Suclcta tortoise not eating

I got a suclcta tortoise 2 days ago for a gift and it’s nothing eating it’s definitely young like a hatchling I tried hay then I tried sweet potato’s and carrots and still never now I’m getting worried I read baby’s need to eat everyday and why wouldn’t mine eat? I get a uvb bulb and a heat lamp and a hide and a water bowl he can get in and out of

Have you offered a variety of greens? Plantain, dandelion, fresh grass, cactus pads? What’s the temperature gradient in the enclosure?

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^ that.

We have a sulcata, he’s only little and he’s a machine for feeding, so unless he’s not liking the food (our won’t touch hay at all). Or it’s too cold? Then seems strange. Would say maybe he’s settling but I’ve never known a tortoise not to eat, even when moving them.

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Could I get grass out of my yard? And I’ve tried sweet potato and carrots along with hay

I wouldn’t use anything from your yard, between the chance of any parasites and otherwise from outside, and anything else that can be in your yard, it’s an unsafe source of food for a baby tortoise.

When I was researching tortoises TortoiseForum.org was the best website I found.
This care sheet should tell you everything you need to know. More information on sulcatas can be found here.

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Another source you can use to determine what foods are safe or not is the The Tortoise Table. Basic greens for a tortoise can be romaine lettuce, cactus pads (remove the spines), spinach, collard greens, etc, things like that, and for a baby, chopped up small enough they can manage the pieces. Also, what are your temperatures at, in the enclosure, and in the basking zone, and what are you using to regulate temperatures?

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We use grass and weeds from our garden fine. Always have used them and never an issue :blush:

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Also spinach for a sulcata as a treat is ok but shouldn’t actually be given a lot, it’s not actually good for them at all.

Infact Sulcatas can’t and shouldn’t have a lot of veg/fruit that other tortoise can eat. So whereas our hermans can eat basically anything, a lot of what she can eat, our sulcata Cant, so then feed them separate.
And some food only can be used in moderation or as a treat.
So you’re best off doing a lot of research!

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You’re right about the spinach, @ghoulishcresties, this is something I just came across today, actually. Good looking out, thank you. Reading into it more, it’s
(spinach) not toxic, and won’t hurt in extremely limited quantities but overall isn’t good for kidney health in tortoises. Any types of lettuce should be fed in moderation, and (I’ll be seeing if my tortoises like it or not, this was something else I learned while doing recent research) you can also feed them artichoke leaves, with the spurs cut out, it’s an EXCELLENT food source for tortoises. As I understand it, the info at The Tortoise Table is more geared towards grassland tortoise species, but as previously stated, dig in and do some species-specific research, as there are many different kinds of tortoises with different needs.

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He finally ate after 3 days of having him he ate for like 30 minutes straight

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