How to know if my tortoise is eating

[Lil Russian]

I did a lot of research and ended up getting a young russian tortoise. I have been feeding her the pellets that you put water in. It is what the store was feeding her. I'm not sure that she is eating. I often see her in her food dish, but there is always food in the dish. She moves around a lot. It's hard for me to gauge if she is eating any of it or not. Please let me know if you can help. Thanks!

 

[Gillian M]

Please read the care sheets.

How about posting pics of your tort? This would allow the experienced members to help you.

And....a very warm welcome to the forum!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Those colorful pellets fed at the pet stores aren't much good. However, if the tortoise is used to eating them, it probably won't recognize real food.

Buy some greens (there's a nice list of edible food on our care sheet pinned at the top of the Russian section) and mix the greens up in the moistened pellets. Eventually, once you've seen it eat, you can eliminate the "fruity pebbles" and feed only greens.

 

[Lil Russian]

Here is the terrarium I made and a picture of storm.

 

[nicole r]

the 2 russians that ive had will never eat those pellets, they hate them! maybe try cucumber and zucchini if you havent already (dont feed it to them all the time though i just know most russian tortoises or any tortoise in general loves those). if you havent, try cutting up its food thats the only way my tortoise will eat !

 

[Lil Russian]

Thanks for the advice. I bought some spring mix yesterday, and she still didn't seem interested in that. But she ate part of a dandelion leaf I picked from outside. I also gave her a warm water soak, and she seemed to really enjoy it. I have put a top over half of her enclosure. I think that I need to get a better heat lamp. I am going to do that today. I will also try the cucumber/zucchini. She is very active today, so maybe she will be more hungry. I am pretty sure the pellets are a no go. I don't think she cares for them at all.

 

[Tom]

Appetite in tortoises is strongly associated with temperatures and stress levels.

Please read these threads. Pet stores are full of misinformation. Looks like you did okay for your enclosure substrate, but you need a hide, a different water bowl and much more space.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

hello, and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum to you and storm.
You need much more space for the little guy. Russians are very active and roam large areas in their native environments.
In captivity 4' by 8' is about the minimum requirement recommended.

 

[Lil Russian]

I have made a 50 gallon rubbermaid enclosure for her. Does it need to be bigger? She seems to just want to hang out a lot instead of being very active. She really likes to borough even when I take her out. I take her out at least once a day. She likes to borough against my clothes.. I believe that she is eating more but she still isn't really active.

 

[Lil Russian]

I also got a bigger hide for her, which she seems to really like

 

[axeman25]

I have made a 50 gallon rubbermaid enclosure for her. Does it need to be bigger? She seems to just want to hang out a lot instead of being very active. She really likes to borough even when I take her out. I take her out at least once a day. She likes to borough against my clothes.. I believe that she is eating more but she still isn't really active.

I am a newbie here as well. I've had my three Russians for just over 6 months. I will tell you that the people here are all about helping you to provide the best care possible for your little guy. I'm pretty sure a few of these people prefer the company of tortoises over people but that's another story. LOL. I have learned so much and in the beginning it was really overwhelming because I thought I had done the right research and had things perfect, I didn't and it did take me some time to get things right but I have three active and healthy torts now.

When you first get them they will eat and be very active for a day or two........then you start to feel panicked because all of a sudden they are lethargic and won't touch any food. This is completely normal and will subside in a week or two as he gets used to his new home. Unfortunately her enclosure is not going to be big enough. It doesn't mean he's gonna curl up and die if you don't fix it by tomorrow, but just know that this is something you'll need to change fairly soon. There are some great ideas on here to build one if you are handy at all. I used a bookcase laying on its back for mine and with all the hardware and parts (the bookcase included) I spent under $50 for mine. But I have a couple small children so I made locking lids.

Make sure to read the care sheets, over and over.........and over. They are your bible for making sure you got a happy and healthy tort. You will have lots of questions as the weeks go on, make sure you search this site for them because chances are they've been asked and answered several times (just as a courtesy to some of the other members who are nice enough to answer the same question over and over) and if you can't find an answer then post away! Again the people here have answered questions for me at all hours about seemly trivial issues.

Have you been soaking her at all? I was advised to soak mine pretty much daily for about the first month. It helps hydrate them and can be really beneficial for one that has been in a pet store because chances are they did not ever soak them. Then you'll soak them once or twice a week after that just because it's good for them. Yvonne hit the nail on the head with the food. A nice big variety of greens is great for them. Also a tera cotta water dish big enough for her to crawl into and soak herself. And congratulations on your new addition!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Take her outside and sit with her..Very close by and see if she is interested in picking out her own food. The fresh air and sunshine can't hurt.