Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I read where so many, myself included, are or have dealt with newly arrived tortoises that show signs of stress such as not eating, drinking, or maybe not moving much. I understand that soaking in warm water, offering foods that attract with color and fragrance are sometimes effective. Should supplemental heat be provided for even sub-adult torts that would not normally require higher temperatures? Should light hours be shortened? Lengthened? Subdued? Bright? Allow the tortoise to stay hidden even if it appears that it will never exit it's safe place? Should everyone try to be as quiet as possible? Or maybe provide music or radio? How long should one wait before taking to Vet if no other signs of disease are present? A trip to the Vet adds to the stress too. Thanks to all those who will address this question with suggestions.

Stress is common in tortoises that have travelled long distances in a box or crate or whatever because of handling, limited light, jostling around during shipment and quite possibly lower temperatures than they are used to.

You really don't have to "treat" stress per se, but there are a few things you should do upon the tortoises arrival. First, soak it it room temp water (I always used bottled water) for 20 minutes, half-hour, somewhere in there to re-hydrate it just in case it is deydrated. Then the best course of action to take is pretty much no action at all. Put it in the enclosure you intend to keep it in under the basking light to warm it up. Of course by then you have made sure the basking area is just the right temperature. The animal will usually sit in the warm spot for a while until it's core temperature comes up to snuff, then it will usually find a place to hide and/or sleep for a while. Hopefully, you have provided a good, private area where he can get away from the light, like a box or something. All tortoises need this. Let it stay in the box as much as it wants to, taking it out only for daily soakings.

Make sure the part of the enclosure where he is sleeping isn't getting too cold (keep it around 80 degrees, if you can) or the tortoise could go into too deep of a sleep and not want to wake up, or even start hibernating. Even if it is warm enough, it may not want to wake up for a day or even two. I've seen this happen, but it is usually nothing to worry about as long as he is warm enough. Just check on the animal every day to make sure he is breathing okay and all that. Provide food, but if it doesn't eat for a couple of days, don't sweat it. Tortoises can go weeks without eating with no ill effects. Unless the animal is totally emaciated, then I would try to get it to eat as soon as possible.

Personally, I do not automatically take a tortoise to the vet right away when I get a new one. I know how to treat them myself if I see something wrong, and I don't worry about it too much unless they are showing severe symptoms right off the bat. When the tortoise looks no longer stressed, and after it has settled in good and is eating well and everything, I will usually treat them for parasites with an herbal remedy unless I know for a fact that it has already been treated. The herbal remedies are non-toxic to tortoises when used correctly, unlike Panacur and other drugs. Most tortoises caught in the wild are full of parasites by the time they are sold because of the cramped conditions they have been kept in. Captive born and raised are much less likley to have parasites.

If you feel you want to take the tortoise to the vet to get it checked out, I would wait a few days at least until it has settled in well to avoid more stress.