Is there something wrong with Mr. Spike?

[mr. spike]

Yesterday me and my girlfriend adopted a male tortoise which is around 4"-5" and we have him in a baby changing table modified into a tortoise table and idk if its big enough for him or anything. It is bigger than the one he was in at Petco. He has never ate anything yet that I can tell, and the only time he is in his water dish is when I put him in there. He kind of acts mentally challenged but idk. He always walks into the walls and keeps going forward like he is trying to get out.

I am not sure what the problem is, I kind of feel like I bother him too much but when I don't, he just sits around doing nothing, or scratching at the walls.

At petco he was inside a cage with a nearly full sized female tortoise so idk if he just misses her, or is afraid of us.

We have a huge water dish was inside the cage at petco so he wouldnt have to adjust any different but its almost as if he is gonna drown in it. He can barely get out of it and barely get in it.

here is a video of the scratching And below are pictures of his Tortoise table with the thermometers

We are currently trying to feed him Premium Romaine lettuse with carrots and red cabbages. I have no idea if it is supposed to be cold or warm, so we've been feeding him cold lettuce which is warm now since its been out all night.

We have an Air conditioner on all night at 60-70 and the basking area is over 80F and humidity is almost 60%. His water is cold due to the air conditioner so idk if I should adjust the table and let the water get some light as well or not.

The substrate we use is Premim ReptiBark and today it feels dry, am I supposed to water it down daily?

This is our first turtle and I have no idea if I am raising him correctly, please help.

EDIT: Also we do not have a UVA or UVB bulb. At noon I have the Basking light it until 10pm, then I put the Nocturnal light in until noon the next morning. They are 75w and the fixture can hold up to 100w or 150w, i cant remember. But we do plan on getting a UVB bulb for safety.

If I am missing any details, please let me know.

 

[dmmj]

An ingenious use of a baby table, nice job, the cold water should not really be a problem since most of my russians do not like to soak, the only use it when thirsty. As to the eating problem, he/she is most likely adjusting to the new environment and you should not worry for a week or two, lettuce and carrots are not an ideal source of food for a russian, if you buy store bought food, buy spring mix. No cabbage either, stick with weeds, flowers, and leaves of various plants, such as hibiscus, grape and the like, dandelions are also a favorite.

 

[mr. spike]

An ingenious use of a baby table, nice job, the cold water should not really be a problem since most of my russians do not like to soak, the only use it when thirsty. As to the eating problem, he/she is most likely adjusting to the new environment and you should not worry for a week or two, lettuce and carrots are not an ideal source of food for a russian, if you buy store bought food, buy spring mix. No cabbage either, stick with weeds, flowers, and leaves of various plants, such as hibiscus, grape and the like, dandelions are also a favorite.

Thanks for the compliment on the table

Anyways, id love to feed him dandelions and other leaves but I have no idea where to get dandelions. I know they have tortoise food at pet shops but id rather stick to herbs. We bought the romaine at walmart last night, is there anything at walmart that we can get that is ideal? i am not sure if they have spring mix. I wouldn't mind growing some plants for Spike either. Are there anything easy to grow and easy to take care of?

Also, are my temps good? it dropped to 80 now that the air condition is on 70. We might put him in our room away from the AC, not sure yet.

 

[Tracy Gould]

As already said he will be adjusting to his new home i have had mine 5 months now and she still tests the bonderies as long as he is keeped hydrated with soaks he will be fine the eating will get better as he settles in. Here is a good site to help with naming plant and weeds and it also tells u if they are safe to feed.

http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/plants_19.asp?thissection=6&sitestartnum=1

 

[dmmj]

well I feed mine radish tops also, they love those, and they are quite easy to grow and can be grown inside easily.

