new owner, advice needed
 

Hi i got a 7 month old male horsefield on thursday called Toby, he had his first meal yesterday after he ate he had a really big poo and wee, He ate today but didnt go to the loo is that ok. I noticed as well he hasn't drank any water since i have had him not even when he,s had a bath. one more thing i was advised off another site not to hibernate him till he is 2 yrs old is this true. thanks for any advice :idea::smile:

Hi and welcome to sw.
They are slow to digest food and may not poo each day, and sometimes the eat the poo, just keep a close eye on Toby. Are you bathing Toby? They can and do take in water through the opening in their tail. Sorry but I don't have hibernating species so can't advise on that, someone will be along soon with more advise

Hibernation takes place with tortoises from their first year of hatching:0)
Some keepers say not to hibernate as they are scared their tortoises wont wake up. If the correct instructions are followed its fine, but can be stressful the first time.
I have been hibernating mine for over 34yrs with no problems at all.
If you watch your tortoise through out the year, and they are eating, pooping and basking then hibernate. If they show any signs of illness, runny nose, gaping mouth or lathagic then get them to a vet and dont hibernate.
Another way to monitor your tortoise is to weigh them once a month, they should put on around 2-3 grms, with the odd month more weight and the odd less. If this is kept up you can see if they are thriving:0)

Tortoises are not keen on tap water, I use rain water, and some use bottled. They do drink more readily from these.
Keep bathing every day for at least a month, then every other day. This helps keep them hydrated.

You could try bathing when he's cold (as in when he first wakes up or after napping when he's cool), I find they tend to stay in the bath (use something like an empty cat litter tray or something smaller if his size is small), keep the water lukewarm and shallow (don't submerse the head! - keep to around the bottom of the shell with the head clear). If they are cold/cool they tend to stay in the lukewarm water and do drink). If not for a temporary measure you could just try a little iceberg for hydration purposes (although use as a last resort). Hope this helps. xx:)

You also do not have to hibernate if you don't feel ready to, you do have the choice of overwintering. There are many threads on the subject with very differing views. Read them if you get the time. If you do choose to hibernate then ensure you are fully confident and have read up on what steps you need to take. xx:)

Thank you everyone :) :) :)