Feeding tortoise

[tortoiseweed]

Feeding tortoise

I'm a new owner of a 6y m Hermanns tort. He's been with us about 2 weeks and seems to be settling well. I'm just worried about how much he is eating, or how little he's eating.

Are tortoises good at self regulation in regards to food? He ate plenty Sunday and I thought it was a good sign of improvement and that he was settling in. Monday I was told he ate good amounts (I was at work all day) yesterday and today he's had 3-4 (in total) dandelion and lambs lettuce leaves - medium / smaller size.

He does have some weeds growing in his run with some evidence of nibbling on. I add fresh food daily.

From dandilions, lambs lettuce, plantain, mallow etc and tortoise friendly flowers- which he doesn't even look at. - just a few examples of what he gets.

I've grown torotise grazing pots as well.

I've read that they should eat the amount of their shell upside down? By that standard he's definitely not eating alot.

He's an out outdoor tortoise - always has been. And the weather is over cast (UK). He has a heated house. Ambient temp 25 c +. Cooler sides 20c. basking spot 30c he has uva and uvb strip light. Humidity 50-60 indoors.

He goes freely between house and run.

He has a soak every 2-3 days. Some times he tolerates it. Soaking 15 mins plus. Other days he won't entertain.

He's soaked this morning pass stool, urine and urates

Any thoughts and advice would be much appreciated

Oh and he's at the vets Thursday just for general check up

Stress from moving ? To much change? Stubborn?

 

[Tom]

Feeding tortoise

I'm a new owner of a 6y m Hermanns tort. He's been with us about 2 weeks and seems to be settling well. I'm just worried about how much he is eating, or how little he's eating.

Are tortoises good at self regulation in regards to food? He ate plenty Sunday and I thought it was a good sign of improvement and that he was settling in. Monday I was told he ate good amounts (I was at work all day) yesterday and today he's had 3-4 (in total) dandelion and lambs lettuce leaves - medium / smaller size.

He does have some weeds growing in his run with some evidence of nibbling on. I add fresh food daily.

From dandilions, lambs lettuce, plantain, mallow etc and tortoise friendly flowers- which he doesn't even look at. - just a few examples of what he gets.

I've grown torotise grazing pots as well.

I've read that they should eat the amount of their shell upside down? By that standard he's definitely not eating alot.

He's an out outdoor tortoise - always has been. And the weather is over cast (UK). He has a heated house. Ambient temp 25 c +. Cooler sides 20c. basking spot 30c he has uva and uvb strip light. Humidity 50-60 indoors.

He goes freely between house and run.

He has a soak every 2-3 days. Some times he tolerates it. Soaking 15 mins plus. Other days he won't entertain.

He's soaked this morning pass stool, urine and urates

Any thoughts and advice would be much appreciated

Oh and he's at the vets Thursday just for general check up

Stress from moving ? To much change? Stubborn?

Hello and welcome!

Sounds like a great set up. Overcast weather will suppress their appetite in some cases.

The indoor basking area should be around 36-37 at tortoise shell height. Measure by placing a digital thermometer on its back directly under the lamp and letting it cook there for an hour or more. Adjust the temperature by raising or lowering the bulb height or wattage. Don't use mercury vapor bulbs, spot bulbs or halogens. Use regular incandescent flood bulbs.

Soak for at least 30 minutes. It's fine if he starts trying to climb out. We call that "the tortoise treadmill" and it is good for them. They need the exercise. Much like a horse, tortoises rely on locomotion to help keep things moving through the GI tract.

Be careful with the vet. Most vets know very little about tortoise care and often dispense the old wrong info. Vets learn tortoise care from the same old wrong sources that everyone else learns from. There is no semester on tortoise care in vet school. Vets are good for surgery and properly dosing meds when needed, but have a dismal track record on set up and maintenance. Personally, I wouldn't go. The stress of travel is likely to do more harm than good. Perfect your set up, and the tortoise should be fine.

Check this out for more info:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[tortoiseweed]

Hello and welcome!

Sounds like a great set up. Overcast weather will suppress their appetite in some cases.

The indoor basking area should be around 36-37 at tortoise shell height. Measure by placing a digital thermometer on its back directly under the lamp and letting it cook there for an hour or more. Adjust the temperature by raising or lowering the bulb height or wattage. Don't use mercury vapor bulbs, spot bulbs or halogens. Use regular incandescent flood bulbs.

Soak for at least 30 minutes. It's fine if he starts trying to climb out. We call that "the tortoise treadmill" and it is good for them. They need the exercise. Much like a horse, tortoises rely on locomotion to help keep things moving through the GI tract.

Be careful with the vet. Most vets know very little about tortoise care and often dispense the old wrong info. Vets learn tortoise care from the same old wrong sources that everyone else learns from. There is no semester on tortoise care in vet school. Vets are good for surgery and properly dosing meds when needed, but have a dismal track record on set up and maintenance. Personally, I wouldn't go. The stress of travel is likely to do more harm than good. Perfect your set up, and the tortoise should be fine.

Check this out for more info:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Thankyou

I guess I hadn't considered the impact of overcast weather. Just assumed with him having basking uva and uvb that it would be sufficient.

But he has eaten more on the sunnier days. The weather is set to improve fingers crossed.

I will adjust thermostat to read from hight of shell today to see what I'm working with as it's current at substrate level.

Thankyou for your advice and further reading

 

[TammyJ]

Hi and welcome to you and your tortoise!
Please, please don't take your tortoise to any vet unless you think he is sick!
And above all, if you do take him to a vet anyway to make yourself feel better, don't let them give your tortoise any kind of injections.
Speaking from sad experience.