# baby sulcata poop is green???



## samiburke (Apr 17, 2012)

i dont know if this is good or not. his poo was solid and brown yesterday and today it is green and kind of liquidy any advice???


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## JoesMum (Apr 17, 2012)

What have you been feeding? It's almost certainly food related


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## dmarcus (Apr 17, 2012)

I am thinking this is food related also. Have you changed the diet lately?


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## samiburke (Apr 17, 2012)

romaine leaves and some kale. thts what a website said was good for them ive tried some fruit but he wont eat it


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## dmarcus (Apr 17, 2012)

Is that all your feeding your sulcata?


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## samiburke (Apr 17, 2012)

he wont eat anything else he is picky what else should i feed him i have some timothy hay, will that work???


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## dmarcus (Apr 17, 2012)

More dark leafy greens, like collard, and dandelion greens. You can even get spring mix and feed that. you can also take fresh grass clippings and cut it up small and sprinkle it over his food...

They dont care for hay until they are bigger, but if you chop it very small and sprinkle it over the food then he may eat it. 

Avoid the fruit, its good he doesn't like it, makes it easier to not be tempted to feed it.


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## samiburke (Apr 17, 2012)

okay so more dark leafy greens and when u say grass, like grass from my back yard???


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## dmarcus (Apr 17, 2012)

Yes grass from the back yard, as long as it has not been treated with any chemicals. That is the best thing for them... Grasses and weeds..


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## samiburke (Apr 17, 2012)

ah okay and he has been kind of ignoring his food since i started sprinkling the calcium powder on it, but his shell is a little soft so he needs it and when i brought him out in dirct sun today he ran for a shady spot under my leg. is this normal???


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## Zamric (Apr 17, 2012)

Also, try Cactus pads... even the pickiest eaters like Cactus Pads and pears! and Dmarcus is so very right about grass and weeds for Sulcatas! Variety is the key for diets!


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## JoesMum (Apr 17, 2012)

DeanS's Tortoise Meatball recipe is great for adding fiber to the diet.


Picky eaters need tough love. They will eat healthy stuff if they are hungry, but you have to be strong and not give in. They can and will hold out for a couple of weeks. As long as they're soaked daily to ensure hydration they come to no harm... it's just you that becomes a nervous wreck. You can do it... you're in charge! Be strong!


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## samiburke (Apr 17, 2012)

thanks JoesMum! so for a baby is it normal for his shell to be a little soft??? and where can i get a cactus pad???


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## dmarcus (Apr 17, 2012)

Also try putting less calcium powder on the food..


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## dmmj (Apr 17, 2012)

Babies are born with a soft shell (leathery) and they harden over time with calcium and sunshine. What you don't want to happen is to have a tortoise's shell that is hard and then stats to go soft that's bad, as long as your tortoise's shell is soft and hardening up over time, then everything should be good.


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## JoesMum (Apr 17, 2012)

A baby's shell should harden up quite quickly once the umbilical has healed. Failure to do so is caused by UVB and/or Dietary mineral problems (particularly calcium). I've never had a hatchling so others can advise better.

We can't easily get cactus pads in the UK. Though I've just bought a couple of hardy Opuntias to grow in pots.


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## samiburke (Apr 17, 2012)

thats the prob when i got him 4 days ago his shell was hard, or harder than it is today. i gave him a cuttlebone but he hasnt eaten it until this morning and thats when i noticed his shell was soft. he has a uvb bulb and is actil normal he just has a slightly oft shell now so im worried


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## dmmj (Apr 17, 2012)

I remember your other thread now, like I said there 4 days is not enough time for this problem to develop, Like I said there a vet visit will most likely be required to fix this problem, and not to sound mean or harsh but the longer you take to remedy it the harder it will be to fix.


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## samiburke (Apr 17, 2012)

okay thank you all very much


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## JoesMum (Apr 17, 2012)

How long is your UVB on for? It needs to be on for 12-14 hours per day.

You have only had this tort for 4 days and everything is very new to him/her. Tortoises are very poor at handling change, so it's no wonder he's not eating properly. It could take a couple of weeks for him to settle down both eating and pooping! It's a bit soon for tough love.. A regular routine is more important so your tort knows what to expect and when.

Make sure you have the heat, light and humidity correct for your tort and that the temperatures are correct.

Tom's thread on Beginner's mistakes would be useful reading for you and covers many areas.


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## samiburke (Apr 17, 2012)

wow that made me think so much about how im keeping him. hes a baby but hes in a 20 gallon tank n i have a half log for him on the cool side of his tank, there is also a humidity container for him to go in and a small thing of water that he crawls in and out of. but i only have a normal stick-on temp thermometer that says the warm end is usually around 90 during the day and around 80 during the night. am i a bad tortoise owner???


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## JoesMum (Apr 17, 2012)

No you're not a bad owner. You care, that's why you're here 

Just ask the right questions in another thread about the perfect setup for your tort and other sulcata owners will help you get it right


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## samiburke (Apr 17, 2012)

thanks!


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## dmarcus (Apr 17, 2012)

Your are not a bad owner, a bad owner would not be here trying to get help.


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