Sick baby sulcata

Jsarab

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I bought my sulcata hatchling two weeks ago, he seemed to be doing well but for the past day and a half, he's been very lethargic and doesnt eat at all. He seems to be only using his back legs to move and not even using his front legs. Pretty much "crawling". I keep his enclosure at 80% humidity with temps at 80+ degrees all the time. He eats collard greens, Kale, Turnip Greens. Hes been very picky about grasses but Ive been trying to feed it grass everyday. I soak him for 30 mins everyday. I dont know what to do, I don't really have the money to go to a vet either.
 

Jsarab

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71BE5663-E891-4DA9-8C86-3CF154BE061E.jpegIf I were to pick him up, he’s all limp too (including his head). He’s pretty much been sleeping all day
 

Tom

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Where did you get him? How was he started?

This is a likely possibility:
 

Jsarab

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I got him from a place called LLLreptile here in vegas. Its a reptile pet store. I dont really know how he was started. All I know is that when I got him, he already had slightly raised scutes (pyramiding?).
 

Jsarab

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Where did you get him? How was he started?

This is a likely possibility:
Sorry I didnt realize that I didnt reply directly under your message. New update: I went to check on him because he became unresponsive. (Very limp). Then he started peeing with urates. Does this look out of the ordinary to you? After doing this he is now curled up in his shell. Still somewhat unresponsive. Not sure if he’s dead
 

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KarenSoCal

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Sadly, LLLReptile does not have a good reputation in regards to the animals they sell. It's always best to buy directly from a breeder rather than from a reseller. There's no way to know where your baby came from.

To me, that does look like a lot of urates for a baby. Take your finger and feel them...is there grit or stones in them? Ideally they feel like toothpaste, smooth and creamy.

You could try a carrot baby food soak. Get pureed carrot baby food and mix it 50/50 with warm water, and soak him in it. If he drinks some, that's good. Make sure to hold his head up if he's too weak.

I'm really sorry about your baby, but the outlook does not seem good
 

Jsarab

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Sadly, LLLReptile does not have a good reputation in regards to the animals they sell. It's always best to buy directly from a breeder rather than from a reseller. There's no way to know where your baby came from.

To me, that does look like a lot of urates for a baby. Take your finger and feel them...is there grit or stones in them? Ideally they feel like toothpaste, smooth and creamy.

You could try a carrot baby food soak. Get pureed carrot baby food and mix it 50/50 with warm water, and soak him in it. If he drinks some, that's good. Make sure to hold his head up if he's too weak.

I'm really sorry about your baby, but the outlook does not seem good
The urates did feel gritty. What does that mean?
 

KarenSoCal

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The urates did feel gritty. What does that mean?
Urates are the byproduct of the digestion of protein. They also help indicate whether the tort is well hydrated.

If kept too dry or fed high protein, the grit can start to form stones in the bladder, which potentially can get very large, obstructing urine flow. This requires major surgery to remove.

The best thing to do is soak every day for longer periods, like 45 min, or even an hour. Don't let the water cool...keep it warm for the entire soak. Spritz his greens with tap water so he drinks when he eats.

Super hydration is key to handling urates. As he gets more hydrated, they will become more creamy, and may disappear completely.

I doubt that a baby so young would have a huge obstructing bladder stone making him so sick. The only way to find that out would be an x-ray, but it doesn't seem very likely to me.

@Tom
@maggie3fan
@Yvonne G
 

Tom

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The urates did feel gritty. What does that mean?
It means he was started in the typical dry fashion. Most of them don't survive that way. Sorry. Now you know. Buy from a breeder that starts ad houses them correctly. There are hardly any that do. If you want to try again, we can get you to a good source, and it will be significantly cheaper than the pet store.

Here is the correct care info for you:
 

dd33

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What are those two spots in the back of his neck? Were they always that color? Are there more of them?
 

TheLastGreen

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I'm sorry for your loss. You did your absolute best. Thank you for caring for that tort, giving it the best possible care it could have in its final days. It is horrible that some people like LLLReptile would resell torts and not care about their health. But luckily people like you exist, to give the best care possible to a tort no matter what. That tort is in no more pain, the pain which it felt was relieved by your care. You cared for it to the best of your abillities, most likely giving it the best care it had in its entire life. That is all that matters.?
 

TaylorTortoise

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It means he was started in the typical dry fashion. Most of them don't survive that way. Sorry. Now you know. Buy from a breeder that starts ad houses them correctly. There are hardly any that do. If you want to try again, we can get you to a good source, and it will be significantly cheaper than the pet store.

Here is the correct care info for you:
Tom,
What will be cheaper? Buying from a breeder vs a pet store?
 

KarenSoCal

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I'm so very sorry about your baby. We see a lot of these poorly started babies, and each time it is more heartbreaking. ?

When you feel ready, come back and we'll give you some breeders who start them correctly.

In the meantime, be assured that this was not your fault. No one could have saved him, not even a vet. Be consoled that he died knowing that someone loved him.
 

Tom

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Do you know anything about those spots?
Austwickia chelonae. Its a bad bacterial disease coming from animals at at least one compound in AZ. The guy won't stop selling these infected animals to other people who resell them all over the country. It is highly contagious and there is no cure. You need to throw away anything that this baby had contact with and use a 10-20% ammonia solution to disinfect any hard surfaces where the enclosure was.

You should let LLL know too.
 
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