Baby Sulcata Help!!

[jagsrule100]

Hi all

I had just bought a baby sulcata tortoise on saturday 10/9/10. He is probably like a couple months old, about 2 in a half inches long. He has been eating really good after the first day. His basking spot temperature is about 95 degrees, and cool spot around 80 i would say.

I have soaked him everyday so far for about 10 minutes and he drinks. But what i've noticed is that when i put him in the water (which is warm by the way) after about 5 minutes it looks like he is hiccuping and i see a very small bubble by his nose. Im thinking he has a respritory infection and im about to call the vet.

If its something else please let me know.

Thank you

 

[moswen]

congratulations on your new baby!! i do love sullies. and ah, the jitters of being a new parent to a new pet!

if you only see the bubble in the water don't waste your money just yet!!! wait till he's dry, and he has had nothing to eat. put him up to your ear and listen to him breathe. if you can NOT hear a popping sound he is FINE! sometimes if torts eat too wet of foods (i.e. fruits or cactus or something) or drink from their water they may get a bubble or two in their nose just from the excess water in their mouths and other things. my greek tula practically needs a tissue when she eats cactus! --also in the future if you scare him, and he jumps into his shell really fast, and you think you hear a sneeze or a wheezing sound, don't panic! sometimes they "hiss" when they pull in, it's no big deal either! you only need to be worried when he's walking around his enclosure sneezing, wheezing, and blowing bubbles!--

however, i would like you to hear a hint of concern in my voice when i say, most of the time (but please note not ALL of the time!) when a tort drinks he/she is a little dehydrated. if you got it from a pet store or a newbie or careless breeder they may not have provided adequate water, as some people still do not believe sulcatas need a humid environment and daily soaks as babies. but alas, they do!! so, keep up the good work and soak your tort daily! it is also a good idea to have a humid hide box that you water daily, and i also spray my babies with a spray bottle until they are thuroughly soaked whenever i get a chance throughout the day. i also have sphagnum moss under their basking light that i keep moist, my ivory moswen particularly favors that spot, and i keep live plants in their enclosure to keep the moisture in their enclosure should they choose any of these spots to sleep in.

so, keep an eye on his hydration, keep him fed, and keep me posted! if you want to post pics of his enclosure we'd love to help you out with things that will help your tort grow healthy and strong!

 

[Jermosh]

Moswen gave some spot on advice IMHO.

What is your diet for the little one? I found that some softer leafy lettuce can be left whole, but the hardier ones like kale or collard greens need to be chiffonade.

 

[jagsrule100]

Thank you for your advice Moswen, i will try out the spray bottle =)... I feed my sulcata romaine lettuce, carrots and squash so far. I got him from a reptile store and they have all kinds of turtles and they are really good which is why i went their to buy him.

Also the store told me to put on Repti Calcium on the food 3-4 times a week and every feeding to put on Zoo Med Natural Grassland Tortoise food. I've heard mixed opinions about the zoo med but thats what those guys said to do.

Oh and the bubble on the nose only happens when hes in the water, when hes dry its not there.
Thank you so much

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Jagsrule100:

Welcome to the forum!!

 

[Jermosh]

Thank you for your advice Moswen, i will try out the spray bottle =)... I feed my sulcata romaine lettuce, carrots and squash so far. I got him from a reptile store and they have all kinds of turtles and they are really good which is why i went their to buy him.

Also the store told me to put on Repti Calcium on the food 3-4 times a week and every feeding to put on Zoo Med Natural Grassland Tortoise food. I've heard mixed opinions about the zoo med but thats what those guys said to do.

Oh and the bubble on the nose only happens when hes in the water, when hes dry its not there.
Thank you so much

I and others stay away from prepared foods, others use it. Try a bag of spring mix, with wet veg like fruits as a rare snack. Mine love pepper cores, even though they poop the seeds they just love chomping on them. In the wild they usually largely eat grass and some succulants, with the rare fruit gorgeing when it comes availble.

You can certainly grow rye grass in small trays and put it in his enclosure, clove as well. Just stay away from protein foods. Your doing all the right things though, good job.

 

[Livingstone]

put a lid on the warm bath to lock in the humidity this will help to keep the humid air going through the nasal passages and also reduce the chance of any upper respiratory infection.

