worried new horsefield owner

[gill]

I am a new horsefield tortoise owner and have had her since Saturday and I dont think she has eaten or drunk yet. Should I be worried and how can I encourage her to eat and drink. I am told she is 3 years old but I think she may be older.

 

[daniellenc]

What was her diet before and set up? What is it now? If your temps are good and enclosure good she may just need a few days to settle in it can take weeks. I'd post a picture of your tort and enclosure so people can offer suggestions. In the meantime start giving daily soaks to ensure proper hydration and otherwise keep it quiet for her while she settles in.

 

[gill]

What was her diet before and set up? What is it now? If your temps are good and enclosure good she may just need a few days to settle in it can take weeks. I'd post a picture of your tort and enclosure so people can offer suggestions. In the meantime start giving daily soaks to ensure proper hydration and otherwise keep it quiet for her while she settles in.

 

[gill]

I plan to feed her on as much natural plants and weeds as possible but she isn't interested. I have tried her on sliced greens grated carrot and pellets which is what she was fed previously and she wasn't interested. Unfortunately she is from a pet shop and was kept in a vivarium. I have a dual basking lamp on a timer reaching 33 degrees and the rest of the kennel is about 25 and i have a heat defuser bulb on a thermostat when the basking lamp isn't on. Then she has access to the outside enclosure during the day. I have plenty of different terrains and hides both in an outside. I have tried soaking her but she won't stay in the plang pot sauce, she's off.

 

[daniellenc]

Gorgeous enclosure very nice!! What are your temps outside day and night? If torts are too cold they don't eat but a new home and enclosure is stressful too. It took Skurt three weeks to really start eating well consistently so be patient and offer a wide variety of foods twice a day. You should also be soaking to promote hydration especially if she's not eating and drinking yet, and a baby food/warm water soak is never bad. I'd say she'll be eating like a champ soon given time and space to settle in and a few good 30 minute soaks!

 

[daniellenc]

I plan to feed her on as much natural plants and weeds as possible but she isn't interested. I have tried her on sliced greens grated carrot and pellets which is what she was fed previously and she wasn't interested. Unfortunately she is from a pet shop and was kept in a vivarium. I have a dual basking lamp on a timer reaching 33 degrees and the rest of the kennel is about 25 and i have a heat defuser bulb on a thermostat when the basking lamp isn't on. Then she has access to the outside enclosure during the day. I have plenty of different terrains and hides both in an outside. I have tried soaking her but she won't stay in the plang pot sauce, she's off.

Get a large plastic tub she can't can't climb out of......none of them stay in on their own, lol

 

[gill]

Gorgeous enclosure very nice!! What are your temps outside day and night? If torts are too cold they don't eat but a new home and enclosure is stressful too. It took Skurt three weeks to really start eating well consistently so be patient and offer a wide variety of foods twice a day. You should also be soaking to promote hydration especially if she's not eating and drinking yet, and a baby food/warm water soak is never bad. I'd say she'll be eating like a champ soon given time and space to settle in and a few good 30 minute soaks!

Basking around 33 heating diffuser lamp set at 20 day and night ive tried soaking her and she wont. She is very alert when i get her out and literally runs round the garden trying to get out but wont eat

 

[daniellenc]

Again get a plastic tub she can't climb out of. Keep an eye on her but soaks for 20-30 minutes are important whether she likes it or not. You're the boss!!

 

[RosemaryDW]

Here is how I get my Russian to soak:

I do it early in the morning when she is still moving slow; once she's fully charged there is no way she will relax in there.

I use tall sided tub/pot/whathaveyou that she can't see out of. I fill it up to a level that hits the line whether the upper and lower shell meet with water that is around 95 degrees (baby bath temp?).

I take the bath to where she is, not the other way around. The less time she's up in the air, the better. In her mind, anything grabbing her from above is a predator.

Put her in the water, check long enough to make sure the water is too high and then walk away. She doesn't need you staring at her! She should relax after a minute or so.

Longer soaks are good when you've got a new tortoise settling in. On a regular basis, about ten minutes is what mine is okay with. She's from a very dry climate, so I personally don't think long soaks are needed once you've got them up to speed. YMMV.

She probably needs a few days to get comfortable in the new environment. I know it's SO HARD but she is absolutely fine not eating for a few days while she settles in. The soaks will stimulate her to go to the bathroom and also eat, so definitely important right now.

 

[gill]

I have been soaking her for the past few days I have had her 1 week today and she still hasn't eaten

 

[Maitaimommy]

Hi Gill,
Just wanted to see how your girl is doing?
I think RosemaryDM's advice is spot on!

 

[gill]

Hi Gill,
Just wanted to see how your girl is doing?
I think RosemaryDM's advice is spot on!

Hi Gill,
Just wanted to see how your girl is doing?
I think RosemaryDM's advice is spot on!

Hi Rosemary thank you for asking and she is doing a bit better. She has eaten 3 times in the last 2 weeks. I offer her a variety of weeds and flowers each day and throw them away because they go limp very quickly in her tortoise house. She doesnt come out of the house into the enclosure and if I put her there she either goes straight back or hides under a plant. She has weeds and plants growing in her enclosure but never touches them. I thought her beak was too long so i have taken her to have it trimmed. She seems to enjoy being in the garden and one of the times she has eaten was when she was there. She's much better at soakin now and is much calmer. Can you tell me please how long i should have her basking lamp on during the day and what do you feed you tortoise. Thank you

 

[Maitaimommy]

Glad she's better Organic leafy greens are best. My russian favors radiccio, chicory/endive and organic clover sprouts.

 

[RosemaryDW]

Can you tell me please how long i should have her basking lamp on during the day and what do you feed you tortoise. Thank you

I am glad to hear she is doing better.

Where do you live? I feed my tortoise all kinds of things but I'm in an area with access to great foods. What you can feed depends on where you live, the weather, the kinds of grocery stores or markets you have.

I can tell you that my tortoise was quite picky when we found her; she got hungry soon enough but it took five months to fully transition her to better foods.

My tortoise lives entirely outside so I can't help with basking. Have you read the Russian care sheet? http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Start there and if you are still worried about it, post that question in the forum that is specific to Russians: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/forums/russian-tortoises.81/

Don't pull her out of the enclosure; remember, you are a predator in her eyes. Right now she wants to stay hidden and that's fine. I know it's hard.

 

[RosemaryDW]

Goodness; I just found your post about enclosures in the other forum. I didn't realize she'd been eating pellet food.

If she's used to eating one kind of food, it's going to be harder for her to adjust. Try wetting some pellets and mash them around with the other things. When she goes to eat the pellets, she'll get a taste of the other things. Over time you can increase the other foods and eventually get rid of the pellets altogether.

And remember, she won't starve, even if you give her no pellets at all. She can go a looooooong time without eating, she's not like you and me!

 

[Maitaimommy]

So true! Please do your best to get her off the pellets soon! Fresh is always best