Concern

[HauAreY0u]

Well, I posted a few weeks ago about a sick sulcata. With everyone's advice my sick tortoise is doing great.

However, 2 of the 3 did not make it. They were doing so well but when the first one die, it seem like he couldn't poop, and die with a stiff neck and everything. The second one die this morning, the night before I notice he was struggling to poop too.

Does anyone know what is going on? I don't want to lose my last one, who I gotten to come back from being sick.

I am extremely sad right now and feel so bad, I got so attached to them.

thank you..

basic info:
3 juvenile
hot area: 90-95
cool area: 80
Light: head lamp of course, UVB 10.0 (all on timer)
feeding: mainly romaine lettuce, but put calcium powder (3-4 week), and add hay but they don't each much of that.
I dip in warm what once a week.

 

[dcoolguy68]

Oh wow I'm really sorry to hear that, the same thing happened to one of my baby tortoises, he was about 6 months old and still very small. How big are your tortoises? Another source of calcium is cactus, and a cuttlebone. I only give my tortoise calcium powder twice a week or else he won't eat his food. You can buy a cuttlebone and just leave it in his home he'll eat it when he needs to.A cactus leaf costs like a 25 cents and you can plant it as well. As for the soaking idk how big or how old your torts are, but mine is still 3-4" small(late bloomer) so I still soak him everyday in warm water. I feed him spring mix from the grocery store and i sprinkle some hay on top. You can also feed your sulcata pumpkin like once a week or a month to kind of clean out his system because pumpkin has a lot of fiber i believe. You don't need an actual pumpkin, 100% pure canned pumpkin should be available at a grocery store.

 

[Crazy1]

Hello HauAreY0u, sorry to hear about your two Sullys. Sullys should be feed more than just Romane lettuce it has little nutritanal value. Even Endive or Escrole is a better choice and can be found in the grocery stores right now. Organic Spring mix is a good grocery store pic for you little one. I'd make sure he his well hydrated. Pumpking is high in fiber and also has properties that can help in deworming but caution should be used when feeding to hatchlings. Sounds like your little Sully may benifit from being soaked every other day for about 20 min. in warm, tepid water. you can grind hay and sprinkle it over its greens or you can get grass like the one at the pet stores, (usually wheat grass) and clip small pieces off and sprinkle it on his greens. I agree a cuttle bone may be in order.
When you say you have the light on a timer how long is it on for. What is the temp under the light, and is it a MVB or florecent.
This is from Sulcata Station Diet: http://www.sulcata-station.org/diet.html
Temps: http://www.sulcata-station.org/basics.html
daytime temperatures between approximately 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit (23 to 29 degrees Celsius). Always make sure that your tortoise has access to cooler areas or shade so that it can cool down when necessary. Nighttime temperatures should be lower than the daytime temperatures, but should not be allowed to drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit (16 degrees Celsius).

 

[Yvonne G]

The warm side is ok, but the cool side should be down in the 70's. Also, romaine is mostly water. There are no nutrients in romaine. You can provide your tortoise with more of a variety of greens if you go to the store and look in the produce section for packaged greens called "Spring Mix." Any greens you can buy at the store will be better than romaine...mustard greens, turnip greens, chickory, escarole. As to the calcium or supplement powders, I have found that my tortoises won't eat greens if I sprinkle supplements on the greens. You need to start out with a very small pinch of supplement and only once or twice a week. If you buy some liquid bird vitamins and put a couple drops in the soaking water every time you soak the baby, you eliminate the need to supplement the food. Then break a cuttlebone in half and leave it sitting on the floor of the habitat. If the little guy needs calcium he will bite into the cuttlebone. Speaking of which, do you soak your baby? With the temperatures up as high as you have them, the baby will dehydrate very quickly and needs to be soaked at least every other day. Little sulcatas are very hardy creatures when kept correctly. Good luck with your baby.

YVonne

 

[HauAreY0u]

thank so much everyone, I understand better now how their diet works. I think that was the problem.

I do soak mine tortoises, but last two weeks I only soak them once due to finals, but I will do it more often. I feel so bad and disappointed in myself.

Hau

 

[krissy2288]

its hard when you have school and hw all the time i have the same problem. the easiest way is to soak your tort when you are doing your hw, or studying or whatever, thats what i have been doing the past 6months and it has worked out well. sorry about your torts, make sure you soak the one you have every day for the next month or two because from what you explained it sounds like an impaction.

 

[dcoolguy68]

Maybe you should try giving him some pumpkin until his poop turns liquidy that way he wont be constipated and he can get rid of the poop if hes constipated

 

[krissy2288]

that could help

were the tortoises pee white and gritty, or were there hard rock like chunks in it?