Marginated baby will not eat

Animalis

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Joined
Nov 22, 2019
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Location (City and/or State)
Greece, Attica
Hi, we found a baby 6cm Marginated Tortoise hurt, holes all over his body and took him home.He is fine, active,not afraid of us,three days now with us..but will not eat.We are in Greece, the weather is not cold yet, I give lettuce and a variety of sprouts I find outside..no eating.Is that normal? We don't know how long he was lying there hurt.I hope it is just something they do and he will be fine..he has space, in front of a window, water and he is very active..Is it normal to not eat for days? Thank you!
 

Yvonne G

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The baby is in shock. He may make it, but be prepared, he may not. You said 'holes all over his body.' Do you think he was chewed on by a dog? I don't know what's wrong with your new baby, but here's what I would do if I found a young tortoise with holes.

Get some antibiotic powder from your vet. This is what I use:

Chick_Durvet_Duramycin-2.jpg


Using the formula, a quarter teaspoon per quart of warm water, soak the baby daily for a half hour to 45 minutes. Then set him up in a small plastic tub similar to a 10 gallon aquarium, with a light over him to keep him warm. Have the light on one end so there's space on the other end for him to get out of the light. Populate the enclosure with things to provide shade and hiding spots.

In order for him to be active and start eating he needs to be warm. The ambient temperature in your house isn't warm enough - he needs a light/heat source.
 

TammyJ

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Jun 21, 2016
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Jamaica
Hi, thanks for coming here! You got good advice and I hope you will stick around and follow through for the little guy. Some pics of the tortoise would be useful.
 

phoenix988

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Nov 25, 2014
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Tortoise takes weeks and months to recover/ re-locate, so just provide with good temp and humidity, and just some soaked mazuri and water. tortoise takes weeks to digest the food, for example, the food she ate today, it will come out her body after two weeks or even longer, so if anything goes wrong, you need to think back about two weeks or longer about what you have given her or what she had.
 

TammyJ

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Tortoise takes weeks and months to recover/ re-locate, so just provide with good temp and humidity, and just some soaked mazuri and water. tortoise takes weeks to digest the food, for example, the food she ate today, it will come out her body after two weeks or even longer, so if anything goes wrong, you need to think back about two weeks or longer about what you have given her or what she had.
Really? I will have to re-think or check back on this length of time from nom to poop! What do the experts here have to say? Yvonne?
 

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