Baby sulcata natural uvb

Justincl

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I know there have been a lot of threads abt this already but i need confirmation. I ditched the coiled uvb bulb about a month ago and if I sunbathe my baby while soaking for an hour is it enough? How long should i sunbathe my baby? I soak my baby for 1 hour in the morning and another hour in the evening however when i adopted him/her there was a bit of pyramidding and i am now in the process of stopping it but its been about 5 months since i've had my baby but i havent seen any growth. Info: small bladder stone came out around 10 dec because the seller kept his babies with no substrate or humidity, didnt do daily soaks and fed beansprouts which i am pretty sure sulcatas shouldnt have
 

Tom

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I know there have been a lot of threads abt this already but i need confirmation. I ditched the coiled uvb bulb about a month ago and if I sunbathe my baby while soaking for an hour is it enough? How long should i sunbathe my baby? I soak my baby for 1 hour in the morning and another hour in the evening however when i adopted him/her there was a bit of pyramidding and i am now in the process of stopping it but its been about 5 months since i've had my baby but i havent seen any growth. Info: small bladder stone came out around 10 dec because the seller kept his babies with no substrate or humidity, didnt do daily soaks and fed beansprouts which i am pretty sure sulcatas shouldnt have
An hour of access to sunshine once or twice a week is enough. More is fine too.

Bean sprouts are fine as a small part of a varied diet for a well hydrated (soaked daily) tortoise. Bean sprouts should not be a main food source.
 

Justincl

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An hour of access to sine once or twice a week is enough. More is fine too.

Bean sprouts are fine as a small part of a varied diet for a well hydrated (soaked daily) tortoise. Bean sprouts should not be a main food source.
Also, I feed my baby fumak (high fibre low protein veggie), hibiscus flowers and leaves, opuntia cactus and i soak my baby 1 hour in the morning and another one in the evening but i still see urates. Any other factors?? Although i have noticed that my baby doesnt want to drink and it is VERY occasional i get to see him/her drink while sunning in the morning. Also i've heard pok choi, mustard greens and collard greens should be fed in moderation so i am still worried about feeding as my baby was started dry by the seller without me knowing and its been 5 months eversince i got him/her but i have never seen any growth progress
 

Tom

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Also, I feed my baby fumak (high fibre low protein veggie), hibiscus flowers and leaves, opuntia cactus and i soak my baby 1 hour in the morning and another one in the evening but i still see urates. Any other factors?? Although i have noticed that my baby doesnt want to drink and it is VERY occasional i get to see him/her drink while sunning in the morning. Also i've heard pok choi, mustard greens and collard greens should be fed in moderation so i am still worried about feeding as my baby was started dry by the seller without me knowing and its been 5 months eversince i got him/her but i have never seen any growth progress
Babies that are soaked daily seldom drink. There is no need to in most cases. They are already well hydrated and not thirsty.

When they are started dry it does damage. One result of this damage can be a lack of growth. All you can do is offer optimal diet, conditions and hydration and hope for the best.
 

Justincl

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Babies that are soaked daily seldom drink. There is no need to in most cases. They are already well hydrated and not thirsty.

When they are started dry it does damage. One result of this damage can be a lack of growth. All you can do is offer optimal diet, conditions and hydration and hope for the best.
Thx :( she was kind of the healthiest looking and biggest among the clutch plastron length is 5.9cm and scl is around 7cm. The seller said he kept the since july 2020 and i adopted my baby on september 2020 but to think of it she does look smaller than other sulcatas her age. Also she does a have slight pyramidding so every hour i spray her enclosure and carapace to moisten. Also i have some shell moisturizer but idk if i should use it on her because i am worried it'll mix with the soaking water. Any thoughts tom? Also i feed romaine or normal lettuce after she eats her fiber foods for hydration or on calcium days i feed cactus. Although, this morning i have seen something unusual. Her left hindleg was struggling for a sec while walking on the terrace and that hasnt happened ever since the day i discovered her bladder stone. Currently i am soaking in rept stone (search it online) just to help expel the urates (if she has).
 

Justincl

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Also @Tom , I have a question. Bladder stones develop if they mix with pee right? So if my baby pees everyday does that mean that the chances of getting a stone is reduced? I do have some urates pictures from the past 5 days and luckily they have a pasty texture
 

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Tom

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Also @Tom , I have a question. Bladder stones develop if they mix with pee right? So if my baby pees everyday does that mean that the chances of getting a stone is reduced? I do have some urates pictures from the past 5 days and luckily they have a pasty texture
Urates are the by-product of protein digestion. In a normal healthy tortoise, they are passed in the soft form you show in your pics. In a dehydrated tortoise, the urates will collect and concentrate as water is absorbed from them. This is when they start getting gritty or forming "stones", and start becoming dangerous.
 

Justincl

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Urates are the by-product of protein digestion. In a normal healthy tortoise, they are passed in the soft form you show in your pics. In a dehydrated tortoise, the urates will collect and concentrate as water is absorbed from them. This is when they start getting gritty or forming "stones", and start becoming dangerous.
I see so even if we feed them a low protein high fibre diet will they usually still expel urates?
 

Tom

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I see so even if we feed them a low protein high fibre diet will they usually still expel urates?
Yes. There is plant protein in most of what we feed. This is good. They need some protein in their diet. Not a ton of meat, but legumes and other plant protein sources are GOOD for them as part of a varied diet. Protein is not the boogeyman we once thought it was. Dehydration is that boogeyman!
 

Justincl

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Yes. There is plant protein in most of what we feed. This is good. They need some protein in their diet. Not a ton of meat, but legumes and other plant protein sources are GOOD for them as part of a varied diet. Protein is not the boogeyman we once thought it was. Dehydration is that boogeyman!
I see. Also i have seen new growth on her black lines but ony on the sides of the carapace but they are not wisening but more of making a layer under the pyramidded side scutes is this normal??
 

Tom

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I see. Also i have seen new growth on her black lines but ony on the sides of the carapace but they are not wisening but more of making a layer under the pyramidded side scutes is this normal??
Hard to say without seeing it first hand. Do you weigh your tortoise? That is a good way to track growth.
 

Justincl

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Hard to say without seeing it first hand. Do you weigh your tortoise? That is a good way to track growth.
10 dec after the stone came out her lightest weight went from 60g to 58g. And i do in fact have a weight database
 

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Justincl

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When i first got her in september her weight was 57g and i forgot to tell january onwards its supposed to be '21 not '20 sorry
 

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