Handling Abby..?

[lilly_sand99]

So I got Abbigale Louise on Friday (August 3), from a pet store. They told me she was captive bred and about 7 years old. I gave her a bath that night. Once I put her in her new home, she burrowed into the peat moss, and she hasn't really moved since. So she hasn't been eating anything.. When I put food in her food dish I pull her out and place in front of it. Is that a good idea? And I have a UVB light but I want to take her outside for a few hours she I know she's getting adequate UVB, should I dig her out and take her out or let her adjust for a while? And I know every tortoise is different but what is the average time for an adjustment period?

 

[wellington]

Many older tortoises take longer then a hatchlings. A week is probably average but longer isn't unheard of. Some can take upto a month but will still eat small amounts during that time.
I would give her a week without fussing with her and if she doesn't get used to her being safe then I would start putting her by her food.
If we could see pics of her enclosure we might be able to help you change it to make her feel safer.
Also what are your temps day, night, all over and basking. Humidity?

 

[lilly_sand99]

Many older tortoises take longer then a hatchlings. A week is probably average but longer isn't unheard of. Some can take upto a month but will still eat small amounts during that time.
I would give her a week without fussing with her and if she doesn't get used to her being safe then I would start putting her by her food.
If we could see pics of her enclosure we might be able to help you change it to make her feel safer.
Also what are your temps day, night, all over and basking. Humidity?

In the corner with heat lamp is stays about 82 and the other corner stays about 72 during the day. And at night it gets to about 70, night isn't very drastic because we are in the basement. And the humidity is about 40%. I plan on moving the heat lamp closer so it will be warmer but that requires drilling and I don't want the loud noises to freak her out any more than she already is.

 

[wellington]

I would not use a red bulb, tortoises are attracted to red things and could make her eat things she shouldn't. Also the basking spot needs to be 95-100 so they can properly digest their food or they will stop eating and the food not being digested will make them sick and possibly die. Move her out so you can drill whatever you need to get the basking temp up.

 

[wellington]

The enclosure looks nice. A couple of the more leafy bigger plants might help her feel safer. Like a Boston fern or pothos plant.

 

[lilly_sand99]

She has a fern in the corner, should I move it to the warm side?

 

[lilly_sand99]

She has a fern in the corner, should I move it to the warm side?

(Here it is)

 

[lilly_sand99]

Also, is this laying all sprawled(I was standing beside table) (she gets really spread out) out ok? She will sleep like that if I don't move around her home too much. How much are they suppose to sleep? She seems to sleep a lot...

 

[lilly_sand99]

If I get a different bulb (that isn't red) will I have to move the lamp down?

 

[wellington]

I don't know about a different bulb needing too be moved. Only you will be able to temp the spot. If you get a spot light bulb you may not have too move it. A regular bulb will give more light which will help her to kinda wake up. The sprawling is her trying to get all her parts warmed up. That's pretty normal for a lot of torts to lay like that.
The fern is fine where it is or move it towards the center of that area. Either way.

 

[lilly_sand99]

I don't know about a different bulb needing too be moved. Only you will be able to temp the spot. If you get a spot light bulb you may not have too move it. A regular bulb will give more light which will help her to kinda wake up. The sprawling is her trying to get all her parts warmed up. That's pretty normal for a lot of torts to lay like that.
The fern is fine where it is or move it towards the center of that area. Either way.

A spot light? Can I get that at Wal-Mart? Or do I need to go to a pet store? Lol cuz our pet store recently was blown away. Where would I find a spot light is more of my question

 

[wellington]

@Tom can answer this better. It's the kind he uses and I'm not positive of the exact kind. Sometimes a regular incandescent 60-100 watt bulb will work too if you want to try that first.

 

[lilly_sand99]

@Tom can answer this better. It's the kind he uses and I'm not positive of the exact kind. Sometimes a regular incandescent 60-100 watt bulb will work too if you want to try that first.

I got this for the time being, it was like $5 at Wal-Mart...

