Baby herrman tortoise not eating

Use this forum to discuss general questions about any aspects of tortoise care.
Post Reply
Carol
Posts: 9
Joined: 05 Oct 2020, 12:26

Baby herrman tortoise not eating

Post by Carol » 06 Oct 2020, 13:37

Had Wallace for 48 hours now and still not seen him eat or drink, worried owner and advice appreciated thank you

User avatar
Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Baby herrman tortoise not eating

Post by Nina » 06 Oct 2020, 14:21

Hi Carol and welcome to The Tortoise Table.

Is Wallace a baby? They do sleep a lot as babies, but he still should be eating. Temperature and the set-up he is in have a huge effect on a tortoise's energy levels and appetite. Could you tell us what sort of set-up he is in (tortoise table or vivarium) and what the temperature is directly below his heat lamp at the height of his shell (a thermometer mounted on a nearby wall will give an artificially low reading, so you need to measure it directly under the light). You are aiming for 30C under the light and 20C at the cool end (and no heat should be necessary at night).

You often won't see tortoises drinking (and some just don't seem to drink much from their bowls). For this reason it is important to bathe him every other day, in warm water (the temperature in which you would bath a baby) for about 15 - 20 minutes in water that comes just up to his chin - or where the top shell meets the bottom shell. It's best to do this in a container that he can't see out of (like an old washing up bowl) and you might have to top up the water to keep it warm. They will often drink in there and even if they don't there is a belief that they can take up water through the cloaca. You can also wet the leaves and flowers that you feed him, so that he gets a bit of water that way (if he eats them of course!).

If you want to send a photo of your set-up, that can help, as sometimes it is only a slight tweak that is needed to get it right for them. In the meantime, here is a link to a care sheet for Hermann's -- have a read and please get back to us if you have any more questions.
https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf

Nina

Carol
Posts: 9
Joined: 05 Oct 2020, 12:26

Re: Baby herrman tortoise not eating

Post by Carol » 06 Oct 2020, 14:35

Thanks nina, I'm saying he's a he don't really know he's on 3 months and weighs 35 grms, I am waiting for my new set up and proper heat lamp so that's probably why he's sleeping, I have give him 2 baths and that perks him up but not ate anything yet lamp is coming to morrow 😊

User avatar
Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Baby herrman tortoise not eating

Post by Nina » 06 Oct 2020, 16:20

Hi Carol,

That could well by why he is sleeping a lot, but what temperature is it now in his table? Do you have any thermometer that you could hold under the lamp at the height of the tortoise's shell and measure the temperature?

The best sort are the digital fridge/freezer thermometers with a display unit and then a probe on the end of a long cord. You can hang that probe down so that it is in the circle of light and heat under the lamp to get an accurate temperature. They look like this, and you can get them in lots of places (and it's good to get one with a Max/Min facility because then you can see how warm or cool it got since you last checked. Something like this (but you can get them cheaper if you look) https://www.google.com/search?q=digital ... 82747730_0

Tortoises are ectothermic, which means their body temperature is completely determined by the temperature of their environment (unlike mammals who make their own body heat), so if the temperature is too low his body processes won't function (I think they need a body temperature of about 26C just to digest their food, so if it is cooler than that they their digestive system won't work properly).

And just to check -- what sort of lamp are you getting to provide heat heat and light (light levels are important too)? Is the bulb you have ordered one that provides UVB light? This is also very important as tortoises need UVB in order to produce healthy shell and bone. Have a look at our page on what you need in a tortoise set-up (and it includes a section on light and heat): https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... 3yKiu3TWNI

I'm sorry if all these questions sound nosey, but I'm just trying to avoid problems later on by ensuring that you're getting the right equipment. Equipment is expensive so it's important that you don't buy the wrong thing and then maybe aren't able to return it.

Finally, can you let us know if he is -- or will be -- in a table or a vivarium?

