My Baby Hermann's Tortoise Won't Eat

[Tori Spencer]

I bought my hatchling, Beaker, a little bit after Valentine's day and he has seemed healthy but recently I have noticed that he won't bask in the light on his rocks to get warm, he refuses to eat and sleeps under his log often. Strawberries are his favorite and he doesn't even show interest in those. He has a UVB light and plenty of space. He also has a runny nose. Any suggestions?

Tori

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

welcome to the forums! we need a bit more info. whats the basking spot and cool side temps? hows the cage humidity? how often do you soak him? do you provide him with water? what substrate are you using? also fruits are not good for this species. posting pics of the tort and the enclosure will be very helpful.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. I agree with above. The basking temp has to be at least 85 for the tort to digest its food properly. Also, do not use any coil type bulbs. For the runny nose, I would raise the temp to 85 all over except the baskng spot should be higher and don't let the temp dip, even at night until the runny nose is no longer an issue.

 

[Tori Spencer]

His basking spot is 90-95 degrees F and under the log where he likes to hide is around 70-75 degrees F. The cage humidity is low, it is pretty dry..should it be more moist? He gets soaked usually twice a week, I don't provide him with water because I read that he would get hydration from the soakings so it was unnecessary. The substrate is coconut husk. He is currently in a 2x1 ft sized plastic container with cardboard/paper along the walls. His basking spot is on rocks and he likes to spend his time under a half log. There is also a fake plant in there but he usually stays away from that. I am at work so I don't have pictures of his enclosure. I have some older ones of him if you would like those?

 

[Tori Spencer]

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

His basking spot is 90-95 degrees F and under the log where he likes to hide is around 70-75 degrees F. The cage humidity is low, it is pretty dry..should it be more moist? He gets soaked usually twice a week, I don't provide him with water because I read that he would get hydration from the soakings so it was unnecessary. The substrate is coconut husk. He is currently in a 2x1 ft sized plastic container with cardboard/paper along the walls. His basking spot is on rocks and he likes to spend his time under a half log. There is also a fake plant in there but he usually stays away from that. I am at work so I don't have pictures of his enclosure. I have some older ones of him if you would like those?

the substate needs to be moist and tortoises need water at all times, dehydration is one the leading causes of hatchling deaths. read this entire care sheet.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

also soak him almost everyday.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Tori, and welcome to the Forum!

Are you using a coil-shaped compact fluorescent bulb for UVB? Your little guy's eyes look a little squinty to me, and that might be pain from the bulb. When they're in pain it puts them off their feed.

Also, the most common cause of a tortoise not eating is because he isn't warm enough. Double check your temperatures all over the floor of the habitat to be sure he has a spot where he can warm up over 80F degrees. They need a pretty hot area in order to get their core temperature up above 80F so they can digest their food.

You should only be giving the tortoise a strawberry occasionally, like maybe once a week, as a treat. Fruit causes a parasite bloom, as their system isn't used to eating very much fruit.

 

[Gillian M]

A warm welcome to the forum! I fed my Greek tort tomatoes in the past, which it loved. However, I ws adviced not to so I stopped immediately, and since then I feed it tomatoes only "for a treat."

Wishes for your cute little tort to get well soon.