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Please Help. My tortoise isn’t eating.
- Thread starter Finneyy_8
- Start date
Finneyy_8
Member
N
ow how long can she go without eating since it’s been a week since she last ate?
They can go a while. Just be sure to keep her hydrated. Try feeding every day though. If you can get some mazuri tortoise food try that. Most tortoises love it. Don't get the LS though. Most don't like it. Right now we want to find something she will eat.
Basking and over all temps are really important. If she can't bask under the 95-100 she can't properly digest the food and she will not eat.
Basking and over all temps are really important. If she can't bask under the 95-100 she can't properly digest the food and she will not eat.
Finneyy_8
Member
Ok thank you.
Sand should never be used in any tortoise enclosure. I think it's very possible that she is impacted with sand that she has eaten. Please take all the sand out and use orchid bark! Thanks for your efforts to improve her condition.
Finneyy_8
Member
What is the number one option for this stuff. They have the coconut fiber/soil/ bedding, and they have the first floor bedding for tortoises,
Alex and the Redfoot
Well-Known Member
It's on the second shelf in the middle: either Reptibark (preferred) or Forest Floor. Reptibark is also in 24 qt. bags on the top shelf. You will need 3-4 inches of substrate.
Finneyy_8
Member
Yea I’m just gonna go ahead and grab the big bag. Thank u
Finneyy_8
Member
Well unfortunately I’m sad to say that she passed today. I’m completely heart broken. My parents and my son as as well. I did everything you told me to do and unfortunately had I had all the correct info that u have provided to care for she may still be here. Thank u for all your help. I do want to get another one. Now that I know all the proper care and have the proper set up. Want replace her by no means but I enjoyed having one. It was a different kind of pet that o have never had.
Alex and the Redfoot
Well-Known Member
I'm very sorry that happened. 😢
Please, don't blame yourself for this. If a hatchling was started wrong by a breeder, sometimes even perfect husbandry can't save him. You did your best to save Rose.
Glad, you want to have another one. Did you decide on specie yet? A couple of tips:
1. Get your new tortoise from a reputable breeder
2. Get enclosure ready and tested (humidity, temperatures) before getting a tortoise
3. Since we don't know why Rose has passed, I would be very cautious about reusing equipment especially, substrate and water dishes. Perhaps, you can disinfect all the things and bake substrate in the oven (I honestly don't know if it's enough).
Please, don't blame yourself for this. If a hatchling was started wrong by a breeder, sometimes even perfect husbandry can't save him. You did your best to save Rose.
Glad, you want to have another one. Did you decide on specie yet? A couple of tips:
1. Get your new tortoise from a reputable breeder
2. Get enclosure ready and tested (humidity, temperatures) before getting a tortoise
3. Since we don't know why Rose has passed, I would be very cautious about reusing equipment especially, substrate and water dishes. Perhaps, you can disinfect all the things and bake substrate in the oven (I honestly don't know if it's enough).
Finneyy_8
Member
Which breed would you suggest? Yea Rose was a 6 months old. She was doing great when I got her. I’m not sure what happened. All my equipment was brand new. I had just did the final piece last night.
Alex and the Redfoot
Well-Known Member
1. You may take a look on care-sheets and basic specie information on this forum subsections. And then you need to look at your indoors/outdoors space and climate. As a rule of thumb: climate similar to species native habitat makes keeping magnitude times easier. This usually rules out tropical species (like redfoots) and large tortoises (like sulcatas). I'm not very familiar with weather in US states, but from Wikipedia charts it looks like 4-5 months in a year are too cold to keep tortoise outside. Maybe Burmese Stars or temperate species like Hermann's or Russian tortoises are a good match. But I would like an opinion from more experienced keepers. You can make a separate thread, if you like, to discuss what tortoise to get and where.
2. Unfortunately, that's how it happens: when hatchling wasn't started properly (too dry conditions, broken bio-safety rules and so on) he might have a latent organ damage. Then during his first year he either compensates this damage or not.
Once again, I feel sorry for Rose. It's always very sad when stories end this way.
2. Unfortunately, that's how it happens: when hatchling wasn't started properly (too dry conditions, broken bio-safety rules and so on) he might have a latent organ damage. Then during his first year he either compensates this damage or not.
Once again, I feel sorry for Rose. It's always very sad when stories end this way.
Finneyy_8
Member
May I ask your opinion on a species I should get? Or try to get
Hermanni or Russian
Finneyy_8
Member
Yea I had her set up in doors. Until she got big enough to go outside. I was excited to watch her grow and everything. Has to tell my son this morning that she is no longer with her and he asked could he pick her up (he’s only 5) and I said yea and he told her bye and had her laying in his hand and put the other on top of her and gave her some love before he had to leave for school. He told me he wanted to watch her grow and almost cried. Rose was a Sulcata. I didn’t know what breed I had til I got up on here on this website. I asked the guy twice what breed she was and He never would answer
So very sorry.
My opinion on what species to get is to get what you want and what you have the room for when it's an adult and can afford when it's an adult. Sulcata get big and need lots of room with insulated and heated shed or night box.
Smaller ones like the Russians and Hermann's still need a big space, but not as much as a sulcata. As adults, they can live inside for those cold times or a heated night box outside or you can brumate them for the winter for about 2-3 months.
Redfoot tortoises need high humidity inside and out even as adults. They are a little harder that way, if you don't already live in humid areas but easy to feed as they have a big variety they can eat.
Leopards care is the same as the sulcata but they don't get as big.
Main thing to do once you decide, is to find a breeder that starts them out correctly from the incubation to before they go to their homes.
Read all the species caresheets to see what suits you. Then get the enclosure set up correctly and running for a few days to be sure it's all working day and night.
My opinion on what species to get is to get what you want and what you have the room for when it's an adult and can afford when it's an adult. Sulcata get big and need lots of room with insulated and heated shed or night box.
Smaller ones like the Russians and Hermann's still need a big space, but not as much as a sulcata. As adults, they can live inside for those cold times or a heated night box outside or you can brumate them for the winter for about 2-3 months.
Redfoot tortoises need high humidity inside and out even as adults. They are a little harder that way, if you don't already live in humid areas but easy to feed as they have a big variety they can eat.
Leopards care is the same as the sulcata but they don't get as big.
Main thing to do once you decide, is to find a breeder that starts them out correctly from the incubation to before they go to their homes.
Read all the species caresheets to see what suits you. Then get the enclosure set up correctly and running for a few days to be sure it's all working day and night.
Finneyy_8
Member
Thank you so much. This is all very helpful
