My Russian tortoise wont eat

Question
QUESTION: I bought a Russian tortoise at a reptile expo oct.2 today is
oct 6 and she still hasn't eaten I supply her a heating
lamp,
uv lamp ,soaking pool , eco earth loose coconut substrate is
her bedding , I try feeding her dandelion greens and pellet
food called grassland tortoise food,her tank is 24" by 12"
it is normaly  around 85 degrees in her tank sometimes 75
she made an area in her tank in a corner where she cleared
out the bedding and won't leave there


ANSWER: Hi Zack,

There's a few things you need to change to get your tortoise on the right track.  The main problem is that tortoises don't do well in tanks, and an enclosure that is 2' x 1' is far too small for a tortoise anyway.  You need something open and airy, and at least 4' x 2' for one tortoise.  They need a basking area with a temperature of 90-95 degrees (measured on the substrate under the lamp, not air temperature), and a cooler area of 70-75 degrees.  The ecoearth substrate is OK, but mix it half and half with playsand and keep it slightly damp at all times to boost humidity a little (heat lamps are very drying).  If the tortoise is too warm or cold, and too dry she won't eat and will be lethargic.  Good UVB is also very important.  If you're using a fluorescent or coil UVB bulb, get rid of it and get a mercury vapor lamp instead (heat/UVB in one; get the ZooMed Powersun), because the level of UVB is vastly superior in the MV bulbs.

They need a good varied diet of leafy greens; no veggies, no fruit, no pellets.  Dandelions are good, but they need more than one type of greens--try turnip greens, mustard, collards, kale, spring mix (not too much), clover, chicory, chickweed, sow thistle, mallow, plantain, hibiscus, prickly pear cactus, etc.  

If she continues to be lethargic and not eat after you improve the enclosure, I would take her to a herp vet for an exam and fecal check (bring a poop sample).  She is probably a recent import and very likely has parasites.  At this point, however, I'd make the improvements to her care and see if that does the trick.  For further reading, see www.russiantortoise.org.  Good luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: she still hasn't eaten and its been 2 weeks now i moved her
into a 4' by 17" rubber maid tub shes a bit more active and i
offer her tomato dandelion greens and more.the only time she
ate was when i took her outside a week ago and she ate out
there

Answer
Hi Zack,

Did you check the temperatures as I suggested, and do you have a good UVB bulb?  Both of these are critical to a healthy tortoise, as is proper hydration.  The slightly damp coir/sand mix is also important.  Russians can't be kept too dry as they will dehydrate under the heat lamp.  Offer leafy greens only--tomato is a fruit, so no tomato.

If your temperatures are correct, and you have a good basking/UVB bulb, try increasing the hours the bulb is on to 14-15 (it should be on 12 hours a day minimum anyway, and no heat or light at night).  If that doesn't perk her up, it's time to schedule a vet appointment.  Bring a poop sample so they can run a fecal on it, or ask them to do a cloacal swab if she's not pooping.