Help me!! My baby is sluggish

[dmarcus]

I have a rescued sulcata that is at least 3 years old possible older and she is very small. A combination of a bad diet and being kept inside of a small aquarium and never getting any outside time. So it is possible for your tort to be that old and still be small.

 

[Lulu]

Christina, based on the timeline given in tortaunt's posts, I had calculated Hollywood's age as 2-1/2. Even so, I think Hollywood is on the small side (not really a concern, torts grow at different rates). The organic mix is probably organic spring mix. You can get a big container of it at Costco, or pretty much any grocery store. You want to look for one with no spinach ("Santa Barbara Mix" usually has no spinach). You can also pick up dandelion greens or turnip greens. I tend to rely on grazing now and supplement with whatever green I've picked up that week. This week it is dandelion. I also have mallow growing in my yard now which will be added to Cecil's diet. The fact that Hollywood is eating grass now is great.

I have organic soil mixed with coco coir as a substrate in my indoor table, with a layer of cypress mulch on top. Cecil does like a nice pile of hay to burrow into. He has a hide, but he doesn't really use it. He prefers to burrow into the soil at night.

For a heat lamp, you can pick up a red or black light at any pet store. They are not very expensive. They emit red or a bluish light that the tort is not supposed to be able to see very well. My husband prefers the black because he believes the light emitted mimics moonlight. I have a red light and it does not seem to disturb Cecil. You can also pick up a ceramic heater that emits only heat and no light.

 

[stena29]

I'm gonna go today and get the mix food for her and for now leave the hay...and also pick up a black bulb from pet store...also what about a baby food soak?? Think I should try that??? She is doing better today..little more active and all she will for now is the grass...she wants nothing to so with the aloe....

 

[Lulu]

I don't see any signs that Hollywood is sick, just that she is adjusting. I think baby food soaks are more for sick tortoises. I don't think they hurt healthy tortoises, but I don't know enough about them to say whether you should do one. I just don't know that it is needed right now. I bet she goes right for the spring mix. She just doesn't recognize aloe and maybe she just doesn't like it. I've never offered it to Cecil. I know that when he gets spring mix, there are things in it that he goes for right away and things that he avoids. Just like people, they have likes and dislikes.

Edit: Also, she is eating. This isn't a situation where she is refusing to eat. She is eating grass, which is a perfectly normal and healthy thing for a sulcata to eat. Try not to worry so much. It sounds like she is doing fine.

 

[stena29]

Went and bought black night light for when she is inside....also god some spring mix for her and she is eating it like crazy...I think she is just a picky eAter...and maybe I just panicked a little too...cause she moves around like crazy...lol so maybe just adjusting...

 

[Tom]

Getting a good nights sleep will help too. Remember to use a regular bulb if she's indoors during the daytime.

Glad to hear she's settling in.

 

[stena29]

Ok awesome!! It's still pretty warm here during the day...in the 90's still...so I take her outside in the mornings after a soak her.

 

[RainKing]

Having gone through a similar situation with my Sulcata... Please take your tortoise to a vet. Chances are it could have Hook Worm, which can basically suck the blood from her intestine, causing her to have a lack of energy. It can be solved very easily and quickly.

Hope this helps,
RK

 

[Yvonne G]

Having gone through a similar situation with my Sulcata... Please take your tortoise to a vet. Chances are it could have Hook Worm, which can basically suck the blood from her intestine, causing her to have a lack of energy. It can be solved very easily and quickly.

Hope this helps,
RK

Hi RainKing:

Won't you take a few moments to start a new thread in the "introductions" section and tell us a bit about yourself and your tortoise?