greeting from indonesia

[tonio]

hi everyone, my name is tony and i am from indonesia. i bought a baby sulcata a month ago. for few week my sulcata ate a lot but the last couple week my sulcata appetite drop. mochi (my sulcata) still want to eat now but compare the first time i bought it, there is a big difference. i already went to the vet 3 times and the vet give antibiotic injection. because the vet suspect there is abces near the mouth so maybe my sulcata hurts while eating. i hope mochi get well soon

 

[Bee62]

Hello Tony and a warm welcome to the forum.
To help you with your tortoise we need more informations.
How are your temps in the enclosure of your baby tort? Warm side, cold side, basking spot ? Temps at night ?
What lights / bulbs are you using ?
Do you soak your baby tort daily and is there a shallow water dish in the enclosure for drinking water ?
What do you feed ?
I see you have no soil in the enclosure of your tort. Why ? They like to dig themselve in soil . It is natural and healthy for a tortoise to crawl over soil than a naked plastic floor.
Can you take a picture of the whole enclosure ?
Why does the VET thinks that your baby has a absess near the mouth? Is there anything to see ? Can you take a close picture of her mouth ?
When tortoises get antibiotic shots they often stop eating completely.
If it is not urgent necessary I would not give such a small baby tort any shots ! They often do more harm than good.

 

[Bee62]

@Yvonne G
I think it would be better to put this thread into the "tortoise health" section.

 

[144 Grandpa Turtle]

Hi

 

[wellington]

Hello and welcome. We do need the info asked.
Antibiotics will make your baby not want too eat also. The abcess could also.
Along with the info needed give a pic of the torts abcess.
Also read the sulcata caresheet and the closed chamber thread.

 

[tonio]

i put my sulcata indoor mostly.
i use 40 watt basking lamp.
40-41 C basking spot
32-34 C overall temp
28-30 C in the hidding cave
50-60 humidity
every other day i soak my sulcata about 10-15 minutes
and everyday i take my sulcata outside and give sunbath time for 30 minutes
i do not use soil or anything else for substrate because i am not sure, is it really organic substrate available in here.
so i use rubber carpet with holes. under the carpet i use newspaper. so when my sulcata pee, it will not get wet, because pee is going through the carpet, and i can clean the poop immediately. and i change the newspaper and carpet every 2-3 days.
usually i put damp cimois cloth on top of the hidding cave. i use clay pot for the hidding cave. so i think the cloth will slowly release water in the air. and make more humid and cooler area.
for the food i usually gave vegie. in here we called fumak and siomak. and sometimes i gave pellet. i have tried to gave wheat grass and mini elephant grass but my sulcata do not want to eat it.
please take a look on the video.
that is the pic i took about more than a week ago. there is like a abces or a wound near the rear mouth. but now getting smaller.

 

[Bee62]

From the picture I only see a green mouth / beak but no abcess. Can you take a new picture after cleaning the mouth of your tort ?
Soaking your baby tort every day is better because he is so small. A good hydration is very important for such a little tortoise.
The enclosure is way too small for your tort and boring too. Please read the care sheet for sulcatas at the sulcata section of this forum. To raise a healthy sulcata you need a closed chamber ( a bigger one with space to roam for your tortoise ) that the humidity and warmth stays in the enclosure. With an open enclosure like yours you can`t keep humidity and warmth in. How are your night temps in the enclosure of your tort ?
Sulcatas need night temps not lower than 80 F ( 27 C ) or they can get a respiration infect.
Can you get some earth / soil from a not with chemicals treated garden ? Newspapers even when they are under your rubber maid mat can exhale chemicals too.
You only have to make some little changes to make the life of your tort much happier and healthier.

