My tortoise suddenly stop eating

[mariahaase]

Hello,
I've had my 11 month Hermanns since October last year. He was only ever fed lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes. I feed him weeds. He is in a tortoise table and I've had it all checked and everything is good there.
He has stopped eating for a week and is losing weight! I give him lots of choice of foods including salad. A typical week he eats 2 very small plantain leaves, 1 on Monday and 1 on Thursday.
I bath him every day in warm water as he was getting dehydrated. He weighs 53g and has lost 6g since Christmas. I really don't know what else to do.

[Nina]

Hi Maria,

I know this must be really stressful for you, but hopefully we can get his appetite back with just a few tweaks of husbandry. First of all, well done for getting him off that terrible diet and into a tortoise table -- you've given him the best possible start in life! It is also really good that you are giving him regular baths as tortoises -- especially small ones -- can get dehyddrated quickly under the lights.

Loss of appetite (and often lethargy too) is usually a result of incorrect temperature and light levels. Tortoises are ectothermic, which means their body temperature is determined by the temperature of their environment (rather than being produced by their bodies as is the case with mammals). They need a temperature of around 30C directly below their heat source, and this must be measured at the height of their shell (not by a thermometer mounted on a nearby wall). Do you have a means of measuring the temperature that way? At the cool end of his table (and this can be measured with a thermometer on the wall of the table) it should be about 20C. There is no need for extra heat at night, unless the temperature falls below about 14C. I can recommend a type of thermometer that you can use to measure the temperature directly below the light, if you are interested).

In winter, when the temperature of the room can fall (or in summer when it can hot in the room), it's important to be able to raise and lower the light/heat bulb, in order to get the right temperature in the table. Are you able to raise and lower your lamp?

Light levels also have a big impact on activity and appetite levels (you want to fool him into thinking that it is a really bright summer's day, so that he doesn't want to go into hibernation). So if the table is near a window, or you can put in another bulb that can help. I sometimes use one of those bendy desk lamps and just hook it over the side of the table to increase light levels.

Regarding how much he is eating -- are you offering him food every day, or just on a Monday and a Thursday? I would offer him food every day, but just enough leaves to make an imaginary little blanket that would cover his shell (odd image but it sort of works), and do make sure that he has a good calcium supplement like RevitaliseD3 or Nutrobal sprinkled on it).

If you could send us a photo of his set-up, that would help, as we might be able to suggest small tweaks to get him going again. And please don't worry, I'm sure we'll be able to get him back on track.

Nina

[ronaldhatch]

Ensure your tortoise has access to a calcium supplement with vitamin D3 to support healthy shell growth and overall well-being. Consult your vet on the appropriate type and frequency of supplementation.