Help needed newbie with horsefield

[Lagganman]

Hi new to forum and needing help reassurance bought small 2yr horsfield from pet shop on sat was in viv brought back home and put in our tortoise table which has coconut substrate , have combined solar heat lamp and since getting him all he wants to do is bury himself either under heater or moves to his house end and bury himself in hay. He has only had a tiny leaf of flat leaf watercress .We have bathed him daily and when put on the floor he walks about but looks for somewhere to bury down. Once back in his table he goes straight back to sleep. We've now bought ceramic heat bulb for nite but in morning put on combi lamp but have to physically pick him up and place underlamp where he wakes up but then either buries himself there or goes back into the house area. When spoke to petshop they said temps were wrong and better kept in viv than table . We are very confused and worried for our new member and appreciate any advice given. Thanks Simon

[Neddy]

Hi Simon,

Try not to worry too much new tortoises can take weeks to settle in (meaning they will be shy, not eat and bury themselves in the area you think they shouldn't i.e. the cold end). And just generally make you panic!

My advice would be to keep handling to a minimum. I would bathe in the morning and place food in bowl and just let him/she be. Hopefully you will see an improvement by doing this within a few days but try not to worry this is very normal tortoise behaviour when they go through a big change.

What would be great is if you can advise what your temps are under the basking spot and at the cool end just so someone can double check they are where they need to be.

Also where is the table placed and what temp is the room it is kept in?

I use a uv strip so excuse my ignorance but does the combined solar heat lamp give off uv and light?

Also just to give you the heads up your post will need to be approved for the first 5 I think so you may not see your responses for a little while

I hope this makes you feel better about your new addition.

Kind Regards

Sara

[Catwoman63]

Hello, tortoises do take a little while to settle in to a new home, the basking area should be between 32-34c and cool side of the table 22-25c, once settled the little one should be more active and respond to you x

[wigwamman]

as already mentioned it does take a little time for torts to settle into a new home.
also the move from viv to table will be a temperature shock to torty.
i am sure a similar query was posted only a couple of weeks ago,it may be worth a search.
enjoy and good luck
dave

[yuna1971]

I think we need to know your basking spot temps (measured by using an infrared or digital thermometer), cool end, and ambient room temp.
If the light quality is bad outside it will also impact on the table unless its light in there with no dark areas (apart from near the sleeping area). Temps outside will also impact on what you get inside. As will positioning of your table. Is it near a cold draft? Is there enough natural light getting in from a window?
Also what's been said by members above - all good points. The settling in phase can take weeks in some instances.
See what your temps are reading if you can first, and let us know xx

[cherylahutch]

Congratulations on getting your tortoise. As has been said you need your temperatures right and it will take a while to settle in. It could also be a bit more drafty than its used to if its been in a viv I used them and they are good for keeping temperatures steady. Obviously tables are good as well so think its just a matter of letting him settle in.

[Lagganman]

Hi all thanks so much for all your help and reassurance
Temps are under Solar uv/heat lamp are 41 directly underneath to about 33 it's little house temp is about 16-20 And room temp is about 16 during day dropping to 14 at nite. At the minute I've only 1 ceramic bulb holder which during 8am -9pm has solar uv/heat combi lamp in then when it's switched off and cooled down I replace it with a ceramic dark spot 100w bulb which gives heat only throughout the nite .
My wife has taken some of your advice and gave it warm bath this morning and then put it back in table ,where it basked under uv/heat lamp for a few hours . She then later took out and let it run around sitting room floor where it seemed very lively but only nibbled at Broccolli and raspberry. She then placed it back in table where it then wondered around for a few moments before then retiring back into it's den where it has been since 4pm. I'm sorry about all this but we very new to torts I had one back in the late 70s but he lived outside and you never seemed to much apart from feed water and house him. We are very Glad we found this Excellant Forum and now feel reassured that as many of you say it could be that he busts needs time to settle in .
Ps with the weather outside this weekend reaching 14-16 do you think he would be ok for a short time outside.
Sorry also his table is situated on cabinet in dinning room near a small double Glazed sealed unit the window is north west facing so only gets direct sunlight in late afternoon for short time
Thanks Simon and Thompson the tortoise

[Lagganman]

Hi sorry posted reply with temps etc but then had to re login so don't know if it's posted or not if it has sorry about this just didn't want people to think I hadn't replied
Thanks to Sara bev Dave Rach

[Neddy]

Originally Posted by Catwoman63

Hello, tortoises do take a little while to settle in to a new home, the basking area should be between 32-34c and cool side of the table 22-25c, once settled the little one should be more active and respond to you x

I would aim for the temps given by Bev (I own a leopard so didnt want to give you wrong info)

Here is a picture of my table



Please ignore the ramp unless you want your tortoise to roam a room like ours does

The UV strip runs through the middle and in the holder is a ceramic bulb which is on a thermostat. If the room temp drops below 16c it comes on, this is on 24/7. My uv strip comes on at 8am and switches off at 5.30pm.

Here is the link to the tortoise table they have an excellent database of weeds and veg and fruits that are safe to feed your tortoise.

http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/s...ise_home_1.asp

I had a look and broccoli is a 'dont feed'.

I hope he is settling in better

Regards

Sara

[kazzabb]

hello Lagganman
Broccoli and raspberry's are a no-no. Sorry.
In the short-term, suitable shop-bought salad is Florette Crispy, which is one of the only mixed bag salads which contains suitable lettuce (and it's the most expensive!). Iceberg is a no-no as is watercress and nearly all fruit and veg. If you can't get/grow suitable weeds, try getting the dried stuff from the tortoise lady online. Moisten it for 30 mins in a tiny bit of warm water and mix this into dampened salad, there is also a pack of mixed dried weeds, flowers and leaves specifically for torts on the Shelled Warriors shop (they might be on hols at the moment). Torts need a very high fibre low protein low phosperous diet, or they get runny poo and future health problems. if you haven't already got Nutrobal or Nekton MSA and limestone flour, i'd get some of this too and give small amounts daily sprinkled very lightly onto the salad.

Good luck. Karen