My New Redfoot won't eat...Please Help

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brighteous86

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Hello!
I have got my new baby redfoot tortoise which is
about 2 to 3 month old. It was delivered to me from
Ontario since there weren't any redfoots available in the
winter time in Vancouver.

He is a very active healthy tortoise who has an enclosure of
a 1m by 85cm which I have made myself.
His substrate is tropical terraium covered in 2/3 of his enclosure
with two tiles covering the other 1/3 of my enclosure.
I planted a tropical tree for him to enjoy while strolling around the
enclosure.
The lighting area has a temperature of 90 degrees and
the cool side is kept at 80 degrees.
A light and a water dish is placed pretty close to the light.
He gets his usual daily soak each morning in warm waters
and I keep an eye on spraying the enclosure with water
whenever it seems dry daily 3 or 4 times.
I turn on the heating lamp for him at night just in case he gets cold.
He sleeps normally in the cave where I have placed some
moss so it is always pretty wet there for him.

I usually feed him Dandelion greens, Romaine lettuce and strawberries
which is it's favorite.

The problem arose about a week ago when my toroise stopped eating.
By enquiring about this to the pet store, which one of the members
was keeping a russian himself, he was nice enough to offer me a
caresheet so I can maybe change around the enclosure and his diet.
Although I have changed my enclosure, he is still not eating.
Although he took a munch of strawberries in the past 3 days,
he is now is refusing to eat strawberries also.

In the daytime, rather than hiding in a cave, he sleeps under the light
which dries him out sometimes. I have to actually take him out of the
basking area and place him in the water dish so he can drink some water.
He takes large quantities of water after his long hours of sleep under the light. At night I make sure he goes into the cave.

I am very concerned about his health now, since it is my first torotise, and I am now confident to say he is my family member.
If any of you can please help me in what I can do,
or tell me if I am doing anything wrong,
or if he has any symptom of sickness which I have to take him to the vet,

It will be very helpful in making my tortoise a happy guy.
Thank you in advance for all your suggestions and concerns
and I will be awaiting your prompt replies!
 

Kathy Coles

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You need to try some other things to eat. There is a list of what is good for torts on the site: the tortoise table. Also, have you tried some Mazouri? Soak the pellets in water for just a very few minutes and most torts will devour it.
 

Yvonne G

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Hi brighteous86, and welcome to the Forum!

My suggestion is for you to start all over from scratch. Sometimes we get into a rut with our tortoise-keeping and assume what we have been doing is the correct thing, while there just might be something a little off that is affecting the tortoise in an adverse way. So, go to the Tortoise Library and re-read all the care sheets and make the necessary tweaks and adjustments to your tortoise's care.

Good luck, I hope you get him to eat!
 

Redstrike

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I agree with Yvonne, please visit the tortoise library and read the general care and husbandry techniques found within.

I will add that 90ºF for an ambient temp may be a bit high for the warm side. If that's the temperature of the basking spot, that's fine, but if the airspace is that warm, you may consider bumping it down to 85ish.

Also, basking light on 24/7 doesn't provide natural circadian rhythms. They need light and dark for proper endocrine function, which greatly effects behavior and health. Ceramic heat emitter(s) may be something to look into for night heat.

Again, strongly advise reading information from the tortoise library as Yvonne has suggested.
 

brighteous86

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Thank you all for your help!
I will make sure to look into the tortoise library once again
 

brighteous86

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5 Year Member
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Dec 5, 2012
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I keep the heat emmiter on 24/7 and turn off the basking light at
night for the little guy to sleep. I think it might be because of the
humidity level because it might be too dry.
I just purchased a fogger in a pet store. Have my fingers crossed
that my tort will start eating some time soon..
Thank you for your kind reply!

Redstrike said:
I agree with Yvonne, please visit the tortoise library and read the general care and husbandry techniques found within.

I will add that 90ºF for an ambient temp may be a bit high for the warm side. If that's the temperature of the basking spot, that's fine, but if the airspace is that warm, you may consider bumping it down to 85ish.

Also, basking light on 24/7 doesn't provide natural circadian rhythms. They need light and dark for proper endocrine function, which greatly effects behavior and health. Ceramic heat emitter(s) may be something to look into for night heat.

Again, strongly advise reading information from the tortoise library as Yvonne has suggested.
 

brighteous86

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2012
Messages
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thank you for your suggestion!
Yes as I am a Newbie I am considering it is just
minor things that I am not getting things right for this little guy.
I just found out that the humidity level might be too low for him
that is why he is refusing to eat!
I just bought myself a fogger and am trying.
Hope things work out!
Thanks for your reply!

emysemys said:
Hi brighteous86, and welcome to the Forum!

My suggestion is for you to start all over from scratch. Sometimes we get into a rut with our tortoise-keeping and assume what we have been doing is the correct thing, while there just might be something a little off that is affecting the tortoise in an adverse way. So, go to the Tortoise Library and re-read all the care sheets and make the necessary tweaks and adjustments to your tortoise's care.

Good luck, I hope you get him to eat!
 

brighteous86

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2012
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I heard that the pellets are not going to be good for the
hatchlings. Please correct me if I am wrong.
I heard that they dehydrate the torts very quickly.
Thank you for your concern and correct me if I am wrong!

kathycoles said:
You need to try some other things to eat. There is a list of what is good for torts on the site: the tortoise table. Also, have you tried some Mazouri? Soak the pellets in water for just a very few minutes and most torts will devour it.
 

brighteous86

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2012
Messages
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Great News! after I kicked in the fogger in the enclosure for my Little Redfoot!
He is finally munching on some spring mix that I provided him
He has been eating for 20 min and has walked away into his hide.
I guess hatchlings can be very sensitive about many factors,
so it is just another fact that maybe we can let others know!(Or I guess it was just me who didn't know..)
Thank you all for your support and solutions on this forum!!
Hope I can be of any help in the near future!!
Thanks a million!!
 
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