New Keeper Bit Worried

[Hussa]

Hi,

I have bought my first tortoise which is a Hermanns (2009 hatch) 9 days ago, before I did so I read loads of info, forums etc and have set up a 4ft by 2ft tortoise table as suggested with at one end a 150W Heatlamp and a 10.0 UVB Bulb. I have also followed experts instructions on substrate, food, decor etc.

However after nine days my new addition to the family has hid away continuously not coming out of one of its hides at all. I have not seen it eat (apart from one or two bites when I tried feeding by hand but nothing since) or drink. I am bathing it every three days at the moment to try to keep it hydrated.

My concern is that when I bought it it was in a viv with 8 other hatchlings (I presume its siblings) and just wondered whether it is pining, do I get another one to keep it company (even though they are solitary creatures). I thought it may be just getting used to its new enclosure but now nine days on I am getting a bit concerned.

I have tried feeding it weeds, leafy greens, even small amounts of carrot to try to entice it to feed. When I bought it though I saw in the viv a dish of pellets.

Please help as I really don't know what else to try?

 

[GBtortoises]

Getting another tortoise to basically "keep it company" really isn't necessary however, it does sometime increase activity levels. But generally speaking, Hermann's tortoises are content by themselves.

It is not at all unusual for a tortoise to stay hiding and/or not eat during it's initial acclimation period to new surroundings. This acclimation period can vary from a few days to a couple of weeks with some tortoises. With the exception of making sure that the tortoise is well hydrated, which is crucial during this time, it's usually best to handle the animal as little as possible. But I would water it every other day for the first few weeks until it appears to be eating on a regular basis.

The lights that you have are very powerful for the size enclosure. What is the temperature directly under the basking light? At the warmer end, the cooler end and at night? I personally wouldn't recommend a 10.0 UVB bulb either, especially mounted at the close distance that is required for it to be effective.

There is also the possibility that if the shop was feeding them solely pellet foods that this tortoise has become accustomed to just pellet foods and reluctant to eat whole greens. If that is the case one solution is to soak the pellets enough to form a mash, coat good quality greens with the mash. Then over the course of several weeks slowly eliminate the mash from the greens until you reach the point of the tortoise just eating greens. I have done this with good sucess with a few "pellet addicted" tortoises that I purchased a few years ago.

Much of a tortoises habits are engrained at a very early age such as food sources. Some adapt to other sources easily, some do not.

 

[Hussa]

Hi,

Thanks for that, My current temps are 34C, 24C and 21C at night. I initially had a 100W combination bulb in which was giving me 30C, 21C and 20C but as I was getting concerned I contacted the reptile shop I purchased it from and they said that the non movement was due to my enclosure being colder than theirs (as it was a viv and mine is open top) and recommended this lighting arrangement saying that it should produce more movement (which it hasn't). Should I go back to my original lighting set-up?

I did research it and thought I had done everything right but because the Tortoise did not move and did not eat then I started doubting myself, hence asking for help.


Thanks again

Paul

 

[GBtortoises]

Your temperatures are good. If anything the temperature under the basking light could even be a bit warmer, up to 38c. The room that the enclosure is in must be fairly cool if a 150 watt bulb is only producing 34c worth of heat! How close to the substrate are the lights mounted? How many hours per day are the lights on?

It doesn't sound as though your lbasking ight has anything to do with the tortoise not eating. Based on the heat produced, it should have a regular activity level.

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Welcome to the forum, Paul!

Where are the photos of your cool enclosure and shy little Chelonian? http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-5245.html

Does the little squirt have a name?

I hope he acclimates to his new pen and soon begins to eat you out of house and home.

 

[Hussa]

I am not there at the moment but I wall mounted my light above the enclosure so approx 50cm above, the room does get really hot in summer up to 30c (hence putting the light high) but as the temp outside is approx 9C max here it is cool at present. I am running the lights for roughly 10 hours a day on timer.

I thought that it should be warmer than that and when you put your hand at substrate level it feels warmer than that. I think on my way home from work I am going to invest in a more expensive digital thermometer, (this one was a gift from a friend who had it in a viv for a few years but gave up, do digital thermos deteriorate?)

---

I will get some pics this evening, my son has called him trooper because he is obsessed with star wars.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Paul:

Welcome to the forum!!

 

[GBtortoises]

Even at 19-20cm away I would have presumed that a 150 watt bulb would generate much more heat at the substrate, especially with the ambient air temperature in the room as high as 30c. You may definitely want to invest in another digital thermometer, if for no other reason to verify the first one. I am unaware of them deteriorating with time, but they're accuracy can be off sometimes as much as 3 degrees+/-. Even so, they are still more accurate than most mercury filled or wafer type thermometers.

It would be advisable to increase the duration of daylight hours to somewhere in the range of 14-16 hours a day which is more in line with summertime daylight duration. 10 hours a day is too little and could possibly be making the tortoise think that it is fall or very early springtime. Northern Mediterranean species like the Hermann's and others take their activity level cues not only from heat but also from the duration of light in a day and the intensity of that light.

 

[Hussa]

Thanks, I will try all the above suggestions and update in a couple of days time (hopefully with better news!!).