 

[tonio]

From the picture I only see a green mouth / beak but no abcess. Can you take a new picture after cleaning the mouth of your tort ?
Soaking your baby tort every day is better because he is so small. A good hydration is very important for such a little tortoise.
The enclosure is way too small for your tort and boring too. Please read the care sheet for sulcatas at the sulcata section of this forum. To raise a healthy sulcata you need a closed chamber ( a bigger one with space to roam for your tortoise ) that the humidity and warmth stays in the enclosure. With an open enclosure like yours you can`t keep humidity and warmth in. How are your night temps in the enclosure of your tort ?
Sulcatas need night temps not lower than 80 F ( 27 C ) or they can get a respiration infect.
Can you get some earth / soil from a not with chemicals treated garden ? Newspapers even when they are under your rubber maid mat can exhale chemicals too.
You only have to make some little changes to make the life of your tort much happier and healthier.

the night temp is almost the same as the evening because i always keep the basking lamp on almost 24 hours. and also i live in semarang city that almost hot everyday.
i have a plan to make a bigger enclosure.
and the last few days i tried to soak my sulcata everyday.
when i buy soil it already mix with fertilizer. that is why i am not sure is it safe for tortoise

 

[144 Grandpa Turtle]

Hi Tony

 

[Bee62]

the night temp is almost the same as the evening because i always keep the basking lamp on almost 24 hours. and also i live in semarang city that almost hot everyday.
i have a plan to make a bigger enclosure.
and the last few days i tried to soak my sulcata everyday.
when i buy soil it already mix with fertilizer. that is why i am not sure is it safe for tortoise

It will be better to use a ceramic heat emitter for night warmth because tortoises need to sleep in darkness. A CHE is something like this. I think you can order it on AMAZON or ebay ?
https://www.ebay.de/i/323089908462?chn=ps&var=512201270856
ceramic heat emitter

When you make a bigger enclosure please cover it or take one that is already covered or closed. You can use a big glas fish tank and cover it with acrylic glass.
Are there no soil, natural earth in some peoples garden available without chemicals ? Pure earth is a good substrate for a tortoise too.

 

[tonio]

It will be better to use a ceramic heat emitter for night warmth because tortoises need to sleep in darkness. A CHE is something like this. I think you can order it on AMAZON or ebay ?
https://www.ebay.de/i/323089908462?chn=ps&var=512201270856
ceramic heat emitter

When you make a bigger enclosure please cover it or take one that is already covered or closed. You can use a big glas fish tank and cover it with acrylic glass.
Are there no soil, natural earth in some peoples garden available without chemicals ? Pure earth is a good substrate for a tortoise too.

can i use ceramic heater for 24 hours? can i change basking lamp with ceramic heater?

 

[Bee62]

can i use ceramic heater for 24 hours? can i change basking lamp with ceramic heater?

No. You will need both. A ceramic heat emitter makes no light but at day your tortoise needs light to be active. At night he wants to sleep in darkness and warmth. You will need a second lamp.

 

[tonio]

No. You will need both. A ceramic heat emitter makes no light but at day your tortoise needs light to be active. At night he wants to sleep in darkness and warmth. You will need a second lamp.

thanks for sharing this information. this is very helpful. i hope can make the right adjustmen soon

 

[TechnoCheese]

You need a MUCH bigger enclosure, and substrate. Please give these a read-
How To Raise A Healthy Sulcata Or Leopard, Version 2.0 https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php...ealthy-Sulcata-Or-Leopard,-Version-2.0.79895/

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata... https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/For-Those-Who-Have-a-Young-Sulcata....76744/

Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/

 

[tonio]

It will be better to use a ceramic heat emitter for night warmth because tortoises need to sleep in darkness. A CHE is something like this. I think you can order it on AMAZON or ebay ?
https://www.ebay.de/i/323089908462?chn=ps&var=512201270856
ceramic heat emitter

When you make a bigger enclosure please cover it or take one that is already covered or closed. You can use a big glas fish tank and cover it with acrylic glass.
Are there no soil, natural earth in some peoples garden available without chemicals ? Pure earth is a good substrate for a tortoise too.

can i use volcanic sand? in here we mix volcanic sand with cement to make a strong building. it is different with beach sand. i came near the river and mountain

 

[Bee62]

can i use volcanic sand? in here we mix volcanic sand with cement to make a strong building. it is different with beach sand. i came near the river and mountain

Better use no sand. Sand can cause constipation when tortoises eat sand. The risk is too high.
Can you order things on AMAZON ? Here is some fine tortoise soil / ground for enclosures.
https://www.amazon.de/JBL-TerraBasi...&qid=1531227133&sr=8-1&keywords=terrarienerde

https://www.amazon.de/JBL-TerraBark...&qid=1531227133&sr=8-7&keywords=terrarienerde