jmitch
New Member
Hello all,
This summer, we moved to a near state. We had a lovely outdoor enclosure for our beloved Russian, but tragedy struck, as a drought this year drove raccoons in our area to start eating turtles. The local box turtle population was decimated, and though our outdoor enclosure was tortoise-proof, it was not raccoon proof.
We got a new Russian from a reputable breeder, and he arrived in good health. He now lives in a large (8ft by 4ft) indoor enclosure. Substrate has a layer of plain cedar mulch down very deep, then a layer of plain topsoil, then a thick layer of coco coir.
The enclosure has dandelions and other broadleaf tortoise-appropriate plants growing in it…yet the tortoise is still not eating.
He’s active and routinely visits his terra cotta soaking dish. He has a basking spot with a hide at one end (temp of 98 under the light out of the hide), and a deep hide at the cool end of the paddock. He regularly moves around between the two.
The cool end gets down to about 70 at night, though the warm end has a ceramic heater over it so it’s never below 80 in the warm hide. Both sides have full spectrum UV lamps on them for him and the plants.
But he isn’t eating. The dandelions and other tasty plants our old tortoise devoured are untouched.
I expected an adjustment period, but he’s been with us over six weeks now. So I’ve become concerned. I’ve begun soaking him daily in warm water, but I have not yet noticed an increase in appetite.
Any advice on a better way to heat the large enclosure, or any other good steps, would be appreciated.
This summer, we moved to a near state. We had a lovely outdoor enclosure for our beloved Russian, but tragedy struck, as a drought this year drove raccoons in our area to start eating turtles. The local box turtle population was decimated, and though our outdoor enclosure was tortoise-proof, it was not raccoon proof.
We got a new Russian from a reputable breeder, and he arrived in good health. He now lives in a large (8ft by 4ft) indoor enclosure. Substrate has a layer of plain cedar mulch down very deep, then a layer of plain topsoil, then a thick layer of coco coir.
The enclosure has dandelions and other broadleaf tortoise-appropriate plants growing in it…yet the tortoise is still not eating.
He’s active and routinely visits his terra cotta soaking dish. He has a basking spot with a hide at one end (temp of 98 under the light out of the hide), and a deep hide at the cool end of the paddock. He regularly moves around between the two.
The cool end gets down to about 70 at night, though the warm end has a ceramic heater over it so it’s never below 80 in the warm hide. Both sides have full spectrum UV lamps on them for him and the plants.
But he isn’t eating. The dandelions and other tasty plants our old tortoise devoured are untouched.
I expected an adjustment period, but he’s been with us over six weeks now. So I’ve become concerned. I’ve begun soaking him daily in warm water, but I have not yet noticed an increase in appetite.
Any advice on a better way to heat the large enclosure, or any other good steps, would be appreciated.
