lot of info to consider in the care sheet. Ask questions. Take on improvements one at a time rather than be overwhelmed. As Lyn said, pet shops & staff often are not tort keepers, nor are they necessarily current. The same is often true with info out on the internet.

We care about your tort. We want your stewardship with your tort to be a good one. So comments are always aimed at what works better for your tort based on experience. But we also need your input. So ask questions. We are here to help.

You indicated you"ve been away & returned to find him not the "same" as when you left. I can promise you, you can stay home & he's not the "same" all of a sudden. There are threads upon theads here on TF about that. Usually, our husbandry is to blame but not always.

So keep an eye on his physical condition: Is he eating, pooping, peeing normally & staying hydrated? Does he have enough room to walk in his enclosure but at the same time places to hide?

So again, welcome. And congrats on your cute tort.