New tortoise who just sleeps

[George's House]

Hi. We bought a 2 year old herman from a pet shop on Monday, it is now Friday and so far he hasn't woken up and come out of hiding. I have had to wake him up so he can feed, bathe and play in the garden. He seems to be eating okay once woken but the longest I think he has been awake for is an hour! He has pooed once and I'm not sure if has weed or not. He has has 3 baths (is it obvious if they wee whilst bathing?)

Some back ground info:
He is in a tortoise table with sawdust in the house area, compost and sand in the main area and some straw under his bridge. There is a lamp with a tile underneath for him to bask (not that he has so far!). The thermometer is reading 23 but is not directly under the lamp.

Today I thought I would just leave him to it but he still didn't come out after 24 hours. I woke him and he ate some clover and dandelion leaves but then just went straight back to bed.

Should I be worried? Is he lonely (he was in a tank with lots of other tortoises and his paper work said he was imported from Macadonia so I am presuming he has been with his pals all his life so far.). Or is this settling in behaviour? If so will it last long?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Am very worried x

[Pussygalore]

your basking area needs to be 32-34c and that is the surface temp, the rest of the table should be around 20c through the day which is usually room temp, the temps at night can drop to 15c but anywhere between 20 & 15c is fine. Get id of the sawdust and straw both are neither natural or healthy for a tort, just use soil in all areas and if you really want to use something else then get a bag of readigrass which is just freeze dried chopped grass however any wet must be removed as it will go mouldy, straw and hay can be dusty and again will go mouldy, shavings/sawdust are to dusty. The soil substrate must be sprayed at least once a day and even watered as although the top will dry it needs to be damp underneath, not wet just hold together. Bath everyday and unless its sunny its not worth putting the tort outside just yet as its still to cold without direct sun, many do have their torts outside but you'll find they have heated housing without this the tort will just get cold and bury itself. I also assume that your are providing a source of uv of at least 10uv and that your lights/heat are on at least 10-12hours a day and not at night, your whole table needs to be well lit through the day but with hiding places.

[lonelylayla]

Hello and welcome to the forum Good advice above from Pussygalore It's good that your new tort is eating, could well be the temps that are causing him to sleep a lot. Tortoises in nature are solitary animals, so he will become used to being on his own and as he's very new it will take a while for him to settle. Look forward to seeing some piccies of him

[Catwoman63]

Yes I agree, good advice from pussygalore x

[Suze65]

I agree with everything PG said. This is the way forward for your little tort.
And he needs settling in time, this can take weeks.

[LonesomeGeorge]

I got a two year old Horsefield's Tortoise from a pet shop and it took a while for him to settle in and become active. I really wouldn't worry, it sounds like you are doing the right thing, and some great advice has been listed above.

Welcome to the Forum!

LonesomeGeorge

[George's House]

Many thanks for all your advice. I will get all the saw dust and hay removed. What should I use for bedding instead? A mixture of sand and compost or just one or the other and should this be a lot deeper so he can borrow? What percentage of sand should I mix with compost for the main area? And how often should it be completely cleaned out. I've been told spot check daily then once a month? Is this about right?

The lamp is uv as well and I have lowered it a bit to make it warmer. Is there a guide on angles and height? I need to get another thermometer for under the lamp but if it's still not warm enough what else can I use?

Thanks again for the advice and welcomes. It really is appreciated x

[lonelylayla]

Originally Posted by George's House

Many thanks for all your advice. I will get all the saw dust and hay removed. What should I use for bedding instead? A mixture of sand and compost or just one or the other and should this be a lot deeper so he can borrow? What percentage of sand should I mix with compost for the main area? And how often should it be completely cleaned out. I've been told spot check daily then once a month? Is this about right?

The lamp is uv as well and I have lowered it a bit to make it warmer. Is there a guide on angles and height? I need to get another thermometer for under the lamp but if it's still not warm enough what else can I use?

Thanks again for the advice and welcomes. It really is appreciated x

Hi The best substrate for these guys is sterilised topsoil (not compost which has additives) or coir or a mix of both, deep enough for them to burrow in (abut 4"). It should be kept moist with a bit of a spray every day. I tend to pick up any poo when I remove any left over food at night, that way the substrate can last for several months

Generally the UV should not be closer than 12" off the back of tort but with it being a combined bulb you need to watch that it doesn't make it too hot for tort. Once you are able to check the temperature you will know where you are so to speak

[Pamalu]

Rupert was the same, I sent off a poop sample to Wormcount and it turns out he has Pinworms, so he's being treated for that now. Maybe get a count done for your little one.