Worried about my new Horsefield

Question
Hi there,
Got my tortoise 7 days ago, name is Squirt lol.
S/He is 2 and a half and very shy.

Clearly not used to human contact, as every time I go to handle Squirt, it hides in it's shell, I am trying to get it used to being handled, but proving to be difficult, will lift it every 2nd day or so, to not put too much stress on it, for short periods, any suggestions to make it feel more secure would be great, it kept it's back legs out on my hand today, so that seemed like some progress.

Now the worrying part...
1st day or 2, seemed to be ok, was walking around the vivarium like a trooper for a few hours, then would burrow and stay there for the night, came out twice itself the next 2 days, but it has not been eating, had literally 4 slices of shredded carrot in 2days, the smallest amount of water in the 1st 2 days and has not been near the food or water since and has been staying in it's burrow and not coming out at all, I have bathed it every 2-3 days in luke warm water for 10-15 mins to make sure it is being hydrated, but I am concerned to why it has not came out to walk around, eat and drink?

It has pooped twice and urinated 1ce.

The Vivarium is all set up fine, temperatures, UV/Basking bulb is fine.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Can you e-mail me my response as I don't know where to look for my answer on the site and really need help.

Kind Regards,
Craig

Answer
Hi Craig,

They don't forward email addresses to me, so hopefully they email you a notice that an answer's been posted.  If you have more questions, post again and set it to *private* and then put your email in the body of the post and I'll email you directly if you'd like.

I'm not sure where you got your tortoise, but you may have been given incorrect care information.  Generally, lethargy and lack of appetite are caused by temperatures being too warm or cool, dehydration/lack of humidity, or parasites.  Vivariums aren't usually suitable for tortoises as they're too small, don't allow for good air flow, and don't provide a good temperature gradient.  You want something large, open, and airy.  

Here's some basic care information.  Check it over and make sure your husbandry is correct, and then please post back if I can help more.  

Substrate--the substrate I use is a half and half mix of coir (bed-a-beast/ecoearth) and playsand, kept slightly damp at all times.  This holds humidity and allows the tortoise to burrow.  Using a substrate with some humidity duplicates the conditions in their burrows in the wild, where they spend a majority of their time.  The heat lamp is extremely drying, so the humidity is important.  You'll need to check the substrate every few days (stick your finger down into it) and add water as needed.  Make sure there's a shallow dish of water large enough for the tortoise to get into completely.  Don't use calcisand, reptile carpet, crushed walnut shells, or anything else a pet store tries to sell you.

Basking/UVB lights:  The only bulb I recommend is the T-Rex Active UVheat bulb, which has heat and UVB in one.  Excellent bulb and very durable.  I believe they are available in the UK, but not positive on that.  You need a basking temp of 90-95 degrees and a cooler area of 70-75 degrees so your tortoise can regulate its temperature.

Diet:  Leafy greens, no veggies, no fruit, no pellets.  Turnip, mustard, dandelion, collards, endive, raddichio, spring mix, etc. are all good, along with weeds such as sow thistle, chicory, chickweed, mallow, plantain, clover, hawkbit, and grape/mulberry leaves, hibiscus, nasturtium, viola, rose petals, abutilon, etc.  Put a cuttlebone in the enclosure so the tortoise can self-regulate calcium intake.

Best website for care:  www.russiantortoise.org (there's also a link on the front page to join the Yahoo Russian tortoise group)