HELP PLEASE! Hatchling Dried Umbilical Scab

[BryanR]

Hi Everyone! First off I want to thank everyone on this thread, especially Tom for their amazing guidance. I have a hatchling Sulcata named Darwin I got almost 2 weeks ago and he has been in a set up with Coconut Coir, a humid hide, perfect temps, humidity, basking spot, everything good.

I assumed this scab on his stomach would fall off as it doesn't look open or infected and is completely dried up but I wanted to get advice. Would you guys advise putting him in a plastic shoe box with paper towel and keep it mid to high 80s, or is that not good to do since he has already been out of the "nest" for so long?

I want him to be healthy and will do this if you guys think it would help. He eats a lot, is very active, gets soaked daily, pees, poops, basks, hides, everything he should be doing. I just want to make sure I handle this properly to make sure he is as healthy as can be

Thank you so much in advance for your help everyone! I now realize that Darwin was probably sent home far too early. He is so tiny but such a sweetheart!

 

[Yvonne G]

It's ok. Just give it more time. However, in the last picture his eyes look a bit swollen. Make sure he has plenty of places to get out of the harsh lighting. Plants placed all around inside the habitat help to provide lots of shade locations.

 

[BryanR]

Thank you Yvonne. I thought the same thing about his eyes and I got rid of the coil UVB bulb and got a full spectrum tube uvb that will be much better for his eyes. I read that the coil bulb could be the reason for that. Thanks again for taking the time to reply!

 

[BryanR]

So do you think I should just keep him in the same set-up he is in now, or switch temporarily to a humid brooder type set up with damp paper towels as bedding? Thanks again!

 

[Maro2Bear]

Bryan

You might want to post a pix of your current set up. A young sully like yours needs to be in high humid, high heat conditions 24/7. Make sure that u read all of Tom's stickies on raising a young sulcata. The fact that u started off with a coiled bulb makes me think that you might not have read ithem all. I'm sure your lil guy's umbilical scab will dry up under proper conditions. Over to Tom, Yvonne, Lance and others to chime in. Good luck.

 

[Schatzi011]

My little guy had a dried umbilical cord scab as well. It actually stayed for many months. I thought something was wrong with him, but eventually he seemed to grow out of it.

 

[Speedy-1]

If everything else is good , as you have stated . I think I would leave things the way they are ! I am sort of a "if it ain't broke don't fix it kind of guy !"

 

[AmandaJustice]

My Sam came with the umbilical thing still in place; it dropped off while his plastron had not yet closed. In his case, I got him into a high-humidity box with paper towels until it closed. I'm not sure if the procedure is different if the scab is still in place.

 

[Tom]

This happens when they are put into a dry enclosure too soon after hatching, instead of a brooder box. Sometimes those scab will last a day or two and sometimes that will last a month. I wouldn't worry too much about it. It should't be a problem.

What was the source of this tortoise?

 

[BryanR]

Thank you everyone for your replies. I actually got him from a reptile specialty store that recently opened up in Cleveland, OH where I live. I already contacted the store owner and let them know that whoever they purchased the hatchlings from let them go way too early and that they shouldn't buy from them in the future. They seemed to appreciate me letting them know. Changed the coil UVB bulb to a full spectrum Zoo Med tube light and his eyes seem less puffy already which is great.

I love this little guy so much and just feel so paranoid that I am doing something wrong. In the past few weeks I have nonstop read the posts on this forum and it has been so helpful. Thanks again everyone!! I'll post pictures of the little guy as he progresses. Picked up a kitchen scale today so I will weigh him as soon as I get home too so that I can start tracking his growth.

 

[Yvonne G]

For tiny babies, besides weight, a nice visual is to trace the baby's outline on a sheet of paper then, using the same paper, make more tracings as the tortoise grows:

(This isn't a real turtle. I just made it for an example/illustration)

 

[BryanR]

Thanks again everyone! I got my scale today and he weighs 25 grams. It's a brand new scale and definitely accurate. I knew he was a little guy but that seems so small. He is probably about a month to a month and a half old. He eats like crazy and is very active so I'm not too concerned. Guess he is just a little guy?

I've just seen so many people post that their hatchlings are 30 grams+ so it just seems weird to me that he is so small.

 

[Tom]

Thanks again everyone! I got my scale today and he weighs 25 grams. It's a brand new scale and definitely accurate. I knew he was a little guy but that seems so small. He is probably about a month to a month and a half old. He eats like crazy and is very active so I'm not too concerned. Guess he is just a little guy?

I've just seen so many people post that their hatchlings are 30 grams+ so it just seems weird to me that he is so small.

Mine hatch at 35 and reach 50 within a few weeks. He is undersize. Are you soaking daily?

Have you read all of these:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

Keep us updated on his progress. Sounds like you've got a dry started one.

 

[BryanR]

Hi Tom. Yes I have read them and appreciate that you have taken the time to put all of that together.

I am soaking daily. He is 100% thriving and seems to be doing great. Just a little guy I guess. I can't do anything about the way he was raised before coming to me, but I can do everything I can to try to undo any damage that was done. Hopefully he will hit a growth spurt in no time at all

 

[Markw84]

Thank you Yvonne. I thought the same thing about his eyes and I got rid of the coil UVB bulb and got a full spectrum tube uvb that will be much better for his eyes. I read that the coil bulb could be the reason for that. Thanks again for taking the time to reply!

Bryan

How high and where was the coil bulb mounted? And how high and where is the tube mounted now? What model tube?

All types of UVB sources can create problems depending upon placement and distance

 

[BryanR]

The coil was on top of the screen top of the enclosure, 12" from the substrate. Tube is the Zoo Med tube and is also sitting on top of the screen at 12" distance. I understand the screen tops can filter out some of the UVB rays but I wanted it sitting on top of the enclosure.

 

[Markw84]

The screen will filter out about 40-50% of the UVB so depending upon which tube you are using you may be providing virtually no UVB for a 5.0 without reflector or about the correct amount with a 10.0 HO t-5 with reflector at 12" through a screen

 

[Markw84]

Also with a screen top you are going to be having trouble keeping a true 80% humidity for your tortoise in that enclosure especially a 12" deep enclosure. I know you say your temps and humidity are right on so I'm curious how you're doing that? Can we see a picture of the setup?