Hey guys im all new to this can some 1 help? :)

[ZoeyDonaldsonX]

hi everyone, i just bought a tortoise yesterday, its a 2 year old herman, dont know the sex yet. Since we got home all its had done is sleep, and everytime i take it out it goes straight back into its bed again, i was just wondering is this ok as being away from its previous home? i got he/she from a petstore, was also in a tank with various tortoises all diffrent species, could it be lonley ? iv put food out and it wont eat anythin either, gave a bath this morning to make sure there hydrated. if annyone can help this would be helpful, thanks x

[Watermelon]

Heya maybe hes just settling in....probs not to do with the fact that she/he is lonely.

What are your temps at the warm end and cool end? What food have you put out?

Why dont you put a pic up of your enclosure? Its always nice to see new enclosures

Congrats on your new tortoise xx

[JoesMum]

Hi Zoey

Firstly it takes time for any new pet to settle down and tortoises are no exception. It could take 3 weeks or so for your tortoise to get the hang of his new life.

There are some things you can do to help him settle.

1. Make sure your enclosure is setup properly. You need to kid this guy that it's summer before he'll be active and eat. You need a basking lamp with about 35C under it. The ambient temp (room temp) needs to be in the high 20s C by day. Lighting needs to provide bright light and UVB for 12-14 hours a day.(Use a timer)

2. Your tort needs somewhere to hide and somewhere to drink (a shallow dish he can wade through) and will appreciate some growing plant matter such as a living lettuce from the supermarket, a spider plant or pansies to browse on. (These have the advantage of not wilting if not eaten too!)

3. Your tort needs to be properly hydrated before he'll eat. Soak him daily in shallow luke warm water (not hot) for 20 minutes. Use a plastic bowl or box so he can't climb out. Don't be surprised if he decides to use his soaking bath as a toilet! Change the water if it's truly disgusting before the 20 minutes is up!

5. Food. Tortoises are notoriously picky eaters and today's favourite can be ignored the following week. You are providing a new diet and so your tort may go on hunger strike for a while. Don't panic - a healthy tort can go for 3 weeks easily without eating (but not without drinking, hence the daily bath in point 3)

Think fussy child when feeding and be strong willed. A hungry tortoise will eat what they're supposed to. One that isn't hungry will hold out for the best bits like a child will refuse dinner having eaten too many sweets! You're the one in charge, so offer the right things and be strong!

Serve food on a flat dish or stone ( a piece of slate or roof tile is ideal). Pet store bowls are often too deep for your tort to easily reach into.

Don't be afraid to offer soaked pellets in winter while the weed supply is poor. I use komodo fruit and flower. These can be left in the enclosure for a few hours, so again give your tort the opportunity to browse when everything's quiet.

4. Establish a routine so he knows what to expect. With Joe the lights and heat come on about 7am, I bathe him around 8am and then feed him immediately after. Joe's always hungry after his bath (and wee/poo)

Good luck and enjoy

[ZoeyDonaldsonX]

Hey, thanks for the information guys, its all helpful. he/she is in a tortoise table with a uv and heat bulb in 1, ive put food out, some rocket, kale and sprinkled them with nutrobal calcium, he had a bath this morning for about 10 mins so will give him another one later on just to keep them hydrated. i went to the pet shop before i bought him to get all the stuff i needed, i spoke to the woman and said i needed the 100w heat and uv bulb but she insisted i used the 160w and recommended as she knows alot about tortoises, all last night we tried to extend the arm on table but wont go any higher than 14 inches, i am going back to the shop just now to tell her we cant get tempretures right and is too hot for them as bulb is far too big, maybe this is why there sleepy? havent been getting energ when basking to moove around?

[JoesMum]

Get yourself a thermometer (digital) so you can accurately measure temperatures around the table. If it is too hot, your tort will be inactive.

One 20 minute soak is better than two 10 minute soaks... so lengthen those.

As for kale, that's a "feed in moderation" food. Check out The Tortoise Table website which has an A-Z database of plants and tells you whether or not they're good to feed. It's a huge help in winter when the weeds are poor!

[Easter Bunny]

My tortoise table had a fixed bit that held the lamp, but like yours I could only extend it to a limited height. I use this instead now I find it so much better. You can get the temps right with these stands as they rise or lower to what you want. I use a 160 watt bulb too. http://www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/z...8cm-lf-20.html

also have you got a digital thermometer http://www.surreypetsupplies.co.uk/z...ter-th-24.html

[gwenq]

I had the exact same problem with my tortoise when I got him years ago. I took him to the vets when I got him, just for a wee check up and the vet gave me panacur paste (used for worming) just to make sure he was worm free. He told me to bath him and place his bath under the spotlight which encourages them to expel. I did this and could not believe the number of worms the wee thing expelled - hundreds of tiny worms and two massive worms.

Might be something else to consider.

Gwen

[ZoeyDonaldsonX]

im going to take them to the vet to get checked over just to make sure everything is fine, yeh i have a digital thermometor, things seem alot better with the 100w uv and heat bulb also have the infrared heat bulb for during the night. i will definatley lenthen those bath times joe thanks for all the info guys am sure ill b bk soon with more questions hehe x

[ZoeyDonaldsonX]

just a wee update, gave him a warm bath for 20mins and they done a pee and poo lol!! also ate some food now away back to bed. thanks guys for all the info much appreciated

[tuftybunny]

good luck with the little fella, can't wait to see some pics