 

[Tom]

I use 65 watt FLOOD bulbs. Spot bulbs concentrate too much IR-A radiation and desiccating heat into too small of an area. Flood bulbs spread the heat and light out over a great area.

The bulb you bought looks ok, but I would put a flat rock or piece of slate under it, and then check the temperature at tortoise height. You can lay a brick directly under the bulb and then rest your thermometer's probe, or your thermometer on the brick and let it cook for a couple hours. This will tell you the temp at tortoise carapace height. Raise or lower the bulb to get this temp around 95-100.

What type of UV bulb did you get? I don't see it in the pics.

Over all, I think the enclosure look great! Some minor temperature adjustments, and your tortoise should be good to go.

I would soak the tortoise in warm shallow water every day for a couple of weeks to make sure it is hydrated. Place the tortoise near the food plate after each soak.

 

[lilly_sand99]

I use 65 watt FLOOD bulbs. Spot bulbs concentrate too much IR-A radiation and desiccating heat into too small of an area. Flood bulbs spread the heat and light out over a great area.

The bulb you bought looks ok, but I would put a flat rock or piece of slate under it, and then check the temperature at tortoise height. You can lay a brick directly under the bulb and then rest your thermometer's probe, or your thermometer on the brick and let it cook for a couple hours. This will tell you the temp at tortoise carapace height. Raise or lower the bulb to get this temp around 95-100.

What type of UV bulb did you get? I don't see it in the pics.

Over all, I think the enclosure look great! Some minor temperature adjustments, and your tortoise should be good to go.

I would soak the tortoise in warm shallow water every day for a couple of weeks to make sure it is hydrated. Place the tortoise near the food plate after each soak.

This is her UVB, and is it ok to pull her out and soak her, will it stress her out too much?

 

[Tom]

This is her UVB, and is it ok to pull her out and soak her, will it stress her out too much?

For the tortoise to get any UV benefit from that bulb, you will have to mount it no more than 10-12" above the tortoise. If your tortoise is getting outside into a large outdoor enclosure a couple few times a week, you can leave that bulb where it is, and it will just make some nice light for the enclosure when she is indoors.

Soaking daily is not a big deal. Don't worry too much about stressing the tortoise. Do what you need to do, and the tortoise will get used to it.

 

[lilly_sand99]

Thank you Tom and Wellington!!!!!! I really appreciate everything!!

 

[lilly_sand99]

So... It's been not even a week. But I have been pulling Abby out once a day to soak her. Then I place in front if her food and let her be. Today when I let her out... she yawned... then she yawned a 2nd time and made a bubble... I tried googling it and Google only brought up respiratory infection... but she doesn't have a runny nose, and I don't think she's wheezing. She will kinda pull into her shell and make noise, is that wheezing?!?!

 

[lilly_sand99]

How easy is it to get a respiratory infection? I fixed her heat... It gets up to 100 directly underneath the heat lamp.. the humidity never has been over 60%. But I only have had her for 6 days...

 

[SweetGreekTorts]

So... It's been not even a week. But I have been pulling Abby out once a day to soak her. Then I place in front if her food and let her be. Today when I let her out... she yawned... then she yawned a 2nd time and made a bubble... I tried googling it and Google only brought up respiratory infection... but she doesn't have a runny nose, and I don't think she's wheezing. She will kinda pull into her shell and make noise, is that wheezing?!?!

It's very common for tortoises from pet stores to get sick. They are wild caught and not cared for properly before being purchased. If she's blowing bubbles out her nose, I would guess respiratory infection. One if my girls recently had that and I took her to the vet the very next day, where she was prescribed antibiotics (a shot I had to give her every 3 days). She also had pinworms and underwent deworming treatment. Now she's finally healthy and doing great.

When tortoises quickly pull their heads into their shell, they exhale to collapse their lungs. It often makes a "hissing" sound.

If you listen to her breathing normally with her head out, and she's wheezing and blowing bubbles from her nose, then you'll need to take her to a herp vet.