 

[Tom]

Here's what I like to do: http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies

 

[jagsrule100]

Thank you guys so much

I got another question, At night the temperature in his enclosure says 78-80 degrees which i hear is really good. But when i pick him up he feels pretty cold, i dont know if thats normal or should i put the red light on at night?

Thank you.

 

[Tom]

How are you measuring temps? If you are using a remote-probed digital thermometer or two and an infrared temp gun and they all say 78-80 all night long, then you are fine. If you are using those stick on thermometers from the pet store, it is probably wrong and you might need some additional night heat.

 

[jagsrule100]

Yeah im using one from the pet store but i dont have it stuck to anything, its just on the substrate. Where can i get a remote-probed digital thermometer and how much?

Also is it normal for the tortoise to feel kinda cold at night?

 

[DeanS]

The bubble is probably due to the fact that he's drinking his bath...in case you don't know, torts have to have their nostrils submerged as well as their mouth in order to create a vacuum. Hope that helps

 

[jagsrule100]

The bubble is probably due to the fact that he's drinking his bath...in case you don't know, torts have to have their nostrils submerged as well as their mouth in order to create a vacuum. Hope that helps

Oh wow i really did not know that, i was wondering why he would put almost his whole face in the water lol.

Thanks for the info

 

[Tom]

Yeah im using one from the pet store but i dont have it stuck to anything, its just on the substrate. Where can i get a remote-probed digital thermometer and how much?

Also is it normal for the tortoise to feel kinda cold at night?

You can get them at any hardware or department store like Lowes, Home Depot, OSH, Target, Wal-mart, etc... for around $10. I like this one from Lowes:
http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Wireless-Remote-Thermometer Its a little more money, but it does a lot more. I have about 10 of these now.


The temp guns are available online from many sources. Just do a google search for "temp guns" or "infrared temp guns".


How they "feel" at night is very subjective. It depends on the temp of your hand. Might be different if you just came back from a walk on a cool night or if you just got out of a hot shower. That's why you need accurate, reliable temperature measuring devices. They never "feel" one way or the other. They just tell you the actual temp.

 

[jagsrule100]

Yeah im using one from the pet store but i dont have it stuck to anything, its just on the substrate. Where can i get a remote-probed digital thermometer and how much?

Also is it normal for the tortoise to feel kinda cold at night?

You can get them at any hardware or department store like Lowes, Home Depot, OSH, Target, Wal-mart, etc... for around $10. I like this one from Lowes:
http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Wireless-Remote-Thermometer Its a little more money, but it does a lot more. I have about 10 of these now.


The temp guns are available online from many sources. Just do a google search for "temp guns" or "infrared temp guns".


How they "feel" at night is very subjective. It depends on the temp of your hand. Might be different if you just came back from a walk on a cool night or if you just got out of a hot shower. That's why you need accurate, reliable temperature measuring devices. They never "feel" one way or the other. They just tell you the actual temp.

Alright sounds good, i will go to lowes first thing in the morning and get one.

Thank you for your help Tom

 

[Tom]

You are very welcome.

 

[moswen]

yes, i agree with tom, how they "feel" is very subjective... mine are slightly cool to the touch in the morning when i touch them, but my house stays at 71 at night. as long as your temps stay in the 70s any tort can handle this temperature at night.

just a little "incase you didn't know"... even though sulcatas are found in the deserts of africa, they dig deep extensive burrows to protect them from the heat of the day (and there is moisture down there so they are not as used to "dry heat" as we like to think). these burrows can be in the 70's in the night in the wild!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Also our body temps are 98 degrees so a tort kept at 80 degrees will feel cold to us...

 

[jagsrule100]

I put the Acu Rite Thermometer in the enclosure and obviously its inside so am i supposed to read the outside temperature? Cause that is saying 94 compared to the 82 degrees indoor and what percentage should the humidity be?

Thank you.

 

[Tom]

Yes. "Outdoor" is wherever the probe box is sitting. Where is it 94? Directly under the light?

For my babies, I keep humidity between 80-90%, but not everyone goes that high. It is usually 98-99% inside the hide boxes and drops significantly the closer it gets to the hot spot. Right under the bulb on my dry basking slate it is usually in the mid 20's.