Worried Mom - tort not eating, lethargic

pjhdisfan

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Hi all, I need your help. Still a newbie with our baby tort, Keinu is almost 1 year old, he weighs 22 grams and is about 2 1/4" long head to tail scutes. For the last couple of days he has been refusing to eat, goes into his hide and sleeps. The temp in his enclosure is 80 degrees and 40% humidity. When I took him outside, to get real vitamin D sunlight he acts like he is afraid and runs to hide. Should I be worried?
 

method89

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right off the bat, your humidity is way to low... 60%-80%

Post pictures of your enclosure and tort. It will make it easier to diagnose
 

method89

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Give this a good read through. make sure you are achieving most of the requirements

 

method89

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Sealing off the top would help with keeping in humidity

How often and how long do you soak him?
 

pjhdisfan

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Ok, what kind of top would you suggest? I soak/bath him every other day for about 10 minutes each time
 
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method89

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plexiglass or even simple plastic sheeting. Just make sure you keep it away from the lights. You can search for other posts that have made conversions
 

TammyJ

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He is beautiful and adorable. Good advice has been given! Also I hope the water temp you are soaking him in is at a constant warm temperature the whole time. Otherwise he may get too cold and get sick.
 

pjhdisfan

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We have been doing three soaks each day now, and we finally had a poop this morning. I changed out his entire enclosure yesterday, no more moss, and adding the plexiglass over the opening at the top, still can't get to 60%,. Hopefully he will decide to eat. I am going to keep up the multiple soaks a day until hopefully he feels better and eats. Thanks everyone for the inputs. Hoping we are on the upswing
 

method89

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please post the updated photos. might have more tips
 
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pjhdisfan

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update: We took Keinu to the vet yesterday, they gave him injected fluids and put him in an incubator for almost two hours. They sent me home with meds, and basically told me, when you get tortoises this little, they can just sometimes fail to thrive, for no real reason. Today: He eat some green leaf and hibiscus, he won't eat anything with the meds on it. But he is walking around his habitat and he has had two soaks, I know we aren't out of the woods yet, but hopefully it's a sign he is feeling a little better. Thanks for all the guidance.

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Ink

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Hopefully and expert can help. What is that red food in his dish?
 

Yvonne G

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Move your gauge down to tortoise height. The main reason for a tortoise to not eat is because he's not warm enough.
 

pjhdisfan

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Dr. suggested a red pepper to get him to eat, with meds on it. Sadly, that was a not interested in for him.
 

Ink

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What is the medicine for?
 

stigrk

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I am in no way any expert but my little one is shorter than yours, about 9 months, exactly two inches and now weighs 35 grams. He eats and poops every day and gets daily soaks, he also uses the water dish by himself once in a while.

If yours is two and a quarter inches and weigh 22 grams I think it is either dehydrated, very skinny or both. They say tortoises grow at very different speed but I would expect the size/weight ratio to be comparable. Judging from your images we have the same species of tortoise.

Is he still the same weight?

Did the vet check his poop for parasites?
 

pjhdisfan

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Up until this last week he has been doing very well, a bit of a picky eater, but he always moved around his enclosure and climbed is rocks, and plants, basked and napped, This morning, we took the next step suggested by a vet online, using a baby syringe, to get water, slowly into his mouth and then food. We made a sort of green goo shake. grass, prickly pear cactus, a little green leaf lettuce. I used a baby spoon to put in front of him, he declined, so I put some gently on his beak. with that, he opened his mouth, and I was able to get a bit in, and he started eating. He ate some hibiscus, watered down swished kibble and a little more "green goo" and a few nibble of leaf. still not out of the woods. but hopefully we can get him back to healthy. Thank you all again for all the positive guidance and encouragement.
 
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