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Old 05-08-2012, 12:56 PM
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Default further help needed for leopard tortoise please.

As I mentioned in a previous thread I got a leopard tortoise the weekend before last.

Its a few years old but I'm not sure on age exactly I'm just going on the fact its quite a little lump already and weighs 550g.

Its in a tortoise table in the royal room where the ambient is usually around 82f and it has a powersun for heat and UV and the hotspot is around 110f so there's a fair gradient for it.

For the first week it picked at greens I offered it but didn't eat much and this past week it doesn't appear to have eaten anything.

I've tried leafy spring greens, dandelions, clover, grass, hay and mazuri pellets but all are going untouched as far as I can tell.

When I purchased the tortoise it was stuffing its face with romaine lettuce so I'm debating picking some up just to see if it'll eat that even if its not great for it I can mix it in with other things.

As reccomended I've got a variety of opuntia cacti which I've just potted up so hopefully they'll grow nicely.

I've been dusting food with nutrabol and calcium powder as well.

Sort of at a loss for how else to encourage it to eat. I tried a shallow bath as suggested to me but that didn't do much and other than that its been left alone so as not to stress it out.

So far its pooed twice and I haven't noticed any signs of urates etc and the water dish is large enough for it to get into if it so wishes but very shallow. Substrate is also dry and the room has low humidity so its not getting damp air etc.

I'm thinking of putting a heatmat under the cool end of the table to try and boost that up to 88f as reccomended.

Ideas please guys.
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Old 05-08-2012, 11:51 PM
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New tortoises don't like being messed with until they are comfortable with their surroundings.


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Originally Posted by rachel132002 View Post
As I mentioned in a previous thread I got a leopard tortoise the weekend before last.

Its a few years old but I'm not sure on age exactly I'm just going on the fact its quite a little lump already and weighs 550g.

Its in a tortoise table in the royal room where the ambient is usually around 82f and it has a powersun for heat and UV and the hotspot is around 110f so there's a fair gradient for it.

For the first week it picked at greens I offered it but didn't eat much and this past week it doesn't appear to have eaten anything.

I've tried leafy spring greens, dandelions, clover, grass, hay and mazuri pellets but all are going untouched as far as I can tell.

When I purchased the tortoise it was stuffing its face with romaine lettuce so I'm debating picking some up just to see if it'll eat that even if its not great for it I can mix it in with other things.

As reccomended I've got a variety of opuntia cacti which I've just potted up so hopefully they'll grow nicely.

I've been dusting food with nutrabol and calcium powder as well.

Sort of at a loss for how else to encourage it to eat. I tried a shallow bath as suggested to me but that didn't do much and other than that its been left alone so as not to stress it out.

So far its pooed twice and I haven't noticed any signs of urates etc and the water dish is large enough for it to get into if it so wishes but very shallow. Substrate is also dry and the room has low humidity so its not getting damp air etc.

I'm thinking of putting a heatmat under the cool end of the table to try and boost that up to 88f as reccomended.

Ideas please guys.
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Old 06-08-2012, 01:05 AM
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Aside from the one shallow bath as advised when I got it, it has been left except for removing previous days food and putting new food in, I haven't interfered with the tortoise itself at all and the room is quiet so no disruptions I just figure I wouldn't fancy day old warm food so nor does it I'd imagine so I literally tip the food into the bin and put fresh in and change water as needed job done.
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Old 06-08-2012, 01:29 AM
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Have you tried any of the pelleted diets?

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Originally Posted by rachel132002 View Post
Aside from the one shallow bath as advised when I got it, it has been left except for removing previous days food and putting new food in, I haven't interfered with the tortoise itself at all and the room is quiet so no disruptions I just figure I wouldn't fancy day old warm food so nor does it I'd imagine so I literally tip the food into the bin and put fresh in and change water as needed job done.
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Old 06-08-2012, 09:10 AM
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Yep and they also remained untouched :(
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Old 06-08-2012, 09:20 AM
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Try un-dusted food for now. It could be that.

If it's still not eating you either have a sick tortoise or a bad set up.
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Old 06-08-2012, 10:00 AM
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I've just put in some undusted romaine lettuce as this is what he was eating right when I bought him. The substrate is woodchips as this was advised to help things stay dry would you guys change to anything else? Is the heat mat worth adding?

This is frustrating as I read and followed careguides and shop advice to the letter yet I'm still coming unstuck so literally any ideals you guys can reccomend I can do be it food, space, heat, light, substrate or anything.
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Old 06-08-2012, 10:12 AM
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How was it being kept before you bought it?
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Old 06-08-2012, 10:24 AM
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Rachel, put a photo up of the set up.
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Old 06-08-2012, 10:31 AM
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CazyP: At the shop it was in a viv with another leopard, woodchip substrate which I'm using and had a heatlamp and UV overhead, a mat with food on and a shallow water dish.

Scott: will put pics up tonight when I get home from work.
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