5 month sulcata

[Bharani]

Hello all,
I bought two 5 month old sulcatas in flea market, took them to an exotic vet. One wasn’t eating and opening it’s eyes since the day i brought it, but the other was super active and eating fine. They weighed 46 grams, shell length was 2.5 inches. I wondered if they really were 5 months?
After 2 weeks the one which wasn’t opening it’s eyes died. I actually bought a terrarium for them, arranged UV bulb and maintained 80 degrees temp. One week after the first one passed away, the active one stopped eating and opening it’s eyes, took it to a vet and they prescribed antibiotic injections for 6 days. I gave 3 injections, but still it died. Doctor said it had some infection. What did i do wrong with them, want to know this coz inplan to get another sulcata. What age sulcatas survive well as pets?

 

[wellington]

First do not buy two, they can not be housed together
Second they need to be in a closed chamber enclosure with over all temps of 80 day and night. A basking area that reaches 95-100 and 80% humidity.
Uvb from a tube florescent light and basking from an incandescent flood bulb. Ceramic heat emitters for added day heat and for night heat
Don't buy from a flea market! Buy from a reputable breeder that starts them the way I just said they need to be housed

 

[Tom]

Hello all,
I bought two 5 month old sulcatas in flea market, took them to an exotic vet. One wasn’t eating and opening it’s eyes since the day i brought it, but the other was super active and eating fine. They weighed 46 grams, shell length was 2.5 inches. I wondered if they really were 5 months?
After 2 weeks the one which wasn’t opening it’s eyes died. I actually bought a terrarium for them, arranged UV bulb and maintained 80 degrees temp. One week after the first one passed away, the active one stopped eating and opening it’s eyes, took it to a vet and they prescribed antibiotic injections for 6 days. I gave 3 injections, but still it died. Doctor said it had some infection. What did i do wrong with them, want to know this coz inplan to get another sulcata. What age sulcatas survive well as pets?

At 5 months, if started and housed correctly, they should be around 300 grams.

You most likely had the wrong type of UV, and if the temperature was 80 in the whole enclosure day ad night with no warmer area, then it was too cool for them to function.

Vets don't know tortoises very well and often misdiagnose issues. Here is most likely what was happening to your babies:

"Hatchling Failure Syndrome"

I've heard this term for many years and I don't like it. Its a way to excuse our ignorance and failure. I will agree that an occasional hatchling is born that is just not going to make it no matter what anybody does, but MOST of them, if they make it full term and hatch, SHOULD survive and...

tortoiseforum.org

Baby sulcatas thrive and do very well at any age, IF they are started correctly at the breeder's place and housed correctly wherever they go from there. They won't survive the wrong care at any age or size. Getting a larger one only means it will take them a little bit longer to die under the wrong care.

Almost all of the care info found online and in pet shops is completely wrong and will give you exactly the results that you have had. Start here, and look for the sulcata care sheet near the bottom for the correct care info:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Bharani]

First do not buy two, they can not be housed together
Second they need to be in a closed chamber enclosure with over all temps of 80 day and night. A basking area that reaches 95-100 and 80% humidity.
Uvb from a tube florescent light and basking from an incandescent flood bulb. Ceramic heat emitters for added day heat and for night heat
Don't buy from a flea market! Buy from a reputable breeder that starts them the way I just said they need to be housed

First do not buy two, they can not be housed together
Second they need to be in a closed chamber enclosure with over all temps of 80 day and night. A basking area that reaches 95-100 and 80% humidity.
Uvb from a tube florescent light and basking from an incandescent flood bulb. Ceramic heat emitters for added day heat and for night heat
Don't buy from a flea market! Buy from a reputable breeder that starts them the way I just said they need to be housed

First do not buy two, they can not be housed together
Second they need to be in a closed chamber enclosure with over all temps of 80 day and night. A basking area that reaches 95-100 and 80% humidity.
Uvb from a tube florescent light and basking from an incandescent flood bulb. Ceramic heat emitters for added day heat and for night heat
Don't buy from a flea market! Buy from a reputable breeder that starts them the way I just said they need to be housed

At 5 months, if started and housed correctly, they should be around 300 grams.

You most likely had the wrong type of UV, and if the temperature was 80 in the whole enclosure day ad night with no warmer area, then it was too cool for them to function.

Vets don't know tortoises very well and often misdiagnose issues. Here is most likely what was happening to your babies:

"Hatchling Failure Syndrome"

I've heard this term for many years and I don't like it. Its a way to excuse our ignorance and failure. I will agree that an occasional hatchling is born that is just not going to make it no matter what anybody does, but MOST of them, if they make it full term and hatch, SHOULD survive and...

tortoiseforum.org

Baby sulcatas thrive and do very well at any age, IF they are started correctly at the breeder's place and housed correctly wherever they go from there. They won't survive the wrong care at any age or size. Getting a larger one only means it will take them a little bit longer to die under the wrong care.

Almost all of the care info found online and in pet shops is completely wrong and will give you exactly the results that you have had. Start here, and look for the sulcata care sheet near the bottom for the correct care info:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you Tom! The UVB light i used is the one i got with terrarium. I believe is Thrive UV bulb. I hydrated them everyday and made sure the temp is 80degrees and himidity between 50-60. What is the best place to buy another healthy well started sulcata and what age thrives better. Please advise.

 

[Tom]

Thank you Tom! The UVB light i used is the one i got with terrarium. I believe is Thrive UV bulb. I hydrated them everyday and made sure the temp is 80degrees and himidity between 50-60. What is the best place to buy another healthy well started sulcata and what age thrives better. Please advise.

I don't know the Thrive brand of UV bulb. What type of bulb is it?

80 degrees over night is fine, but the basking area needs to be near 100 during the day and ambient should climb into the low 90s each day. Dropping to 80 at night is good.

Humidity needs to be over 80% all the time, and the humid hide area needs to be near 100%. You accomplish this easily with a large closed chamber that has the heat and lights inside.

Get a sulcata that is over 50 grams. That is the stalling point when something is wrong. If you find one that is 60 grams or larger and steadily growing, chances are good that it is healthy.

Contact @NorCal tortoise guy when you are ready to buy, but it sounds like you have some work to do on the enclosure first.

Here is the correct care info. Read it. Learn it. Live it.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

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