New Greek Tortoise

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DoctorLouie

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I just got a Greek Tortoise yesterday.
I got all the proper bedding that websites I've read off and books suggested.
(Calcium sand and fake grass carpeting) As well as having a UVB bulb on one side and a Basking bulb on the other.

He ate some of the food a gave him. It consisting of: Kale, butternut squash, carrot shreds, broccoli, cauliflower, tiny apple chunks, and a raspberry.

But I've noticed he seems to be sleeping a lot and not moving around, I wasn't sure if that was normal or not seeing as I've never had a tortoise until now. Am I do something wrong or is he acting normal?
 

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mainey34

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Hello and welcome...first of all I know nothing about Greeks, but I do know that new babies do need time to adjust to their environment. So they will hide, sleep a lot.. as far as the rest goes. I'm going to leave that to the Greek owners... good luck to you..
 

wellington

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Hello and Welcome. :) just let me say, a lot of the stuff you found on other sites and books may be wrong. Most of it is. Like the fake grass carpeting and the calcium sand. Neither is really that good. The sand can cause impaction, and well the carpet, can be eaten and also cause impaction. Plus it's not the most natural substrate out there. As for diet, temps and himidity , I will let the others give you that. Also a pic of your enclosure would help us a lot also.
 

DoctorLouie

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This is what he looks like as of three minutes ago when I took this picture.
He hasn't moved from when I went to work this afternoon.
The temperature is: about 82-86 and the humidity is at about 40%.
Is there a specific substrate I could use that is better and holds in humidity?

P.S. Thank you so much for all the help!
 

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DoctorLouie

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Update: He's doing better today, moving around a bit more, and he ate more food today then yesterday.

Also I forgot to mention his tank size is 40 gallons, its about three feet long and he has plenty of room to walk around and everything.
 

Arizona Sulcata

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Sounds very normal. Especially since you just got it. Give it time to adjust but tortoises will sleep and hide most of their time.
 

DoctorLouie

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So, I have another probably rather stupid question.
I haven't seen him go to the bathroom any, do they hide it like cats do or is there something wrong there?
 

Ashliewood

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I didn't have a Greek but mine used to go when I soaked him :) have you tried soaking? Warm to the touch water just up to the shell :) maybe this will give you a bump
 

DoctorLouie

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I tried soaking his shell in warm to the touch water and it seems to have just made him hungry lol.
And I'll try coconut fiber substrate, which is what I was going to buy originally, is there anything I should mix it with?
 

TortoiseBoy1999

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DoctorLouie said:
I tried soaking his shell in warm to the touch water and it seems to have just made him hungry lol.
And I'll try coconut fiber substrate, which is what I was going to buy originally, is there anything I should mix it with?

In my opinion it's best alone :) (and yes mine gets hungry after soaks too :p)
 

DoctorLouie

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TortoiseBoy1999 said:
DoctorLouie said:
I tried soaking his shell in warm to the touch water and it seems to have just made him hungry lol.
And I'll try coconut fiber substrate, which is what I was going to buy originally, is there anything I should mix it with?

In my opinion it's best alone :) (and yes mine gets hungry after soaks too :p)

Okay, I'll go buy some soon and switch it out. But I think I may have upset him because I was trying to brush some of the sand off him after it got stuck from the water dripping off so now he's trying to burrow by his waterfall :D
 

wellington

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Even if he doesn't like his soaks, that to bad for him. Make sure he can't see out of the soak container, sometimes that helps. Also make sure it's not too small of a container either.
 

Sonja215

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Welcome!!! I have a Greek. Ibera to be exact. Mine is not a hatchling any longer so I only soak her a few times a week. Maybe twice but she always has fresh water, sometimes three times depending on if I can remember if it was yesterday or the day before when I last soaked. Every time I have her in water, within a few minutes she's gassy, bubbles start coming out like she's boiling water. Okay, not really that dramatic, but she always goes to the bathroom and I think she actually waits for her soaks to go. Occasionally I'll find that she left me a present in her terrarium. And then she immediately will eat after soaks because we have a routine. Morning soaks, followed by some Mazuri & greens! Try doing a routine, do at least a 20 minute soak, or 30, and then feed. See how it goes. I'll usually add some warm water as hers gets colder.
 

Mjdeisher

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You might switch up his food also... Leafy greens are best. My ibera Greek loves dandelion, turnip greens, and spring mix. The apples and raspberries are best left as treats couple times a month. The soaks do make them eat! It's supposed to get their digestive tract moving along.
 

DoctorLouie

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I'll pick those up after I leave work today, lucky for me I work at a grocery store so its close by.
 

DoctorLouie

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So here are the types of lettuce in the Spring Mix I got: Baby Lettuces (Green Romaine, Red Romaine, Red Oak, Green Oak, Tango, Lolla Rossa, Red Leaf, Green Leaf), Baby Greens (Mizuna, Arugula, Tatsoi, Mache, Red Chard, Green Chard, Baby Spinach), Endive, Radicchio.
Is that right? Because I thought you weren't supposed to feed them Romaine lettuce.
 
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