Nina

Carol
Posts: 9
Joined: 05 Oct 2020, 12:26

Re: Baby herrman tortoise not eating

Post by Carol » 06 Oct 2020, 17:45

Hi nina, he's going in a tortoise table and the lamp I'm getting is a heat one with uvb, I've ordered a ditital thermometer with a wire and a probe on the end and a moisture probe to test the bedding for humidity, at the moment he's in temporary box with a normal light, should I put him near a radiator for more warmth can't wait for all the stuff to come 😊

User avatar
Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Baby herrman tortoise not eating

Post by Nina » 06 Oct 2020, 18:36

Hi Carol,

That's great -- all the right stuff! Yes, I think I might put him next to a radiator, just because he is so small and his body will lose heat quickly. He'll be fine once his new little torty palace is set up. What sort of bedding are you getting? It's best to stick with a sand/soil mixture (ordinary screened topsoil mixed with children's playsand -- and you can buy bags of both at places like Homebase and garden centres) is the best, and you mix them either 50/50 or with a slightly higher percentage of topsoil to play sand (say 60/40 or 70/30. Definitely don't get that substrate that consists of alfalfa pellets, or anything hay or straw like (because those are fire hazards and not really natural to them)). With the soil/sand substrate, you just spray it lightly every day or two to keep it from getting dusty -- it shouldn't be at all wet.

If you have one of those desk lamps (the sort with the bendy necks) you can train one of those down into his temporary box to provide more light and warmth.

Nina

Carol
Posts: 9
Joined: 05 Oct 2020, 12:26

Re: Baby herrman tortoise not eating

Post by Carol » 06 Oct 2020, 20:44

Hi nina,
I've ordered them coco blocks and I think I will mix some play sand with it, I've got him on my chest at the moment just for a cuddle and the warmth, I've been watching lots of utube vids, but I'm getting mixed messages from some saying one thing then another thing, and most are not in the UK fingers crossed when everything is set up I can stop worrying and thanks for you help
Carol

User avatar
Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Baby herrman tortoise not eating

Post by Nina » 06 Oct 2020, 21:44

Hi Carol,

The coco blocks are OK, but not great. I've used one or two of them as a small proportion of my substrate mix, mainly because they are light weight and my tortoise table is upstairs and so heavy to carry the topsoil and sand up there. The coco blocks can get really dry and dusty, and I do think you would be better off to make them no more than a third of the mix (maybe less), with the other two thirds being children's play sand and sterilised topsoil.

Yes, I'm sure it will be a relief when everything is set up! Do be sure that you are able to raise and lower the heat/light/UVB lamp, because you will need to do that in order to maintain the temperature in the table (when the room is cold you will need to lower the lamp a bit and when it's too hot you will need to raise it). Aim for 30C under the lamp (which should be at one end of the table), and 20C at the other end.

Good luck and do send us a photo when it's all set up.

Nina

Lottie
Posts: 14
Joined: 25 Sep 2020, 02:45

Re: Baby herrman tortoise not eating

Post by Lottie » 08 Oct 2020, 19:05

Just an idea, after my little Boris's bath, I have him on me for a cuddle and I give him some fresh leaves to munch on. Bathing him seems to make him hungry...either that or he's just a greedy little fella.

User avatar
Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Baby herrman tortoise not eating

Post by Nina » 08 Oct 2020, 21:14

Good idea, Lottie -- worth a try!

Nina

Carol
Posts: 9
Joined: 05 Oct 2020, 12:26

Re: Baby herrman tortoise not eating

Post by Carol » 10 Oct 2020, 09:46

Little update Wallace is now eating and pooing, still waiting for the uvb blub 😊

User avatar
Nina
Posts: 2003
Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:22

Re: Baby herrman tortoise not eating

Post by Nina » 28 Nov 2020, 10:18

Hi Carol,

Just wondering if the UVB bulb arrived OK, and how you are finding it.

Nina

Carol wrote:
> Little update Wallace is now eating and pooing, still waiting for the uvb
> blub 😊

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 25 guests