She never ate, and won't eat.

[Mom of Zitouna]

I got a baby tortoise 2 months ago. She's really really small although I don't know her age.

Ever since I got her, she. Never. Ate. Literally. I tried to put food in front of her. I tried to put her in front of her older sister as she ate so that maybe she'd pick up on how to eat. Nothing. I tried everything, she just doesn't seem to know how to bite.

I gave her soaks, I put her in different temperatures, I run to put her in the sun as soon as there's sun. Still she won't eat.

That being said, she can drink. She drinks when I soak her and when I picked a strawberry and crushed it with my fingers and brought it close to her mouth, she opened her mouth a little and drank the juice.

But she won't eat.


As for the encolsure, I'll disappoint you all. I live in the third world. I don't even think I saw encolsures sold at any stores and even if I did, I wouldn't have been able to afford it. My baby, when I bough her was in a tiny container with about 30 other babies. What I'm trying to say, is we just don't have technology or means. So my two tortoises sleep in a cardboard box which I covered in an old cloth and I take them out in day time so they can roam freely a bit.


I'm worried for her. I read that tortoises can survive three months without eating. Then what? Will she die just like that? Can I do something for her? Why is she the only one who can't eat while her sister who lives in the exact same conditions has no problems? BTW her sister is a bit bigger than her but they're both babies.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi "Mom", and welcome to the forum! Let's hope you found us before it was too late to help little Zitouna.

I understand your predicament about providing the little guy with an enclosure, however, if you want him to live, there are some necessities you MUST provide.

We'll need to know what species Zitouna is, but ALL baby tortoises need heat and humidity. So a cardboard box is not satisfactory. Buy a plastic tub or bin. I doesn't have to be too big. Add some substrate - something non toxic that can be moistened without molding or souring. We use fir bark here, but I don't know if that's available to you. Can you buy online from Amazon? They sell it.

Baby tortoises won't eat if they're not warm enough. Doesn't matter if it's 100°F outside, he still needs a light over his plastic tub where he can sit and pretend he's sitting in the sun.

Once we know what species we're talking about we can link a care sheet for you. In the meantime we've got to get some nutrients into the little guy.

Buy some strained carrots human baby food and mix it 50%/50% with warm water. Use a small bowl that he can't climb out of. Allow him to soak in this mixture for about an hour. If you place the bowl NEXT TO, BUT NOT DIRECTLY UNDER a light the water will stay warm.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

 

[TammyJ]

I am here too and I totally agree everything Yvonne has said! Good luck and stay here with us, it's a great place to tortoise keepers to both learn and give expert advice.
Me too for being in a "Third World" country! Sometimes, we have to improvise, but there is a good way and a not so good way to do it. Here you will get the good way!

 

[Mom of Zitouna]

Hi "Mom", and welcome to the forum! Let's hope you found us before it was too late to help little Zitouna.

I understand your predicament about providing the little guy with an enclosure, however, if you want him to live, there are some necessities you MUST provide.

We'll need to know what species Zitouna is, but ALL baby tortoises need heat and humidity. So a cardboard box is not satisfactory. Buy a plastic tub or bin. I doesn't have to be too big. Add some substrate - something non toxic that can be moistened without molding or souring. We use fir bark here, but I don't know if that's available to you. Can you buy online from Amazon? They sell it.

Baby tortoises won't eat if they're not warm enough. Doesn't matter if it's 100°F outside, he still needs a light over his plastic tub where he can sit and pretend he's sitting in the sun.

Once we know what species we're talking about we can link a care sheet for you. In the meantime we've got to get some nutrients into the little guy.

Buy some strained carrots human baby food and mix it 50%/50% with warm water. Use a small bowl that he can't climb out of. Allow him to soak in this mixture for about an hour. If you place the bowl NEXT TO, BUT NOT DIRECTLY UNDER a light the water will stay warm.

Good luck and I hope this helps.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply!!

What exactly is a substrate? Can I use soil? It's the only thing I can think of. I can't buy from Amazon or online in general.

As for the light, can any light do? What about one of those white neon lights? And do I have to shine it on them all day or just a limited time?

I don't know what species she is, but I'll provide pictures so that you might be able to tell.

 

[Yvonne G]

@TeamZissou - can you help with I.D.?

As for the light, if he doesn't get any outside-in-the-sun time then you'll need a UVB light. You may be able to find them at a pet store, but don't buy the curly shaped compact bulb. I like to use the neon tube type. If he hets outside time then all you need is some sort of light that provides heat for him to be able to sit under and warm up his inner core.

 

[TeamZissou]

This is a Greek tortoise, and looks to be the graeca subspecies, testudo graeca graeca

 

[Mom of Zitouna]

I am here too and I totally agree everything Yvonne has said! Good luck and stay here with us, it's a great place to tortoise keepers to both learn and give expert advice.
Me too for being in a "Third World" country! Sometimes, we have to improvise, but there is a good way and a not so good way to do it. Here you will get the good way!

Thank you! I have already asked help on this problem and the community is so sweet and helpful, my problem with my "eldest" was resolved ☺️

Tbh, because we're in the third world, that's why I adopted her. Those babies are sold cheap enough that any kid can buy them. Then they take them home and let them die. Same with baby chickens, there sold ridiculously low and kids buy them and abuse them...

So I wanted to help, even if just one baby. I really hope I can do at least that much....

 

[Mom of Zitouna]

@TeamZissou - can you help with I.D.?

As for the light, if he doesn't get any outside-in-the-sun time then you'll need a UVB light. You may be able to find them at a pet store, but don't buy the curly shaped compact bulb. I like to use the neon tube type. If he hets outside time then all you need is some sort of light that provides heat for him to be able to sit under and warm up his inner core.

Aw, I don't think I've ever seen uvb lights sold in pet stores here, and I've been to a few...

 

[Yvonne G]

Aw, I don't think I've ever seen uvb lights sold in pet stores here, and I've been to a few...

Then you'll have to make sure your new baby gets his calcium plus UVB in other ways. They sell calcium WITH D3 and WITHOUT, buy the "with." Look online for lists of greens/veggies high in calcium, and make sure your baby gets a couple hours a week of time in the sun (but don't cook him).

But, back to your reason for this thread: Baby tortoises don't eat if they're not warm enough. Set him up in a large plastic tub/bin and put a light over it so he can sit under the light and pretend he's basking in the sun. He should start eating once his inner core is warmed up. A trick I learned trying to get baby box turtles to eat is to place the feeding tile/dish right in front of the mouth to his cave/hiding place. If he doesn't have to come out and expose his whole body to the cold, cruel world he's more likely to sample whatever food there is right outside his door.