Tortoise squeaks!

Hello,

I have had my sulcata tortoise for about 3 months now. He is around 5 months old I am guessing. Recently he has started squeaking, rubbing his eyes, and pulling his head into his shell. His appetite is normal and is staying active. In the morning, he basks but after he eats he takes laps around his tank. I feed him a variety of store bought greens, grass, weeds, spineless cactus, and occasional fruit. I'm currently calling around to see if there are any reptile vets near me and have tried to up the temperature for the time being. I struggle with keeping the humidity up but have been doing frequent mists with warm water. Is there anything else I can do or any way to know what could be causing his squeaking?

Hello and welcome.

What is the overnight low in his enclosure, and what equipment are you using to maintain that temperature?

I wouldn't feed any fruit to a sulcata, but the rest of what you are offering sounds great.

Hello!
When does the squeaking occur? Is it when he pulls his head in his shell? What are your temps and humidity? Can you post pics of him and your enclosure?

Tom said:

Hello and welcome.

What is the overnight low in his enclosure, and what equipment are you using to maintain that temperature?

I wouldn't feed any fruit to a sulcata, but the rest of what you are offering sounds great.

Click to expand...

Tom,

The overnight low is about 70-75 degrees. I use the Zoo Med UVB & Heat Lighting Kit.

Melis said:

Hello!
When does the squeaking occur? Is it when he pulls his head in his shell? What are your temps and humidity? Can you post pics of him and your enclosure?

Click to expand...

I wouldn't say there is an exact time when the squeaking occurs. Ive been trying to see if it is at a certain time and right now it seems it is after he eats or after he goes and walks in the grass, however, lately it has been more frequent and inconsistent. He does pull his head into his shell when the squeaking occurs.

His enclosure is kept at about 80-85 degrees and his basking spot is usually just over 90. I don't currently have any pictures of his enclosure and I am also in the process of building him a tortoise table. This is the latest picture I have of him.

Kayla Moore said:

Tom,

The overnight low is about 70-75 degrees. I use the Zoo Med UVB & Heat Lighting Kit.

Click to expand...

That is much too cold at night for a sulcata. They are a tropical species. I'm not familiar with what comes in that kit, but I'd bet money that I won't think any of it is good. Probably a a cfl UV bulb, red bulb for night and a spot lamp for heat? All wrong. Most of the care info for this species is wrong. Its very frustrating for new people to the hobby.

Here is the correct info. Give these a read through and see what is different in your set up. The immediate concern is getting the ambient and night temp up and over 80 at all times. Since he is already showing symptoms, getting the night temp over 85 for a few weeks should be the goal.
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/