Baby sulcata sleeps all day and doesn’t eat much

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Hello! I have a 1 year old baby sulcata who now sleeps all day and barely eats anything. It’s also winter here but in the beginning of winter, he still ate a lot but now he barely comes out at all. I’m not sure whether I should take him to the vet or not. Any advice would be deeply appreciated. Thank you <3
 
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Maggie3fan

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Hello! I have a 1 year old baby sulcata who now sleeps all day and barely eats anything. I also noticed that he sometimes has bubbles coming out of his nose. It’s also winter here but in the beginning of winter, he still ate a lot but now he barely comes out at all. I’m not sure whether I should take him to the vet or not. Any advice would be deeply appreciated. Thank you <3
I am not a Vet...but it's sounds to me like he has an upper respiratory infection and needs a higher temperature in his habitat..he needs antibiotics....and probably a vet visit if you don't have the ability to treat this yourself...
 
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I am not a Vet...but it's sounds to me like he has an upper respiratory infection and needs a higher temperature in his habitat..he needs antibiotics....and probably a vet visit if you don't have the ability to treat this yourself...
I am not a Vet...but it's sounds to me like he has an upper respiratory infection and needs a higher temperature in his habitat..he needs antibiotics....and probably a vet visit if you don't have the ability to treat this yourself...
Thank you for answering!
 

Tom

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Hello! I have a 1 year old baby sulcata who now sleeps all day and barely eats anything. It’s also winter here but in the beginning of winter, he still ate a lot but now he barely comes out at all. I’m not sure whether I should take him to the vet or not. Any advice would be deeply appreciated. Thank you <3
This is usually caused by night temps that are too cool. What is your overnight low temp? Stress can also be a contributing factor. Does this tortoise live alone?
 
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This is usually caused by night temps that are too cool. What is your overnight low temp? Stress can also be a contributing factor. Does this tortoise live alone?
The temperature is about 22-24 degrees outside his tank, but inside he has heat night lights so it is usually above 26 degrees inside. He also lives alone. Thank you for answering!
 

Tom

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The temperature is about 22-24 degrees outside his tank, but inside he has heat night lights so it is usually above 26 degrees inside. He also lives alone. Thank you for answering!
That is a little too cool. Under normal circumstances the coldest part of the enclosure should not drop below 27 at night. You should be using a CHE or a radiant heat panel set on a thermostat to maintain this. They need it dark at night.

Since he is already sick, get the ambient temp up to a minimum of 30 C all over day and night, plus the basking area that gets up to 36-37. The higher temps will help him fight off the infection.

If you post a pic of your enclosure and lighting, we might have some helpful tips for you.
 
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That is a little too cool. Under normal circumstances the coldest part of the enclosure should not drop below 27 at night. You should be using a CHE or a radiant heat panel set on a thermostat to maintain this. They need it dark at night.

Since he is already sick, get the ambient temp up to a minimum of 30 C all over day and night, plus the basking area that gets up to 36-37. The higher temps will help him fight off the infection.

If you post a pic of your enclosure and lighting, we might have some helpful tips for you.
Thank you very much for all your helpful comments. I will try all of this now.
 
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That is a little too cool. Under normal circumstances the coldest part of the enclosure should not drop below 27 at night. You should be using a CHE or a radiant heat panel set on a thermostat to maintain this. They need it dark at night.

Since he is already sick, get the ambient temp up to a minimum of 30 C all over day and night, plus the basking area that gets up to 36-37. The higher temps will help him fight off the infection.

If you post a pic of your enclosure and lighting, we might have some helpful tips for you.
 
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That is a little too cool. Under normal circumstances the coldest part of the enclosure should not drop below 27 at night. You should be using a CHE or a radiant heat panel set on a thermostat to maintain this. They need it dark at night.

Since he is already sick, get the ambient temp up to a minimum of 30 C all over day and night, plus the basking area that gets up to 36-37. The higher temps will help him fight off the infection.

If you post a pic of your enclosure and lighting, we might have some helpful tips for you.
This is a photo of his enclosure. 72418122-73FC-4B4B-B6C1-E29A7DEB4527.jpeg
 

Tom

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  • There are four elements to heating and lighting:
    1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. You can mount a fixture on the ceiling, or hang a dome lamp from the ceiling. Go lower or higher wattage if this makes the enclosure too hot or not warm enough. Do not use "spot" bulbs, mercury vapor bulbs or halogen bulbs because these bulbs are overly desiccating and cause pyramiding even in good living conditions.
    2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species like sulcatas or leopards. I like this thermostat: https://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller. Put the probe in the coolest corner away from all heating elements. You may need more than one heating element to spread the heat out for a given enclosure.
    3. Light. I use florescent tubes for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most tubes at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. I've been using LEDs lately and they are great, and run cooler than a florescent. This can be set on the same timer as the basking bulb.
    4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. I like the ZooMed 10.0 HO, and the Arcadia 12% HO. Which type will depend on mounting height. It helps to have a UV meter to test and see what your bulb is actually putting out at your mounting height. Plexi-glass or screen tops will filter out some or all of the UV produced by your bulb.
 
Joined
Apr 2, 2020
Messages
53
Location (City and/or State)
Hong Kong
  • There are four elements to heating and lighting:
    1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt floods from the hardware store. I run them on a timer and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. You can mount a fixture on the ceiling, or hang a dome lamp from the ceiling. Go lower or higher wattage if this makes the enclosure too hot or not warm enough. Do not use "spot" bulbs, mercury vapor bulbs or halogen bulbs because these bulbs are overly desiccating and cause pyramiding even in good living conditions.
    2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species like sulcatas or leopards. I like this thermostat: https://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller. Put the probe in the coolest corner away from all heating elements. You may need more than one heating element to spread the heat out for a given enclosure.
    3. Light. I use florescent tubes for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most tubes at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. I've been using LEDs lately and they are great, and run cooler than a florescent. This can be set on the same timer as the basking bulb.
    4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. I like the ZooMed 10.0 HO, and the Arcadia 12% HO. Which type will depend on mounting height. It helps to have a UV meter to test and see what your bulb is actually putting out at your mounting height. Plexi-glass or screen tops will filter out some or all of the UV produced by your bulb.
Thank you! All of these are very helpful.
 

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