hello all! im erika and i have a 2 year old baby named koopa! but very concerned about him..

[Erikacole1997]

okay! so I am a little concerned with my baby, he used to be so active. we had him in our front porch roaming around in the day and when we were gone or at night we have him in a tiny box so he couldn't run away. I got him a huge kiddy pool and have all his stuff in that. I had it on the front porch but he doesn't have any type of sunlight on our front porch. so I put it outside and since I am in sw Florida we are approaching rainy season. I'm noticing that he Is not eating. when I put him on my front porch go get out of the rain a little he goes into a corner and doesn't move.. not sure if hes sleeping our what.. I am very scared something is wrong with him and I'm doing something wrong.. PLEASE PLEASE HELP. tell me how I should improve on his little home. I also don't know when kind of tortures he is! so if anyone knows please let me know.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Welcome to the forum!
Ooooooh boy. Your tortoise’s shell is severely deformed from the amount of pyramiding he has. How big is he, and are you sure that he’s two?
If he is actually two, then he SHOULD NOT be housed outside full time.
Please give this a read, and change your care ASAP.
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/
Looking at the physical health of this tortoise, the problem could be anything.

 

[Erikacole1997]

yes, his shell was like that when we got him! I am trying todo everything I can to get it down, if that is even possible.. I am spraying water on him and giving him sunlight. all I feed him is kale. he has been acting very weird since i moved him home to outside in the sun.. he is much much smaller than in this picture. he is either 2 or 3. I will read that thank you!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Erika, and welcome to the Forum!

I'm going to say something different from what Techno told you. Your tortoise needs to be outside. It's very important for a tortoise of his size to live outside where he can get sun. He also needs to be living in an area that you can keep watered, so he's in a humid environment. It looks like you have very sandy soil, so it's important to feed him in an area where sand won't stick to his food.

Kale isn't a good food choice for a sulcata. They are prone to bladder stones and foods high in oxalates, like kale, cabbage, etc. should be fed to a minimum.

You have moved the tortoise out of his comfort zone. Even though the move was to his benefit, he doesn't realize he's in a safe place. it will take him a couple weeks, maybe longer, to become familiar with his new territory and start to feel safe. Make sure he has several hiding places - bushes, large rocks, plants, etc.

Take a ruler and sit him on it and measure him in a straight line, front to back for us so we can tell his actual size. I was thinking he's more along the lines of about 10 years old and severely stunted from his previous owner not taking good care of him.

At any rate, you're here now, and the proper care information is here for you. Glad to have you here. Happy reading!

 

[Erikacole1997]

Very very helpful thank you! I have him in a new home and I’ll show you a picture. He has a place for water a plant and a hiding spot, we put a box. It is rainy season, is that okay for outr tortuous? And what kind of food should we feed him? He is about 6 and a half or 7 inches! He might be 4 I’m not sure. I’m just nervous the rain will hurt him. And ever since we put him outside and it’s been raining I’ve noticed that his head has gotten very white.

 

[daniellenc]

Your tortoise is a sulcata and needs a ton of room and very different food. I hope you read those links and welcome!! With proper care you can stop his shell from pyramiding but not reverse it.

 

[Yvonne G]

The white head is a sign he's too dry. He needs a warm, humid environment. Do you moisten the substrate in his pool? You say it's raining. What's the temperature? Rain is fine as long as he's kept warm.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Hi Erika, and welcome to the Forum!

I'm going to say something different from what Techno told you. Your tortoise needs to be outside. It's very important for a tortoise of his size to live outside where he can get sun. He also needs to be living in an area that you can keep watered, so he's in a humid environment. It looks like you have very sandy soil, so it's important to feed him in an area where sand won't stick to his food.

Kale isn't a good food choice for a sulcata. They are prone to bladder stones and foods high in oxalates, like kale, cabbage, etc. should be fed to a minimum.

You have moved the tortoise out of his comfort zone. Even though the move was to his benefit, he doesn't realize he's in a safe place. it will take him a couple weeks, maybe longer, to become familiar with his new territory and start to feel safe. Make sure he has several hiding places - bushes, large rocks, plants, etc.

Take a ruler and sit him on it and measure him in a straight line, front to back for us so we can tell his actual size. I was thinking he's more along the lines of about 10 years old and severely stunted from his previous owner not taking good care of him.

At any rate, you're here now, and the proper care information is here for you. Glad to have you here. Happy reading!

Thanks for correcting me, Yvonne! I thought he was pretty big for two, lol.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

SW Florida does have great weather for keeping them outside, lots of humidity.

 

[Antoni]

Very very helpful thank you! I have him in a new home and I’ll show you a picture. He has a place for water a plant and a hiding spot, we put a box. It is rainy season, is that okay for outr tortuous? And what kind of food should we feed him? He is about 6 and a half or 7 inches! He might be 4 I’m not sure. I’m just nervous the rain will hurt him. And ever since we put him outside and it’s been raining I’ve noticed that his head has gotten very white.

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They shared the link but a short reply as far as food, sulcata love to graze. So grass being staple is great, if ur not sure if u grass is safe, hay also works. The link above provides other plants they can eat for other nutrients. If u cant find those plants easily, providing mazuri for him 2-3x a week will help, as yvette mentioned moisten the substrate. Florida humidity is normaly plenty but having that wont be bad. Also as he does look a lil dry, maybe soaking a good 20-30 mins a day or every other will help? And again as mentioned when their enclosure changes it sometimes takes a few days for them to get use to it and will need time to explore and familiarize. Your in a good place with lots of well informed people. Welcome to the forum. And hope you find what u need here.