Hey guys, I am a new tortoise mom I just got my baby Syrian/Greek tortoise who is now named Chip three days ago from a petshop but they were keeping him in really bad conditions, the shop owner didn’t know any details about him except his breed. He thought he is 3 months or something so thats the best guess we have at the moment. I am facing a few problems; he eats nothing except romaine lettuce and broccoli I have tried dried grass, Zucchini, Parsley, Bok choy all kinds of leafy greens but he wont eat and its been three days he hasnt pooped even once. I’ve been soaking him for 20 minutes each morning he only peed once and thats all till now he hasnt pooped or peed. I’m using a mercury Vapor Lamp the basking area’s temperature is 34 degree Celsius and 55 percent humidity and general warm area temperature stays till 30 and the other end goes all the way till 25 degree Celsius, He sleeps most of the day he hasn’t even explored his enclosure yet. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong please help me. I’m really worried.
What’s wrong with my greek tortoise
- Thread starter Alizaliza
- Start date
Hi and welcome,
There is a lot of old and incorrect information still being passed around about tortoise care but this is the most up to date information carehseet which will help get Chip's living conditions right to ensure he thrives.
tortoiseforum.org
That will tell you all about diet, temps, humidity ,substrate etc.
Tortoises don't like change - even if it's for the better - so he could just be sulking about that, but check your temps.
MVB lamps aren't recommended anymore because they have been found to dry and damage tort shells. Many of us use T5 HO tubes for UVB, with a separate flood basking bulb and a CHE run through a thermostat for night and extra heat, but the climate in the UAE is probably much warmer so you may not need all those. Follow the advice about temps on the carehseet to see how your climate/temps compare.
If you post a picture of his enclosure you'll get good feedback on making it as safe as possible for Chip.
There is a lot of old and incorrect information still being passed around about tortoise care but this is the most up to date information carehseet which will help get Chip's living conditions right to ensure he thrives.
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? 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. What is...
tortoiseforum.org
That will tell you all about diet, temps, humidity ,substrate etc.
Tortoises don't like change - even if it's for the better - so he could just be sulking about that, but check your temps.
MVB lamps aren't recommended anymore because they have been found to dry and damage tort shells. Many of us use T5 HO tubes for UVB, with a separate flood basking bulb and a CHE run through a thermostat for night and extra heat, but the climate in the UAE is probably much warmer so you may not need all those. Follow the advice about temps on the carehseet to see how your climate/temps compare.
If you post a picture of his enclosure you'll get good feedback on making it as safe as possible for Chip.
Thank you so much I read all through the guid e it’s making me understand things better, its true the weather here stays warm most of the time I actually don’t have an area outside for my tort since I live in an apartment but I can take him to walks when he grows up. I will post a picture here of the enclosure for now its not too big but as soon as I see an increase in size I’ll be extending this enclosure.Hi and welcome,
There is a lot of old and incorrect information still being passed around about tortoise care but this is the most up to date information carehseet which will help get Chip's living conditions right to ensure he thrives.
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? 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. What is...
That will tell you all about diet, temps, humidity ,substrate etc.
Tortoises don't like change - even if it's for the better - so he could just be sulking about that, but check your temps.
MVB lamps aren't recommended anymore because they have been found to dry and damage tort shells. Many of us use T5 HO tubes for UVB, with a separate flood basking bulb and a CHE run through a thermostat for night and extra heat, but the climate in the UAE is probably much warmer so you may not need all those. Follow the advice about temps on the carehseet to see how your climate/temps compare.
If you post a picture of his enclosure you'll get good feedback on making it as safe as possible for Chip.
I’m using sphagnum moss and aspen shavings before this the bedding was all coco coir but that was too humid it reached all the way to 90 percent at night it was worrying so I changed it please let me know what changes I should be making here I really want to make this right for him.
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The moss is something your tort might eat which would cause choking or impaction problems for him. The shavings are probably too dry. Follow the caresheet's advice for everything.
Taking him for walks is risky because of fertilisers/pesticides used on public areas, plus there's the risk of picking pathogens from other animals which could make him ill. It could also be very stressful for him.
Do you have a safe balcony? Some members in apartments have made larger areas for torts on their balconies, but he will eventually need a minimum of 4 x 8 feet to have the space to roam for digestion and bone health, but the bigger the better.
I have coco coir I can replace it back I was hoping to let it dry a little more so it’ll be less humid for him, though for now I’ve been keeping an eye and he doesn’t seem interested in munching on any of his bedding. Unfortunately I don’t have a balcony but my place is all windows the sun shines really bright throughout I was thinking of making him a large enclosure along that enough so he can exercise properly.
Glass will block uvb from the sun so you will need to provide a source, and you would have to monitor temps closely because if it's too hot by the windows he could overheat and die.
Many people use coir, and orchid bark is popular too. Some use a layer of the OB on top of the coir to make it less messy.
Can I use UVB bulbs, I can install more as the enclosure grows bigger, thank you for your help I will be replacing the bedding tomorrow also, is it common for baby tortoises to not poop for three days? I’m worried about that aswell or is it because he is still adjusting?
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