Daisy!! Need advice!!!

[TotallyTank]

okay here it goes. I have read so far i need a little advice/help. So let me start at the beginning i am sure you have read that a few eeks ago i aquired a male 53lbs sulcata which was my first exposure to the awesome dino's. I love him but really wznted one that i could raise and would have a connection to me and my family. Enter Daisy she was a birthday present for me and my youngest daughter age 6. She has been in a high sided rubbermaid tub with a reptile basking buld I hace a 150Watt for tank and 60 watt for her. I have struggled to maintain the heat and humidity. I had the one half of the tub covered and still couldnt seem to keep her warm enough at night, as soon as i turn the light off at night i loose all heart and humidity. She is moving a little slower than she has been and she is not eating that i have seen. I am feeding a spring mix with no spinich cactus pad, apples i know thats not good, but i just want her to eat. I have not gotten any mazuri yet, but i did get a thing of food made for sullies at the pet store, which I soak and make a mash, it is just grass basically. she is getting calcium on her food, and i try to get her outside daily for at least 20 min. but i do have a uvb tube typr light for when she is in the house, i leave it on all the time except at night. I woke up yesterday to my baby not being able to open her eyes, untill i put her in a soak and she got them wet. there is no drainage coming from anywhere. I have since moved her into a large 50 gln aquarium that is short and fat. I am using cocunut coir as a substrate which i have been trying to keep super moist, she has a hide and a basking rock, water dish everything i can think of. She spends her time under the dirt and a little pile of bermuda grass hay that i have in there. i will post some picture of her new place.

 

[Dizisdalife]

There are a few things that that helped me with humidity and night time temps. Babies need to stay warm at night, so do adults, but babies that are being kept humid need 80+ degrees at night. I used Ceramic Heating Elements (2-60 watt bulbs) controlled by a thermostat to create the heat. Then I had to cover the entire enclosure including the lights (as best I could) to keep the heat and humidity in. The thermostat keeps the enclosure from becoming an oven and cooking my baby.

My indoor enclosure is an aquarium, like yours. I have used it since my sulcata was a baby. He is to large now to spend all his time in the aquarium. He has an outdoor pen for the daytime, but I still bring him in at use the old habitat for sleeping. That will end later this Spring and he will be an full time outdoor pet.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I am not quite sure what to say because it would be the same questions all over again. Are you using a coil bulb? What temps are you keeping her? Is her substrate damp? You must look at your husbandry again as that is the problem. If you are using a CHE you can lower it to 10 inches above the substrate, just enough height that she can't reach up and get it. Now hang your UVB outfit from a piece of wood so it is 12 inches above the substrate. I have 9 aquariums in my house and that is how I control the heat in everyone of them. And because of how I hang the lights down into the tank my temps are all good. I wet the substrate daily, and I feed a good diet. You are starting with Spring Mix, now add good stuff to it like kale or endive escarole mustard greens or turnip greens. Use whatever your store has on hand. I ask them to order stuff for me at the Safeway in town and they mostly do. She needs the baby food soaks now too and I think you need to get her to a Vet before she backslides any more. Once they get sick it is hard to bring them back.

 

[cemmons12]

I can't offer any real help but I would get some mazuri for sure. Sullys love the stuff. My Cooper also loves watermelon. Just a thought to see if yours would eat it. Sorry for my lack of help and I wish u both the very best of luck!!

 

[alzeal]

It really looks like your baby is getting chilled at night. What you really need to do is concentrate heating on just the humid hide. I use the plastic shoe box and used a heat cable underneath. I don't bother using my CHE at night. The problem is even though the ambient air is 80 degrees. The substrate is still cold and damp. Using the heat cable warms up both the substrate and air in the box. Oh and make sure to hook it up to a thermostat.

 

[Jacob]

Try Keeping Her Warmer At Night, See If 80-85 Works.
You Mentioned you had a 60 watt? If so Try lowering it closer.

 

[Tom]

Sorry it took me so long to get back. I had a heck of a long day yesterday. 6:00 am to 10pm, all stunts and aggression work... and no WiFi...

As I read through your post and questions, it occurred to me that every answer is contained here, in the care sheet I typed up:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies#axzz1l36SZGwL

To be more specific, I suspect your problem is due to temps. They simply cannot get cool at any time, including night, if you are using damp substrate, or any humidity at all. I have some questions to give you more specific help.
How old is Daisy and how long have you had her?
What was her care like BEFORE you got her?
What are your four temps? Cool side, warm side, basking spot and night?

In my opinion, the best strategy is usually a MVB on a 12 hour timer and a CHE on a thermostat 24/7. Set both heating/light elements at a distance where they will be around 100 degrees at tortoise level. A closed chamber or covered top will help to maintain and stabilize the needed temps and humidity.

 

[TotallyTank]

it has been a few days since my last post, Daisy is doing great. I ahve been doing baby food soks since the morning she woke up not feeling well. to be honet when she see's her little carrot spa coming i can actually see her smile. I covered her tank and cut an exact shape for her light. also to keep my temps and humidity right, i have put a gallon jug with water and a aquatic heater it is keeping the humidty right around 80%. Her substrate is coconut coir, it stays moist all the time. she slept in her humid hide last night and seemed happy. she is not eating anything but romaine and carrots, I have offered everyhting that i can think and the only thing she really eats is romaine. she is getting plenty of excercise, we spent 45 min exploring the back yard, she had a blast.i keep the substrate deep enough that she can really dig herself into it, she has spent her time today sleeping by her water bottle. I spray her shell and substrate 4 times a day at least. the cool side is 82 the hot side is 90 the basking area is 101 my next step is to order some mazuri.

 

[TotallyTank]

So I finally got her eating something other than romaine she is having baby green lettuce that had been coated in a slurry of fruity pebble looking tortoise food s little baby carrots some calcium and water.