inactive tortoise

Question
dear Jamie,
I recently got myself a tortoise in a petstore in China and i think it's a baby Hermann tortoise, first of all, some kind of white stuff startes appearing on her shell and one whithe spot appeard on her tail, i don't know weather it's from the water i soak her in or if it's some sort of sikness...
Second, her cage is a large 1m wood terarium equiped whith two UV lamps, one water dish, a cave, and a place to eat yet she stays in her cave ALL THE TIME and never moves ! is it normal ?
And finally, for the moment i feed her cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoe is it a suatable diet for her ? i don't feed her weeds because i live in Beijing and i can't find any...
Thanks a lot !

Nathalie

Answer
Hello Nathalie, Your herman would love a diet of flowers leaves plants. If he is given a incorrect diet he will suffer terribly. He will end out with metabolic bone disease, shell damage, death etc. In all it will shorten his life or quality of.
you can grow your own weeds, dandelions, you can get seeds but he must get teh correct diet. high fiber calcium
low protiene and fat

Please look at this site. I did copy a section of it from the site in case you can not access it, However you will have to do extensive research to maintain the species correctly. You will have to grow you own weeds. please read:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-easthermanns.htm


The best diet is a natural one that allows the tortoise to graze on various weeds and greens.  Such things as dandelion, bindweed, opuntia cactus, sedum, plantains (the weed, not the fruit known as plaintain), coreopsis, hibiscus, mulberry leaves, California poppy, mallow, honeysuckle, some vetches, some clovers, bermuda grass, and many other wildflowers and weeds can be grown in an outdoor tortoise pen.  It is also possible to grow many wildflowers and weeds indoors and in greenhouses so that your tortoise does not have to rely on grocery store greens, especially in winter.  Anything the tortoise might graze on must be pesticide free.  

If fed grocery store produce, it should be mixed into a salad and may include endive, escarole, shredded carrot, kale, opuntia, occasional romaine, and occasional pumpkin.  The mixed salad diet is low in fiber so it is helpful to sprinkle with bermuda grass hay that has been ground to a powder (a coffee grinder works well). Dust the food with calcium daily, and if the tortoise isn't kept outdoors in natural sunlight, also use a combination calcium-D3 product a couple of times a week.  It is also helpful to keep a cuttlebone (with the back removed) in the enclosure so your tortoise can nibble on it if she or he feels the need for more calcium.  

Foods to avoid (or to use in very *tiny* amounts) because they interfere with the uptake of calcium:  spinach, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, beans, peas, cauliflower, collard greens, beet greens, turnip greens, mustard greens.  Fruit also should be avoided because the hermanns tortoise's digestive system can't process it."



It is vital to discover the exact type to get the correct care.
Please send a pix so I can assist you there.

As far as a lack of energy and or hiding....

He can still be scared. It takes time for them to adjust to moving to another home. There is an adjustment period. It is possible that he is still somewhat in shock and is hiding as he feels unsafe. Id give him a few days.
Please let me know how else I can be of assistance.