Baby sulcata dosnt move much. Normal?
- Thread starter Hanksmom89
- Start date
No. That is not normal. There are two primary reasons for this, and both are bad news.
Potential reason number 1. The enclosure is not right because the pet store gave you bad advice and sold you the wrong products. This happens most of the time. Wrong lights, wrong substrate, wrong bowls, and often the wrong temperature advice. Here is the correct care info. Read this and see how your set up differs. Ask questions and make changes ASAP before its too late. Get rid of the cfl bulb, and make sure you have thermostatically controlled night heat keeping the temperature above 80 all the time. Soak every day, and get the correct substrate and enclosure to maintain temperature and humidity.
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...
tortoiseforum.org
Potential reason number 2. Most breeders do not start babies correctly and it kills them weeks or months later. Most pets stores follow the same wrong advice as the breeders, and this makes things worse. Then the people take their struggling baby to a vet where the problems are misdiagnosed, and the wrong treatments are performed which usually result in a merciful quick death for the poor baby. Here is an explanation of what is going on:
"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
I can't fix the mess created by an ignorant breeder and a typical pet shop, but I can explain what is wrong and why, and also how to fix it, if its not too late. Sorry to bring such bad news, but at least now you know what is going on.
Can you give us more details on his enclosure and such?
Hanksmom89
New Member
No. That is not normal. There are two primary reasons for this, and both are bad news.
Potential reason number 1. The enclosure is not right because the pet store gave you bad advice and sold you the wrong products. This happens most of the time. Wrong lights, wrong substrate, wrong bowls, and often the wrong temperature advice. Here is the correct care info. Read this and see how your set up differs. Ask questions and make changes ASAP before its too late. Get rid of the cfl bulb, and make sure you have thermostatically controlled night heat keeping the temperature above 80 all the time. Soak every day, and get the correct substrate and enclosure to maintain temperature and humidity.
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...
Potential reason number 2. Most breeders do not start babies correctly and it kills them weeks or months later. Most pets stores follow the same wrong advice as the breeders, and this makes things worse. Then the people take their struggling baby to a vet where the problems are misdiagnosed, and the wrong treatments are performed which usually result in a merciful quick death for the poor baby. Here is an explanation of what is going on:
"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...
I can't fix the mess created by an ignorant breeder and a typical pet shop, but I can explain what is wrong and why, and also how to fix it, if its not too late. Sorry to bring such bad news, but at least now you know what is going on.
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Hanksmom89
New Member
That’s his enclosure. Would u mind critiquing? He has a 100 wt head day bulb. His humidity was at 45 then fell so I’ll probably put some moss to hold humidity and something over part of the tank to keep it in.
Hanksmom89
New Member
Is it possible he is just adjusting? He just cameNo. That is not normal. There are two primary reasons for this, and both are bad news.
Potential reason number 1. The enclosure is not right because the pet store gave you bad advice and sold you the wrong products. This happens most of the time. Wrong lights, wrong substrate, wrong bowls, and often the wrong temperature advice. Here is the correct care info. Read this and see how your set up differs. Ask questions and make changes ASAP before its too late. Get rid of the cfl bulb, and make sure you have thermostatically controlled night heat keeping the temperature above 80 all the time. Soak every day, and get the correct substrate and enclosure to maintain temperature and humidity.
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...
Potential reason number 2. Most breeders do not start babies correctly and it kills them weeks or months later. Most pets stores follow the same wrong advice as the breeders, and this makes things worse. Then the people take their struggling baby to a vet where the problems are misdiagnosed, and the wrong treatments are performed which usually result in a merciful quick death for the poor baby. Here is an explanation of what is going on:
"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...
I can't fix the mess created by an ignorant breeder and a typical pet shop, but I can explain what is wrong and why, and also how to fix it, if its not too late. Sorry to bring such bad news, but at least now you know what is going on.
Home yesterday late afternoon. Mayby he’s just a little shy guy? And stand offish?
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Hanksmom89
New Member
Also I have the same views as you on the pay shop gang. I’m experienced in reptiles but bill is my first tort. It’s sick how these people act. However I know the owner of this shop personally. It’s a small local mom and pop shop and i do trust them. I’m in the Detroit MI area and I actually have tried to get this one pet shop shut down there so horrible. There called house of pets in Garden City. There all about money and all there reptiles have mites. They just make there cages look amazing and overprice everything. They sell common boas as red tails and take advantage of new inexperienced people.
Hanksmom89
New Member
I’m looking for a substrate that is safe for him to graze on? I soaked him and he woke up and was wide eyed. After his soak he walked to where I have the bark and started grazing so I moved a piece of his salad by him but that scared him back in his shell. I moved him right by his salad now so he knows where it will be in the morning.
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Moss should never be used. They eat it and it can cause an impaction.
Humidity needs to be 80%+ all the time for a baby sulcata. They hatch into the hot rainy wet humid monsoon season in the wild. They are not desert animals, contrary to what almost all sources will tell you. The way to accomplish this is with a closed chamber. Open topped enclosures allow all the heat and humidity to drift up and into the room.
It is possible that he's still settling in.
The mom and pop shop sound like nice people and they probably are. The problem is that almost no one starts these babies correctly in the entire country. Their source is buying from dry started babies.
FIne grade orchid bark is the best substrate to use. I feed them in a terra cotta saucer sunk into the ground. They always drag the food all over and eat it off the substrate.
What are you doing for night heat? The 100 watt daytime bulb should work as long as it is not a spot bulb or a halogen, and the temperature under it is correct?
What are you using for UV?
Hanksmom89
New Member
Night heat I have a 60 watt coil and UV is a repti sun 10
Coil for night heat? Do you mean a ceramic heating element that does not give off light?
What type of repti-sun? Long tube or compact florescent?
Hanksmom89
New Member
Correct for the ceramic heating element. And it is compact florescent. I will be getting the long tube I just need to find a fixture
The CFL might be your problem. Turn it off ASAP. Some of those burn tortoise eyes and they try to hide from the pain.
Get the Pro T5 Kit from Arcadia. Best UV on the market, long lasting, and you get fixture, reflector and bulb all in one.
With any indoor UV bulb, you need a meter to set the height correctly and monitor the bulb over time. Solarmeter 6.5.
Talkinturtles
New Member
it does take them a while to get over the stress of being moved into a new home. that being said, please do not keep them in a tank. even for a baby, an aquarium is not large enough. they will also get very stressed and start to pace if they can see out. handle as little as possible for a while. feed a high quality diet and soak in warm water daily. plan on an entire backyard as he grows. they will dig burrows and can reach a couple of hundred pounds. they are from a very warm area.
This is not true. Old myths that have been repeated for decades. I and many others here have been starting babies in large tanks for decades with no problems. You think a 60 or 100 gallon tank isn't large enough for a baby?
Talkinturtles
New Member
Maybe until they are 6 inches in length. Then no.
Agreed. I wouldn't even wait that long.
Hanksmom89
New Member
He will have a bigger enclosure as he grows. He’s only a little over 2inches right now
Hanksmom89
New Member
While I have you guys 😂. I’m having trouble finding fine orchid bark. Everything I’m finding is bigger chips. Does anyone have a link?
Look up "Repti-bark" from chewy.com or petco.com. 24 quart bags should be around $18 ad sometimes you can find it on sale.
Or talk to a local nursery that does orchids and ask them for fine grade orchid bark in bulk. They may be able to order it for you.
OSH used to sell 1 cu.ft. bags of it for about $11. E.B. Stone was the brand name. It was clean and high quality.
