tortotose

Question
Hi i was given a small baby tortoise in May. it was brought up in a flat. i have been to a pet shop and they say it has no fat to survive hitenation, and i must give it vitamins it wont touch any food with vits on, also it was only feed lettace and hardly eats. when it passes water there is white in it. they say to keep it in the sun but it hates it, it is not used to the sun, and get upset looking for shade, all it wants to do is bury itself and eat when it feels like it. i have been told it will rot in its shell please help can i get it vitamin injections or something, i am offering it food every few hours and trying to make it get some sun but not having much success, would it be kinder to put it down then let it rot regards Patricia

Answer
It would really help to know what kind of tortoise it is. I will give you some advice based on Russian and Greek tortoises- but understand that it will not work with some other species.

1. You need to know about your tortoise- the temps it wants, the humidity levels it wants, the right diet, etc. The best site I know for most tortoises is http://www.tortoisetrust.org I am not sure I would trust the guys at the pet shop.

2. Many species of tortoise never hibernate, and only a few need to hibernate. Most baby tortoises do not have to, and it takes a lot of work and skill to hibernate a tortoise- I do not recommend it for beginners.

3. Lettuce is terrible food for tortoises of any kind. Some dark green leafy lettuce is OK (endive, green leaf, escarole, etc.) Greens are better (dandelion, turnip, etc.) Good grasses and hays are good- Timothy grass is wonderful. Many flowering plants are good (flowers, stems, leaves). See the site mentioned earlier for more food ideas.

4. Vitamins should be offered as a powder. Use reptile vitamins LIGHTLY sprinkled on the food 2-4 times a week. You can use a dash of calcium powder as well once or twice a week.

5. Most tortoises need some sunlight, but spend most of their time in the shade- especially as babies.

6. Simple hiding is not going to cause shell rot.

Please look over the website mentioned- you really sound like you need a little more help than you are getting.