Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We just got our red foot recently. Never had one before or any tortoise for that matter. We finally got him to eat, but all he does is lay around. I have to put him in his soaking dish. He wakes up and stay in there for about 15 mins and then he will either go eat or go and find him a nice play to sleep. And that is all he does. I have waited to see if he would put himself in his soaking dish but he doesn't. All he does is stay where he is at. Is this normal? Shouldn't he walk around? First we had rabbit pellets on the floor then we put timothy hay in there. He likes them both. Should we get another so he has company or is there something wrong or is this normal? He is just a tiny thing right now. Please help and thank you!

Whenever an animal is displaying behavioral irregularities, check the environment first.

What are you keeping him in? *What temperatures are you keeping him at?* What is the temperature in his basking spot?

>>We just got our red foot recently. Never had one before or any tortoise for that matter. We finally got him to eat, but all he does is lay around. I have to put him in his soaking dish. He wakes up and stay in there for about 15 mins and then he will either go eat or go and find him a nice play to sleep. And that is all he does. I have waited to see if he would put himself in his soaking dish but he doesn't. All he does is stay where he is at. Is this normal? Shouldn't he walk around? First we had rabbit pellets on the floor then we put timothy hay in there. He likes them both. Should we get another so he has company or is there something wrong or is this normal? He is just a tiny thing right now. Please help and thank you!

How old is your RF? You say he is tiny, does that mean he is a hatchling? Their tendencies are to pretty much hide most of the time. I have two RFs (4 yrs old and 4 months old) and the youngest generally sleeps a lot or hides out in her cave. She does bask (or I'll catch her basking).

As long as he is eating all right and growing at a good rate (no pyramiding), I wouldn't worry about it. He'll "come out of his shell" in time.

if he's just a tiny baby, mine was the same way. he'd poke around and explore immediate after i'd soak him (i'd only rarely catch him in his bowl on his own accord; he'd just take a sip from time to time), but generally he'd mostly hide in this hollowed out half-log i bought for him. i think it's pretty common for them to hide a lot and nap as babies.

if he's very sluggish when you have him out, though, that mgiht be cause for concern. try taking him out into your yard and let him crawl around; does he seem interested, or listless?

what you should probably do, if you haven't already, is take your young'un into a vet that deals with reptiles for a checkup. one thing you should really make sure to do is bring in a fresh poop so your vet can check for parasites, since those can take a little one out quick.

best of luck with your new baby!

Yes he is just a baby. So he is just doing what he knows best I guess. The temps are all correct and everything so I am happy with it and so is he. When I come and look at him he follows me so what he is doing is normal but I just wanted to hear it from you guys. I will take his "business" to the vet just to double check. Thank you all for your help!