Came home to a dead Sulcata tortoise hatchling?????

Grapes

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My Sulcata tortoise died randomly. My wife had fed him yesterday afternoon and he ate and was walking around. I came home from work this morning and he was sitting just outside his log hide neck extended and legs sprawled out slightly. I've heard stories of tortoises going into a state of suspended animation and then coming back to life? Anyone have any ideas what might've happened???
 

Grapes

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No the little guy has been doing great eating his grass and weeds pooping regularly getting natural sun 3-4 times a week. My wife fed him yesterday afternoon and he was good walking around soaking in his pool and eating.
 

Grapes

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Is he limp or stiff?
If he is limp then he may still be alive so don't bury him yet!
Hope your ok. :( <3

He's pretty stiff I put in him his tub to soak just in case but I'm pretty sure he's dead. Idk what I did wrong?? I put so much time and effort into making sure he had the right setup and diet. Pretty bummed. He was a great little tort.
 

spud's_mum

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He's pretty stiff I put in him his tub to soak just in case but I'm pretty sure he's dead. Idk what I did wrong?? I put so much time and effort into making sure he had the right setup and diet. Pretty bummed. He was a great little tort.
I'm so sorry. :(
More experienced members will be able to give some insight into this :(
 

Tom

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What did your wife feed him?

How long have you had him?

What did he weigh?

Where did you get him?

These answers might give us a clue to help discover what went wrong. You have my condolences. Sorry for your sad day.
 

wellington

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So very sorry. Sometimes things like this can happen and the best guess is it was something to do with the way it was taken care of before you got him. Don't blame yourself. It's possible that no matter what you did right, he would have died anyway.
 

Grapes

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What did your wife feed him?

How long have you had him?

What did he weigh?

Where did you get him?

These answers might give us a clue to help discover what went wrong. You have my condolences. Sorry for your sad day.

I was at work for two days before I came home to find him dead but she fed him some spring mix and Sulcata grass clippings. I got him from the reptile super show in Pomona ,CA.
 

Grapes

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What did your wife feed him?

How long have you had him?

What did he weigh?

Where did you get him?

These answers might give us a clue to help discover what went wrong. You have my condolences. Sorry for your sad day.

When I got him home from the show 01-14-16 he weighed 82g I weighed him 03-10-16 and he weighed 101g he steadily put on weight the whole time I had him. I fed him mainly Sulcata grass and broad leaf seed I grew in trays with grassland tortoise pellets and spring mix occasionally.
 

Grapes

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So very sorry. Sometimes things like this can happen and the best guess is it was something to do with the way it was taken care of before you got him. Don't blame yourself. It's possible that no matter what you did right, he would have died anyway.

Thanks a lot I hope I didn't do anything wrong that may have caused this.
 

Tom

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When I got him home from the show 01-14-16 he weighed 82g I weighed him 03-10-16 and he weighed 101g he steadily put on weight the whole time I had him. I fed him mainly Sulcata grass and broad leaf seed I grew in trays with grassland tortoise pellets and spring mix occasionally.

At that size, and with that growth rate, the possibility of organ failure due to a dry start is greatly reduced.

If everything was good and he was eating well, and then was suddenly dead, that sounds like a case of either poisoning or extreme heat exposure.

Sometimes spouses or friends with good intentions put the tortoise out for some sun by putting them in a tub in direct sun with no shade. This happened to me once. I told her to put them in their tub and carry them outside to their sunning enclosure. She did. Only she left them in their tub in the enclosure in full sun. And this friend was an animal person… Lucky for me, I caught it in time. I only mention this because many people think that "sunning" the tortoise literally means putting them in the sun, when we all know they need access to sun, but should always have some shade handy too.

Any cleaning products used close to the enclosure? Paint or water sealer? Bug spray? Its springtime and a lot of people put out lawn chemicals and weed killer sprays around this time of year. Fumes of any kind nearby?

My point is that something killed your tortoise. They don't make it to 101 grams and then just suddenly drop dead for no reason. If it were a case of a bad start or poor husbandry, the tortoise would not have made it that far. Those usually stall at around 50 grams until they die. This was not your case.
 

Kori5

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Is it possible something was on that spring mix? Did your wife wash it before offering? I read a topic from few years ago. One member lost her tortoises due to something sprayed on the cucumbers :/. I'm so sorry for your loss.
 

Grapes

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At that size, and with that growth rate, the possibility of organ failure due to a dry start is greatly reduced.

If everything was good and he was eating well, and then was suddenly dead, that sounds like a case of either poisoning or extreme heat exposure.

Sometimes spouses or friends with good intentions put the tortoise out for some sun by putting them in a tub in direct sun with no shade. This happened to me once. I told her to put them in their tub and carry them outside to their sunning enclosure. She did. Only she left them in their tub in the enclosure in full sun. And this friend was an animal person… Lucky for me, I caught it in time. I only mention this because many people think that "sunning" the tortoise literally means putting them in the sun, when we all know they need access to sun, but should always have some shade handy too.

Any cleaning products used close to the enclosure? Paint or water sealer? Bug spray? Its springtime and a lot of people put out lawn chemicals and weed killer sprays around this time of year. Fumes of any kind nearby?

My point is that something killed your tortoise. They don't make it to 101 grams and then just suddenly drop dead for no reason. If it were a case of a bad start or poor husbandry, the tortoise would not have made it that far. Those usually stall at around 50 grams until they die. This was not your case.

The last reading my acurite digital hygrometer/thermometer showed when I found him was a high of 90 and a low of 77. That particular acurite is mid enclosure so it would've been cooler on the other side away from his heat source. He was found dead half way under his warm side hide. It really is unfortunate he passed he was a great little tort. Trying not to let it discourage me from continuing the hobby/obsession.

Might try again a little later and get the hatchling from the forum.
 

Grapes

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Is it possible something was on that spring mix? Did your wife wash it before offering? I read a topic from few years ago. One member lost her tortoises due to something sprayed on the cucumbers :/. I'm so sorry for your loss.

My wife said she did not wash the greens before offering them. To be honest I rarely do either. I think I will from now on just to be safe.
 

Kori5

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My wife said she did not wash the greens before offering them. To be honest I rarely do either. I think I will from now on just to be safe.
I don't think it would change anything if they had some chemicals on them. In the particular case I mentioned, the member washed and peeled the cucumbers. I'm not saying your tortoise was poisoned, it's just what crossed my mind. You and your wife did everything right, don't blame yourself. Would a necropsy bring a little peace?
 

Cheryl Hills

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So sorry you lost your baby. Keep your chin up. It may not have anything to do with what you were doing with him. If you can afford to do it, I would get a necropsy done. Then you would know for sure and put your mind at ease. Clean everything up and try again. Stick with this forum. There are many experienced people here that can give you advice and help. Again sorry for your loss.
 

Grapes

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I might look into a necropsy see how much it might run me. Just to see if I did anything wrong. Thanks for the support guys.
 
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