Tortoise not eating

[Normab86]

I have a sulcata tortoise who is approximately the size of a baseball. I’ve had him in a 10 gallon tank since I bought him when he was a baby. Yesterday my boyfriend brought home a 40 gallon fish tank as an upgrade for my tortoise. I went to the pet store and bought higher wattage bulbs (UV, heat lamp, and red heat lamp for night time). Yesterday morning I went to feed him and noticed the tank was 70F. My tortoise was very cold. I immediately brought him outside in the sun and he went back to being himself. I went back to the pet store and explained to them What had happened. They told me the tank was too cold and to get a heat pad that sticks under the tank to help warm the sand. I placed it yesterday. I woke up this morning to feed the tortoise and it is now 11:58 am and he has not eaten. I even tried placing him at his food dish and he turned around and walked away. He keeps hiding under a piece of wood that I have in his tank. I don’t know what to do. I feel like every time I go to the pet store I get someone who tells me something different. I just want my tortoise to be ok. Does anyone have any suggestions.

 

[Steviemonty]

I have a sulcata tortoise who is approximately the size of a baseball. I’ve had him in a 10 gallon tank since I bought him when he was a baby. Yesterday my boyfriend brought home a 40 gallon fish tank as an upgrade for my tortoise. I went to the pet store and bought higher wattage bulbs (UV, heat lamp, and red heat lamp for night time). Yesterday morning I went to feed him and noticed the tank was 70F. My tortoise was very cold. I immediately brought him outside in the sun and he went back to being himself. I went back to the pet store and explained to them What had happened. They told me the tank was too cold and to get a heat pad that sticks under the tank to help warm the sand. I placed it yesterday. I woke up this morning to feed the tortoise and it is now 11:58 am and he has not eaten. I even tried placing him at his food dish and he turned around and walked away. He keeps hiding under a piece of wood that I have in his tank. I don’t know what to do. I feel like every time I go to the pet store I get someone who tells me something different. I just want my tortoise to be ok. Does anyone have any suggestions.

hi now iam no expert on here but it could be that he is just having an off day, my russian sometimes doesent eat when he normally does and even he will just go back in his house and wont come out till next day, when he will be back to his normal self, as i say iam no expert but there are plenty on here who are and i hope you get your advice....best wishes steve

 

[Luke_SL]

I wouldn’t panic now. Tortoises can live without food for extremely long periods of time. Sometimes it can be months! It’s most likely that he’s just getting used to his new enclosure. They can get stressed! My red foots were off their food when I put them in their new home. It’s normal! As long as there is nothing serious like mouth rot etc he will be fine! Tortoises won’t starve themselves!

 

[Ink]

I would get rid of the sand. They can eat it and get impacted. Good luck

 

[iAmCentrochelys sulcata]

As @Ink said get rid of the Sand ASAP, you need to be redoing it’s enclosure. You’ll need to get rid of those lights as well.
@Tom

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata...

Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas. These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From...

www.tortoiseforum.org

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Read the links that I have provided you with.

 

[Tom]

I have a sulcata tortoise who is approximately the size of a baseball. I’ve had him in a 10 gallon tank since I bought him when he was a baby. Yesterday my boyfriend brought home a 40 gallon fish tank as an upgrade for my tortoise. I went to the pet store and bought higher wattage bulbs (UV, heat lamp, and red heat lamp for night time). Yesterday morning I went to feed him and noticed the tank was 70F. My tortoise was very cold. I immediately brought him outside in the sun and he went back to being himself. I went back to the pet store and explained to them What had happened. They told me the tank was too cold and to get a heat pad that sticks under the tank to help warm the sand. I placed it yesterday. I woke up this morning to feed the tortoise and it is now 11:58 am and he has not eaten. I even tried placing him at his food dish and he turned around and walked away. He keeps hiding under a piece of wood that I have in his tank. I don’t know what to do. I feel like every time I go to the pet store I get someone who tells me something different. I just want my tortoise to be ok. Does anyone have any suggestions.

Unfortunately most of the care advice for this species is all wrong. Pet stores are one of the worst offenders.

Frankly, you are lucky that he's still alive. They've given all the worse case scenario wrong advice. Read those threads linked in the previous post, and hopefully things will get back on track and he'll be fine.

Your questions are welcome. We are happy to explain how and why these things we are saying work.

 

[Yvonne G]

Take your baby out of his enclosure and soak him for at least 30 minutes in warm water. And while he's soaking, make the necessary adjustments to his enclosure:

- - UVB doesn't penetrate the screen you have the lights sitting on
- - Sand causes eye irritation, can cause impaction if the accidentally eat it while eating their food
- - Cover the enclosure to keep the cooler air from the room out and the warm, moist air inside
- - I can't see the lights, but if you're using the curly shaped compact fluorescent bulb, turn it off and use a tube type fluorescent instead
- - replace those reptile bowls with clay plant saucers. The sloping sides of the saucers make it easier for baby tortoises to climb out of them
- - In my opinion, your new aquarium isn't big enough for a sulcata of that size. You can buy a very large plastic tub a whole lot cheaper than a glass aquarium. And if you buy a tub with a lid, you can cut holes in the lid for the lights. You can buy or make light stands and allow the light/heat to hang down into the enclosure so that it is about 12-14" from the top of the baby's shell, then take foil and cover the top, including the lights. Here's some pictures of different light stands so you have some ideas.



(the picture with the cardboard box is just to give you the idea. A box is not a good enclosure. Those light stands are sold by Zoo Med:

Zoo Med Reptile Lamp Stand | reptile Light Fixtures | PetSmart

Zoo Med Reptile Lamp Stand at PetSmart. Shop all reptile light fixtures online

www.petsmart.com

Tortoises don't like change. Your tortoise may have stopped eating because of the change. It would be a good time to make these additional changes BEFORE he gets used to his new enclosure and starts eating again.

 

[Ravenstormy]

I have a sulcata tortoise who is approximately the size of a baseball. I’ve had him in a 10 gallon tank since I bought him when he was a baby. Yesterday my boyfriend brought home a 40 gallon fish tank as an upgrade for my tortoise. I went to the pet store and bought higher wattage bulbs (UV, heat lamp, and red heat lamp for night time). Yesterday morning I went to feed him and noticed the tank was 70F. My tortoise was very cold. I immediately brought him outside in the sun and he went back to being himself. I went back to the pet store and explained to them What had happened. They told me the tank was too cold and to get a heat pad that sticks under the tank to help warm the sand. I placed it yesterday. I woke up this morning to feed the tortoise and it is now 11:58 am and he has not eaten. I even tried placing him at his food dish and he turned around and walked away. He keeps hiding under a piece of wood that I have in his tank. I don’t know what to do. I feel like every time I go to the pet store I get someone who tells me something different. I just want my tortoise to be ok. Does anyone have any suggestions.

View attachment 293266View attachment 293267

Yes get rid of the tank get a large tote with the right bedding but if it's a clear tote put duct tape around ther out side up about half way

 

[Tom]

Yes get rid of the tank get a large tote with the right bedding but if it's a clear tote put duct tape around ther out side up about half way

That won't solve these problems, and there is nothing wrong with glass tanks. That is a persistent myth parroted by people who have never kept a tortoise in a glass tank.