Poorly Tortoise

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Annika
Posts: 6
Joined: 25 Nov 2020, 19:15

Poorly Tortoise

Post by Annika » 25 Nov 2020, 19:44

Hi I'm doing this on behalf of my daughter she's a bit scared of forums. She has recently got a baby horsefield tortoise who she absolutely loves and so do I. He recently got sick with conjunctivitis and the vet gave him eye ointment. The place where she got him from gave her all the wrong advice and the vet told her to download your app. She has started feeding him the correct plants but he doesn't want to eat any of it. His eyes are now getting better but he still won't eat. The vet said if he doesn't start eating soon he will have to have a feeding tube. Does anybody have any advice on how to get him to eat?

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

Re: Poorly Tortoise

Post by Nina » 25 Nov 2020, 22:03

Hi Annika, and welcome to The Tortoise Table! Congratulations on welcoming this little Horsfield into your family. I'm sorry to hear he's been unwell, but it sounds like you had good service from the vet and that your tortoise is on the way to recovery.

This time of year, tortoises are thinking about hibernation, and Horsfields -- even babies -- have a strong instinct to hibernate. You don't want to hibernate him this year, as you haven't had him long enough, and he hasn't been well, so now you need to convince him that it is a bright summer's day, in order to get him out of his hibernation mode.

Can you describe your set-up? And if you can send in some photos of it, that would be a great help, as we might just be able to suggest some tweaks to get it perfect.

One of the most important things to get right, and encourage him to eat, are the temperatures in his enclosure. I hope you have a tortoise table rather than a vivarium, but just let us know what you do have and we'll try to help. You want to aim for a temperature of around 30C directly under his heat source, and at the height of his shell (a thermometer mounted on a nearby wall will give you an artificially low temperature, so you do need to measure it in the right place). At the cool end of his enclosure you want the temperature to be about 20C. There shouldn't need to be additional heat at night, but if the temperature drops below about 14C or 15C at night then we can suggest some supplemental heating for you. And try to make the light as bright as possible.

If he isn't waking up in the mornings then you should wake him up and put him under the light to warm up. If he goes back to bed, then put him back under the light again, and do this one or two more times (and then let him sleep if he wants). After 2 or 3 weeks he might start waking up himself.

Try hand feeding him something like a very thin slice of peeled cucumber -- most tortoises like that. If he likes that, then next time cut up a bit of a leaf of something and put it on the cucumber when you feed him, so that he can't help takng a bite. Add more and more of the leaf and less and less of the cucumber until he is eating green leaves. If he likes cucumber (which isn't a particularly nourishing food), then squeeze some of the juice onto the food you want him to eat, as that might tempt him. What calcium/vitamin supplement are you using? If it is Nutrobal that might be a problem as many tortoises don't like the taste of it. Here's a link to our articles on Overwintering https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... 77Hi7OnyM8 and here is a link to our article in introducing a better diet, which might provide a few tips https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... 77HwLOnyM8

If he isn't eating, do make sure he is well hydrated by bathing him every day or two in nice warm water (the temperature you would bathe a baby), in a container he can't see out of, and the water should come just up to where his top shell meets his bottom shell (or his chin).

I hope this is a start, but please come back with any more questions and do send some photos if you can.

You might alrready have a good care sheet, but in case you don't, here is a link to one: https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf

Nina

Annika
Posts: 6
Joined: 25 Nov 2020, 19:15

Re: Poorly Tortoise

Post by Annika » 26 Nov 2020, 10:33

Hi Nina
Thank you for your reply and help. What you said makes alot of sense as all he wants to do is sleep.
I've attached a pic of my daughters set up. She already checked the temps where you said this morning and they seem to be correct.
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received_798365644353735.jpeg

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

Re: Poorly Tortoise

Post by Nina » 26 Nov 2020, 10:59

Hi Annika,

That's a lovely little set-up you've got, so well done, and you have a very sweet looking Horsfield (what's his name, by the way)!

The only thing I can see that maybe could be tweaked is that your thermometer is reading 27C, but the probe that records the temperature looks like it is quite high above the table. It could just be that a trick of the camera, but it looks as if it is only a couple of inches below the light, and it should actually be hanging down so that it is at about the height of the tortoise's shell. So it could be giving a temperature that is higher than it is at the tortoise's position when he is under the light. It won't be wildly different -- maybe a couple of degrees -- but it's worth checking.

Is he waking up by himself in the mornings? Have a go at some of the tips in my previous email (tempting him with favourite foods). In an emergency you can even use a 'forbidden' food like a strawberry, and just rub it on a leaf so that a bit of the juice gets on the leaf, and that can get them going (but certainly don't feed him strawberries on a regular basis)! Disd you find the care sheet useful? Let us know how you get on, and we'll help all we can.

Just as an afterthought, you might like to know why the name Horsfield doesn't have an 'e' in the middle. It is named after Dr Thomas Horsfield, a 19th century American naturalist who discovered the species.

Best wishes,
Nina

Annika
Posts: 6
Joined: 25 Nov 2020, 19:15

Re: Poorly Tortoise

Post by Annika » 26 Nov 2020, 11:29

Hi Nina
Thank you for all of the advice my daughter is on it. The tortoise is called Turbo like many other tortoises I imagine 😂
Yes he does wake up but then he tends to go straight back to sleep. I think I'd like to be a tortoise I think the life would suit me 😂

Annika
Posts: 6
Joined: 25 Nov 2020, 19:15

Re: Poorly Tortoise

Post by Annika » 26 Nov 2020, 19:28

Good news Nina
Turbo started eating all the leaves that we gathered for him. He really wasn't fussy at all I don't think my daughter has ever seen him eat so fast. Hopefully by doing what you said every morning we can keep it going.

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

Re: Poorly Tortoise

Post by Nina » 26 Nov 2020, 22:06

Oh wow, that is brilliant news! Thanks for letting us know. And I fully agree with you about the life of a tortoise being something I'd like. At the mment the idea of hibernating for three months is very attractive (maybe all this horrible stuff will be over with by the time i wake up)!

Cheers,
Nina

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