 

[ChiKat]

Greens that are readily available at grocery stores/Super Walmart include turnip greens, mustard greens, curly endive, escarole, spring mix, etc.
Here's more info on diet:
http://www.russiantortoise.net/russiantortoisediet.htm

 

[MichelleCarrigan78]

I think it would be a good idea to get a uvb bulb if he doesnt get any natural light

 

[hali]

hes a gorgeous tort x

 

[Laura]

due to the time of year, he may be slowing down. so he doesnt hibernate, increase the temp and hours of light.
He also is probably getting used to his new home. Russians are great climbers and escapees.. he will be able to use the water dish and pul himself up over the ledge.. I would also give him more of a soil type substrate and not the bark. they like to burrow, and bark has lots of splinters in it.
I would also make sure that cardboard is very secure like mentioned above.. great idea for tort table!

 

[mr. spike]

I was thinking about switching to soil myself because this bark just doesnt seem to be looking all that great. And for some reason spike doesnt like to climb at all. He doesnt climb on his log but he goes in his water dish and thats it.

I finally got him eating. It took him a day after this post but i used the lettuce before and just made it smaller so he can eat it. Yesterday I switched to Alfalfa and spring mix. I give him a bottom layer of spring mix and top it off with alfalfa. I still have plans to buy mustard greens to give him more of a variety.

When I get back to my hometown I plan to go to the pet store and buy some uvb as well as the soil.

I am worried though because I have been soaking him every other day, but the bark has been dried since i put it in so today I soaked him and wet down the bark. I did this because he was having white poop and it was slimy but i could hardly tell cus it was on the bark.

I still dont know what is a good temp. So far it has been up to 85f but when i turned the ac down to 65 it went to 80. I just want to make sure he is getting enough heat. Also his bulbs are on 24/7. at noon he gets his basking light, and at 9-10pm i switch it to the nocturnal light until noon the next day. Is that too much light? If I dont use the light, the temps will drop to 65f. If thats cold to me then i am sure it will be cold for him correct?

 

[egyptiandan]

It is an interesting enclosure

He can take the 65F at night no problem as long as the air from the AC isn't blowing directly on him. I wouldn't worry about using the night light and just have your basking spot on 14 to 16 hours a day (say 6am to 8 or 10pm). You also need to move/get rid of your hide log and let him bask directly under the light (you did mention he didn't use it).
Are you supplementing with calcium and vitamins?

Danny

 

[mr. spike]

im not sure what you mean by supplementing with calcium and vitamins. And he does use the log, but just goes under it, not on top of it.

I am trying to find a light fixture that will go completely down to help him.

And as for the light, The red nocturnal light isnt necessary? if not then ill just do the 14-16 hours a day thing instead

 

[egyptiandan]

You need to be supplementing with calcium and vitamins. Plenty of calcium powders on the market for sprinkling on food. Cuttlebones are good for having in the enclosure to nibble on when he wants.
If he uses the hide, just move it out from under your basking spot.

Danny

 

[mr. spike]

i just moved his log out of the basking lights way. Where would I get the calcium powders at? And where do I get cuttlebones?

 

[Laura]

YOu can get the supplements and cuttle bone at pet stores or on line. Some feed stores carry them or Walmart.. Look in the Bird sections. Just put it in his space and leave it, when he needs it, he will chew on it.

 

[mr. spike]

YOu can get the supplements and cuttle bone at pet stores or on line. Some feed stores carry them or Walmart.. Look in the Bird sections. Just put it in his space and leave it, when he needs it, he will chew on it.

Thanks for the info

 

[dmmj]

Just a word of advice try not to buy the cuttle bone from pet stores they are super expensive, try and buy from feed stores usually real cheap like 25 cent s a piece.

 

[MichelleCarrigan78]

And cut off that tough side of the cuttlebone so they dont choke on it.

 

[mr. spike]

Just a word of advice try not to buy the cuttle bone from pet stores they are super expensive, try and buy from feed stores usually real cheap like 25 cent s a piece.

Alright, ill be sure to lookout for prices. Thanks

And cut off that tough side of the cuttlebone so they dont choke on it.

I'll be sure to do that thank you

 

[Derby]

I definitely think you should remove the ReptiBark as soon as possible. I had a terrible experience using it. I suggest using dirt/soil and timothy hay. Also, my russian takes no interest in a cuttle bone at all. I had to use a calcium powder. But I'm sure that all depends on the tortoise. :]