Help my Sulcata Tortoise has RI!!!

[Redfoot5182020]

We got this baby sulcata (2 months old) from a pet shop. When we got him he was dehydrated and didn’t lol too good. Well yesterday he started chirping/ squeaking and I know that is a sign of an RI. So I took him to the vet (who also has two 4-5 year old sulcatas) and she said yes he looks dehydrated and yes he is having some respiratory issues. We had three choices get an X-ray but they might not be able to see anything because he is so small, get a culture but that could be contaminated because of other bacteria, or just treat him with a shot every 3 days. Well we chose to get the shots. I have an enclosure and I don’t know if it is good enough to help him get better. Do y’all have any other recommendations besides what the vet said? She also said that the bottom of his shell is still a little soft. Is there any way to get that to harden up quickly? Below I will list my set up.

I have a 60w incandescent soft white basking light and a 60w Heat emitter that doesn’t produce light. The basking light is in the 98F range and I leave that on for about 12-13 hours a day. The heat emitter is on 24/7. I don’t have a uvb light for him because I live in Texas so I can just say outside or an hour or two a day so he can get natural uv. I’m not sure about the humidity because that thermostat is coming in tomorrow. I have one but was told that it’s not very accurate.

For substrate I’m using reptile bark and for feed I’ve been using collard greens, Kale, grass, clovers and dandelions.

I give him a 20-30 minute soak every day to help with the dehydration. And he is eating well but not as much as I would like.

Any comments/ feedback are welcome. Thank you in advance.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Is the tortoise eating and going to the bathroom? If so, I wouldn't do the shots.

 

[Redfoot5182020]

He is eating and I’ve only seen him poop once in 7 days

 

[Toddrickfl1]

He is eating and I’ve only seen him poop once in 7 days

If he's eating personally I wouldn't do the shots. They can do more harm then good sometimes especially with a tort that young.

 

[iAmCentrochelys sulcata]

What’s the temperature? Change the Heat bulb for a CHE. Increase the overall temperature.
What’s the temperature right now?
Soak everyday.

 

[Bee62]

I totally agree with @Toddrick. Shots often do more harm than good especially when a tort is so young and small.
The temps for a sick baby tort should be 85 F day and night. Your baby need more humidity or the dehydration will get worse. Soak twice a day and keep the humidity in the enclosure at 85 %. If you don`t you will "bake" your baby tort in the heat. No heat without humidity and no humidity without heat. That`s the rule.

 

[Tom]

What is the overnight low temp?

My problem with most vets is that they want to treat the symptoms. If you don't discover and correct the CASUSE of the sickness, treating the symptoms is not only futile, but also very harsh on a little baby.

RIs are CAUSED by stress and cold temperatures. Usually cool nights because people read on a website that its okay for this species tp be 70 at night, so they don't provide night heat. You have the CHE, but what is the coolest temperature in the coldest part of the enclosure at night? Under normal circumstances, it should be kept above 80. With a sick baby, the ambient temp should be between 85-90 all day and all night, with a warm basking area in addition to the warmer ambient. Keep these temps up for at least two weeks after symptoms disapear, then you can drop back down to 80ish at night.

You've covered the top there, but a closed chamber will make your life so much easier and your tortoises life better.

Finally, where did you get this baby? I'm sad to say that most breeders don't start them correctly and if that is the case, there is nothing anyone can do about it. No vet can fix it, and the most perfect enclosure in the world can't undo the damage. Some of them pull through and some don't. All you can do is try and hope for the best.

 

[Redfoot5182020]

What’s the temperature? Change the Heat bulb for a CHE. Increase the overall temperature.
What’s the temperature right now?
Soak everyday.

That’s the heat light I use. The Che

 

[Redfoot5182020]

At ni

What’s the temperature? Change the Heat bulb for a CHE. Increase the overall temperature.
What’s the temperature right now?
Soak everyday.

at night it was low 80’s now I’m going 85-88 at night

 

[Redfoot5182020]

What is the overnight low temp?

My problem with most vets is that they want to treat the symptoms. If you don't discover and correct the CASUSE of the sickness, treating the symptoms is not only futile, but also very harsh on a little baby.

RIs are CAUSED by stress and cold temperatures. Usually cool nights because people read on a website that its okay for this species tp be 70 at night, so they don't provide night heat. You have the CHE, but what is the coolest temperature in the coldest part of the enclosure at night? Under normal circumstances, it should be kept above 80. With a sick baby, the ambient temp should be between 85-90 all day and all night, with a warm basking area in addition to the warmer ambient. Keep these temps up for at least two weeks after symptoms disapear, then you can drop back down to 80ish at night.

You've covered the top there, but a closed chamber will make your life so much easier and your tortoises life better.

Finally, where did you get this baby? I'm sad to say that most breeders don't start them correctly and if that is the case, there is nothing anyone can do about it. No vet can fix it, and the most perfect enclosure in the world can't undo the damage. Some of them pull through and some don't. All you can do is try and hope for the best.

Last night I bumped the whole temperature up to around 85-88 last night. I tried to build a closed enclosure and what I have now if the best I can do. I’ve looked at closed chambers from animal plastics and a couple of other websites. They are just way too expensive. I got this baby from a pet store, my boyfriend got it actually. I will say the humidity in the enclosure is way higher than what it was in the last one I had so hopefully this is better for him.