# Sulcata tortoise spontaneous death



## Doug1293 (Jan 22, 2018)

So a few months ago I got my girlfriend a Sulcata tortoise hatchling and we were both really new to tortoise keeping. She kept it in an old aquatic turtle tank (about a 20 gallon tank if I'm not mistaken), but with no heat lamp. She fed it ledduce and straw berries. Soaked it for 20 min every other day. We noticed it got weak and lethargic, so I spent hours researching the issue and bought a UV heat lamp, a rock water pool, new substrate from persmart that said it was specifically for sulcata tortoises (we just used dirt before). Then I got sulcata tortoise pellets from petsmart (I'll update this with exact names) We turned the heat up to 90 in the day and continued soaking it for 20 mins every other day. There was a water dish with clean water at all times in her container. She (sprinkles the tortoise) started getting better and better, walking around and eating. It was all good until yesterday night when my girlfriend put her in a bowl of lukewarm water to soak like always. She was taller than the water so i don't understand how she could've drowned, but one moment she was looking around in the bowl, then my girlfriend went into the kitchen and came back and took her out to eat. She was limp with her mouth hanging wide open dead. We thought maybe she was in a coma but her shell is soft and underneath is turning purple now. I'm just really confused on how this happened if anyone has any idea..


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## Bambam1989 (Jan 22, 2018)

Doug1293 said:


> So a few months ago I got my girlfriend a Sulcata tortoise hatchling and we were both really new to tortoise keeping. She kept it in an old aquatic turtle tank (about a 20 gallon tank if I'm not mistaken), but with no heat lamp. She fed it ledduce and straw berries. Soaked it for 20 min every other day. We noticed it got weak and lethargic, so I spent hours researching the issue and bought a UV heat lamp, a rock water pool, new substrate from persmart that said it was specifically for sulcata tortoises (we just used dirt before). Then I got sulcata tortoise pellets from petsmart (I'll update this with exact names) We turned the heat up to 90 in the day and continued soaking it for 20 mins every other day. There was a water dish with clean water at all times in her container. She (sprinkles the tortoise) started getting better and better, walking around and eating. It was all good until yesterday night when my girlfriend put her in a bowl of lukewarm water to soak like always. She was taller than the water so i don't understand how she could've drowned, but one moment she was looking around in the bowl, then my girlfriend went into the kitchen and came back and took her out to eat. She was limp with her mouth hanging wide open dead. We thought maybe she was in a coma but her shell is soft and underneath is turning purple now. I'm just really confused on how this happened if anyone has any idea..


I'm so sorry for your loss.
I'm afraid there is quite a few things that probably added up to cause this to happen.
The cooler temps from not having a heat lamp was probably affecting it's ability to digest foods.
Strawberries and lettuce are not suitable foods for sulcatas. The strawberries are to high in sugars which it can't digest easily(sort of the same thing when you give milk to someone who is lactose intolerant). Lettuce does not have much nutritional value.
You can't trust the marketing skeems of petstores. Did the substrate that you purchased have sand in it? Sand often causes impactions after it sticks to the food.
Another factor is where you got the tort from. Was it a petstore or a breeder? Petstores often keep their torts improperly and sell you the improper supplies and tell you the wrong info. Many breeders are still under the impression that these torts don't need humidity or moisture and raise the DRY, this causes kidney problems and eventually death months later. This is what we refer to as "hatchling failure syndrome". One of the symptoms is soft shell.
Reading all this you may feel quite upset, but this is something we hear about all the time. You, and so many others, have been a victim of misinformation.
If yall decide to try raising a tort again we will happily help you. We can go over your setup as well as finding a good breeder to purchase from.


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## Tom (Jan 22, 2018)

Hello and welcome.

The soft plastron and purple color make me think you had kidney failure. This is usually the result of the breeder starting the baby too dry. This usually takes weeks or months to finally kill the baby.

However, you got some bad care advice, and your temps and diet were all wrong initially, so that may have been a contributing factor in the kidney failure. I wish you had found us before you got your tortoise.

Here is the correct care info:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

Here is what happens when babies are started wrong:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/

So my best guess is that you bought a baby that was started too dry. If not, then it was your incorrect care initially that did the damage.


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## Doug1293 (Jan 22, 2018)

Thank you. It just happened so fast I think I'm still in shock. We got her from a local reptile show and were really unprepared. I didn't even think of a humidifier and there's so much information out there. I'll have to go to her house later to get the exact substrate but it's a form of dirt/wood. We're going to bury her tomorrow.. really thank you for caring and responding so thouroughly. It's helped with a bit of closure


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## Doug1293 (Jan 22, 2018)

Tom said:


> Hello and welcome.
> 
> The soft plastron and purple color make me think you had kidney failure. This is usually the result of the breeder starting the baby too dry. This usually takes weeks or months to finally kill the baby.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the links and the advice really. It means a lot and I wish we found you guys before it got to far or even before purchasing her.


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## Bambam1989 (Jan 22, 2018)

Doug1293 said:


> Thank you. It just happened so fast I think I'm still in shock. We got her from a local reptile show and were really unprepared. I didn't even think of a humidifier and there's so much information out there. I'll have to go to her house later to get the exact substrate but it's a form of dirt/wood. We're going to bury her tomorrow.. really thank you for caring and responding so thouroughly. It's helped with a bit of closure


Your welcome. The fact that you cared enough to ask "why" says alot. I hope that this disappointment does not dissuade you from trying a tort again. They are truly fascinating animals. There are many other types of tortoises to consider too.


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## Alaskamike (Jan 23, 2018)

You’ve had a bad experience , sorry , but learned. The information here on the forum will help should you decide to get another one. 

Couple of suggestions if you do 
- think seriously about room to roam and the size of the tortoise. They all start out small , but some ( like Sulcata’s ) get big fast. 
- as mentioned , how the baby was started makes a big difference in their health. It’s not something you can always see. Internal damage is dangerous. 
- there are breeders here on the forum who do it right. Remember too , the initial cost of the tort is the least of your expenses It doesn’t make sense to skip there. If you can get one that’s 6 mos - 12 mos old you’ll have a good start past the most delicate stages. 

Good fortune


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## Sue Ann (May 2, 2019)

Doug1293 said:


> Thank you. It just happened so fast I think I'm still in shock. We got her from a local reptile show and were really unprepared. I didn't even think of a humidifier and there's so much information out there. I'll have to go to her house later to get the exact substrate but it's a form of dirt/wood. We're going to bury her tomorrow.. really thank you for caring and responding so thouroughly. It's helped with a bit of closure



so sorry for your loss. Most of us newbies were not prepared with how much goes into raising a successful Tort. I am so surprised everyday I find out new things on the forum.
Thank you everyone for all your help


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## jsheffield (May 2, 2019)

So sorry for your loss and the stress you have been going through ... TFO is a great place to learn more about tortoises, and to find the perfect type for your next one.

I don't know where you live, but a sulcata grows pretty large, pretty fast, and will likely do best where you can keep them outside ... I live in the northeast and tried to find a smaller tortoise ... maybe consider a redfoot or a Russian.

Again, so sorry for your lost.

Jamie


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