Assimilating a Hatchling (Health Question)

[knight_visionn]

Hi guys, new here, with my first post.

I picked up a hatchling Sulcata at a reptile convention last Sunday. It was the most active of the bunch and stomped around the entire 2-hour drive home.

Since then, it has yet to eat anything or go to the bathroom. I've been offering a mixture of dark, leafy greens, squash, and soaked Mazuri, but it has yet to even take a single bite. It has been growing increasingly sluggish and now moves like one that didn't know Sulcatas would expect a tortoise to move. One eye has started to close.

I currently have it in a large, open bin filled with cyprus mulch, which I spray with water twice a day. I've soaked it 15 minutes every day after the first Sunday, along with keeping a standing flat dish of water in its exhibit. Additionally, I've placed a damp piece of sponge in its hide.

The two sides of the exhibit are about 73-76F and 84-86F. I know I have the right bulb as well.

At this point, I don't know what to do. I had another hatchling a few years ago that had Hatchling Failure Syndrome, but only as a result of some bad substrate. Is it possible he just needs time to get used to where he is now? Maybe he got dehydrated on the drive home, that day? I can't have another one of these guys die. Help.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Knight_Vision:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

Normally I'd say give him time to adjust, however, you're describing symptoms of a sick baby.

You need it to be warmer in the habitat. It should be 100 and up directly under the light.

You might try covering or partially covering the habitat to keep more of the warmth inside.

 

[Missy]

I would try to get the temps up to the 90's on the hot end. Sometimes it takes a few days for them to get used to their new home.

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Hi Knight_Vision:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

Normally I'd say give him time to adjust, however, you're describing symptoms of a sick baby.

You need it to be warmer in the habitat. It should be 100 and up directly under the light.

You might try covering or partially covering the habitat to keep more of the warmth inside.

Sorry we posted at the same time, LOL.

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum...

Do you have a basking area for your hatchling? What types of food are you feeding and what types of bulbs are you using?

 

[knight_visionn]

Hi guys, thanks for the speedy responses. My name is Tim; I'm from the Bay Area (NorCal), and this is my second go at Sulcatas. I have a 160W UV something or other lamp - I don't remember the exact brand or the specifics, but it was $29.99 and the seller said it was standard/necessary for Sulcatas.

To answer some other questions, I do have a basking area, hence the difference in temperature. The little guy tends to spend most of his time there, pressed up against the wall.

So, to ask another question, the temperature should be at 90-100? I can't seem to find a solid answer on temperature. I had read somewhere else:

Important: many people recommend keeping G. sulcata at very high temperatures. NOT TRUE! A good temperature zone is 85 degrees in the hot zone and 72-75 in the cool zone. If it gets too hot, 90-100 degrees F, (32 - 37 degrees C) they can become very dehydrated and experience loss of appetite, develop bladder stones and additional problems.

I didn't want to make it too hot for that reason. Could he be cold though?

At this point, should I take him to the vet right away, or give him until the weekend to perk up? His shell doesn't feel any softer and his limbs are responsive. I'm just hesitant to take him to the vet; with my previous Sulcata, the herp vet told me I could feed it insects and fruit, and just gave me some eyedrops for the closed eyes - he (the tortoise) died about a week later.

I can make his area warmer; as it his, the heat lamp is a good one or two feet away from his cage.

 

[ascott]

Hi...I would also say to get the hot side for basking to 100ish... I would make the enclose partially covered as well (to keep warm as well as retain some humidity) the not eating alone would not be so bad but With the lack of moving and the eye closing I would absolutely get the temps up to the 100ish on hot side and would make the cool side 80-83ish.....

Also you may want to add a bit of baby food to the soaks (carrot or squash) and make sure to keep the water warm throughout the entire soak....IMHO

What type of uvb light and heat source are you using...exactly please.

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160w something or the other? Already sounds like too intense to me....but would like to know the exact uvb and heat source being used along with distance to surface for each uvb and heat source...please

 

[Tom]

Your temps are too cool and that is too big of a bulb unless you have a really large enclosure for your hatchling. I like an ambient of around 80 day and night with a 100 degree basking spot. I do not agree at all with the quote you posted and have been fighting that info for a long time. If you are keeping them on rabbit pellets with no water bowl, then those temps might be okay. If you are keeping them with dampness and humidity they need to be warmer. Here is how I like to keep them:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies#axzz1caSXs45d

 

[laramie]

Here is how I like to keep them:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies#axzz1caSXs45d

I was just going to suggerst your thread Tom

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By the way, Welcome to TFO and congrats on your new baby

 

[dmmj]

I likewise would say give him time, but the closed eye concerns me. Is he showing an other signs? open mouth breathing, mucus discharge from the nose?

 

[knight_visionn]

I have not noticed any other signs, and the one eye is only about half shut.

The bulb I am using is Exo-Terra 160W Solar Glo (Professional Series). I moved the heat lamp closer to the cage, and roofed (albeit, poorly) a good third of the cage. He seems to be a bit more energetic today, but still no eating (that I've noticed; I can never tell if the greens withered away or if he had a few bites) or using of the bathroom.

The heat is now in the 90's in the sunny area, and in the high 70's in the cool area.

 

[knight_visionn]

Also, I took pictures of the exhibit. Let me know if any of you see any glaring problems.

And I couldn't help but snap one of the little guy himself.

 

[knight_visionn]

Update:

I finally got him to start eating (green leaf lettuce, of all things) last night, and then a bit this morning. He even used the bathroom in his soak bowl this morning! I've never been so happy to see poop.

He is still slower than usual, but now can use both eyes. I panicked this morning when I snatched him out of his hide to look at and he barely moved and didn't open his eyes, but upon further investigation, it appears he was just sleepy and wasn't appreciative of me snatching him from his nap.

I've also contacted a vet for a new pet check-up. Thanks guys!

 

[Yvonne G]

I think that 160 watt UVB is too intense for a baby tortoise. I would go with a 100 watt bulb. Maybe you could get away with using it if you only use it for a couple hours a day, switching it out for a regular 100 watt incandescent bulb the rest of the day.