Hello! My names Annie and my tortoise name is raisin, I got him about six months ago, he was doing good I got him some mazuri tortoise diet and he won’t eat it, all he will eat is grass I’ve tried other stuff and he’s just not wanting it. Now he’s not wanting to do anything he won’t eat or move. I’m super worried, please help.
Tortoise won’t eat
- Thread starter Annieluck
- Start date
Hi,
Can you please provide information on the species, specs of your enclosure and better yet pics. This will help us determine what may be off. We need this info to help you.
Can you please provide information on the species, specs of your enclosure and better yet pics. This will help us determine what may be off. We need this info to help you.
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Annie, we need to know specifics, we just can't help you unless we know age, symptoms, heat temperature, photo of lighting, we need all the info you can give us, we just can't say, "Oh he must have cancer". help us help you
He’s about seven months old, he’s not moving or eating and he’s not drinking when I soak him, he just sleeps all day. He’s been like this for at least two weeks I live in Illinois so it is getting cold but he lives inside and has a heat lamp. I would take him outside to eat grass because that’s all he would eat and now he’s not eating anything.
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Pastel Tortie
Well-Known Member
Have you seen the care sheet for sulcata tortoises yet?
www.tortoiseforum.org
There's other information in the sulcata section of the forum that you will probably find helpful.
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
Pastel Tortie
Well-Known Member
By the way, where did you get your little one from?
I got him off the internet from underground reptiles.
Pastel Tortie
Well-Known Member
How long have you had him?
Have you ever noticed any yellow bumps or yellow spots on your little one?
Pastel Tortie
Well-Known Member
Thanks. The reason I asked about yellow bumps or spots is because we've been seeing a lot of cases of those on the forum lately, in baby sulcatas. Many of the hatchlings exhibiting yellow bumps came via Underground Reptiles (but they aren't the only reseller with that issue). Please keep an eye out for any yellow bumps or spots, and let us know if any appear. It's contagious, and we're trying to get to the bottom of it.
Pastel Tortie
Well-Known Member
Do you have a gram scale (kitchen scale)? Do you know what your little one weighs?
I don't have any experience with Sullys but use that care sheet as a your guide. There are several things that can make them not want to eat and temps/lighting are big ones especially with babies. You also need to be soaking regularly and keep the humidity up which is not something you can do with an enclosure like that.
I don’t.
Okay so I got a scale and he’s 37 grams
Pastel Tortie
Well-Known Member
Pastel Tortie
Well-Known Member
I'm trying to think where I've seen the threads on carrot soaks. @Blackdog1714 Can you assist?
Hi Annie. Bad news. You bought your tortoise from a place that has a dismal reputation. They buy their tortoises from breeders who don't start them correctly, and then they don't house or care for them correctly. Then they give you the same wrong care info that they are using. The end result is what you are seeing. Here is more explanation:
"Hatchling Failure Syndrome"
I've heard this term for many years and I don't like it. Its a way to excuse our ignorance and failure. I will agree that an occasional hatchling is born that is just not going to make it no matter what anybody does, but MOST of them, if they make it full term and hatch, SHOULD survive and...
tortoiseforum.org
This is not your fault. You looked to "experts" for care advice and they told you the wrong stuff. You are not alone. This is how is goes most of the time unfortunately, but we here on TFO are working to remedy the situation.
What can be done about it? All you can do is follow that care sheet and offer the best conditions possible. No vet can help, and no experienced keeper can magically make it all go away. Some of them make it and some don't. All you can do is try your best, learn from the experience, and help us teach others.
Thank you! This is so heart breaking.Hi Annie. Bad news. You bought your tortoise from a place that has a dismal reputation. They buy their tortoises from breeders who don't start them correctly, and then they don't house or care for them correctly. Then they give you the same wrong care info that they are using. The end result is what you are seeing. Here is more explanation:
"Hatchling Failure Syndrome"
I've heard this term for many years and I don't like it. Its a way to excuse our ignorance and failure. I will agree that an occasional hatchling is born that is just not going to make it no matter what anybody does, but MOST of them, if they make it full term and hatch, SHOULD survive and...
This is not your fault. You looked to "experts" for care advice and they told you the wrong stuff. You are not alone. This is how is goes most of the time unfortunately, but we here on TFO are working to remedy the situation.
What can be done about it? All you can do is follow that care sheet and offer the best conditions possible. No vet can help, and no experienced keeper can magically make it all go away. Some of them make it and some don't. All you can do is try your best, learn from the experience, and help us teach others.
