New tortoise not eating, not pooping and always sleeping PLEASE HELP

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Hi Erica and welcome!

The most common reason a "new-to-you" tortoise doesn't eat is because he's worried about being in a new area and being taken out of his old territory. It takes a couple weeks for them to acclimate.

The most common cause of a tortoise not eating is because he's not warm enough. I think you have both those 'common causes' going.

Yes, he needs a UVB light and yes he needs his enclosure warmed up to about 100F directly under the light, fading to room temperature as you get further away from the light.

If a tortoise can't get his inner core warmed up to at least 80-85F degrees, he won't eat, as the food can't digest and just sit in there and rots.
 

Ericacooper

New Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2019
Messages
14
Location (City and/or State)
England
That isn't warm enough. It needs to be 35-37C directly under the basking lamp and this must be on for 14 hours a day.

You have an open table and no night heat. Your youngster will be too cold at night. You need to get some sort of roof over the enclosure and add a Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) with a thermostat set to 27C. This can run 24/7 and will keep the ambient (general air) temperature high enough.


Tortoises are cold blooded. They cannot eat unless they are warm enough. At this size, a basking lamp alone is not enough. If they get too cold overnight they take too long to warm up next day. If the ambient temperature is too low then the tortoise will move away from the basking lamp to stop over-heating and promptly get cold.

It is very important that a tortoise that isn't eating is soaked for at least 30 minutes in warm water daily. Do this first thing in the morning and offer food straight after. Some people make the mistake of feeding only in the evenings, but tortoises aren't programmed to eat late in the day.
Hi thank you for your reply. I’ll get it sorted ASAP. I’ve purchased a uv light strip which will also light up hid table more but a low uv so he does not have too much As I’m leaving his original heat uv combo bulb in I’ve just put him in the bath
 

Ericacooper

New Member
Joined
Jan 2, 2019
Messages
14
Location (City and/or State)
England
Please don't let him roam the floors of your home. The dangers include:

- being away from the heat, humidity and UVB he needs to be healthy

- being stepped on or escaping (you only have to be distracted for a moment and we see it too often on TFO)

- Eating something they shouldn't. Human hair and dust bunnies impact in the gut and they lack intelligence when it comes to bright coloured things. Again you only have to be distracted for a moment

- Stress. Tortoises don't handle change well and motoring round is often a tortiae looking for somewhere to hide.

- Constant attempts to escape the actual enclosure once a wider world is known about

Your tortoise is happiest and healthiest with all 4 feet on the ground in their enclosure where they know there's nothing trying to eat them. Get the temperatures sorted as per my previous post asap.

I’ve upped his temp and put the strip uv light in and as if my magic he’s pottering around and ate!!
 

roxy-lou

New Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 17, 2018
Messages
20
Location (City and/or State)
Bedfordshire
Hi Erica
I’ve had my Hermann for 2 years and she does everything different to text book
For example hates the UVB light - regardless of height of the lamp just won’t sit under it
Loves a basking lamp though.

She definitely has days where she just wants to sleep and others where she walks around as she sees fit
They are very scrappy and like climbing - mine has seen the outside world and loves being able to roam but only goes to a few preferred spots.

Mine loves being hand fed and often won’t eat unless it’s bought to her. She likes the odd carrot or butternut squash dinner (favourite) and this keeps her system in check too
Only poops once a week ever since I’ve had her
If you leave yours in for a longer soak that can encourage bowels to open and I often find that makes mine livelier
Good luck !
 

tinytortoise

Active Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2018
Messages
142
Location (City and/or State)
Austin, Texas
Hi Erica
I’ve had my Hermann for 2 years and she does everything different to text book
For example hates the UVB light - regardless of height of the lamp just won’t sit under it
Loves a basking lamp though.

She definitely has days where she just wants to sleep and others where she walks around as she sees fit
They are very scrappy and like climbing - mine has seen the outside world and loves being able to roam but only goes to a few preferred spots.

Mine loves being hand fed and often won’t eat unless it’s bought to her. She likes the odd carrot or butternut squash dinner (favourite) and this keeps her system in check too
Only poops once a week ever since I’ve had her
If you leave yours in for a longer soak that can encourage bowels to open and I often find that makes mine livelier
Good luck !
They're not meant to sit under UVB, you need it to be available with the basking lamp area, like ambient "daylight". If bulb is in effective range while also covering the basking area you're set.
 
Top