Help we are new!

[Lisa zale]

Hi- we have a new baby sulcotta a about 2 months old. She was doing great at first- very active and eating. For about a week now she slowed down. She's not moving much and eyes stay closed a lot. She's not eating too much either now. We were feeding her spring mix which she didn't like too much - we tried romaine which she loved but it gave her diarreah so we went back to spring mix. She's not eating too much.

Our vet is mostly a dog vet so we don't know how to help her. I am so worried. What are we doing wrong?

 

[leigti]

What are the temperatures? The temperature should not drop below 80° around the clock. And what type of UVB bulb are you using? The coil type florescence can cause I issues in baby tortoises. A picture of your tortoise and the enclosure would be very helpful so that people can make specific suggestions.

 

[Lisa zale]

We are keeping it between 92-100.

 

[Lisa zale]

We are keeping it between 92-100.

Also in a 20 gallon tank

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Sorry to hear your baby is having these problems.

Although I don't have first hand experience with Sulcata tortoises, I do with leopard tortoises. Their care is similar in some ways, identical in others...So hopefully, I can offer some helpful info.


These guys need warmth and hydration. In Africa these little cuties hatch during the monsoon season. Picture it being hot, humid and green food growing everywhere!

Your enclosure should mimic this as close as possible. Damp, earthy type of substrate and good heating.
I always aimed for 80° minimum temperatures day and night. A special basking area of 95° and a relative humidity ranging from 80% to 99%.
There are various ways to go about achieving this environment and a closed chamber is the way I did it.

Try reading the Sulcata care sheet and see how your care differs from that.

Many times babies become inactive when the temperatures are too low.
The closed eyes tell me he isn't hydrated enough either.

You'll find great info here and it'll get you on your way to learning more about your species of tortoise and how to care for him.
Hopefully you'll be able to set your baby up with an environment he can thrive in.

 

[leigti]

I'm not for Milyer with that infrared bulb. Does it give out red light? I've read on here that that bothers tortoises eyes. Try a ceramic heat emitter Night and day on a thermostat set at 80. Check out the care sheet at the top of the species specific sulcata section.

 

[wellington]

Red lights don't hurt the eyes but it can make tortoise eat their substrate. Ceramic heat emitters are best for extra day time heat and for night time. It gives heat but no light. Follow Heathers advice and the advice in the caresheets

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum!

You've a cute little tort, and I hope to hear she's better soon.

Please keep in mind that torts take quite long to adapt. PATIENCE is required here. Good luck!

 

[Lisa zale]

Thanks so much for all your responses! We have been soaking her extra time 20 min 2x day and she seems to have perked up a little. Maybe she is dehydrated. I hope by doing this she will start eating again. She was walking around the house today so that's a good sign.

 

[Gillian M]

Thanks so much for all your responses! We have been soaking her extra time 20 min 2x day and she seems to have perked up a little. Maybe she is dehydrated. I hope by doing this she will start eating again. She was walking around the house today so that's a good sign.

That's good news. Keep up the good work.

 

[Lisa zale]

Ok so she perks up a little and walks around when she is soaking. But she's not really eating. We've been trying to feed her romaine lettuce which was her favorite. She pooped white stuff. I posted a picture.

We called the pet store and the owner told us she was dehydrated and to also soak her in a little pedialyte, which we mixed with warm water twice so far. The soakings seems to have perked her up a little but I am so worried she's not eating and don't know how to help her. I'm so worried about her

 

[Gillian M]

Ok so she perks up a little and walks around when she is soaking. But she's not really eating. We've been trying to feed her romaine lettuce which was her favorite. She pooped white stuff. I posted a picture.

We called the pet store and the owner told us she was dehydrated and to also soak her in a little pedialyte, which we mixed with warm water twice so far. The soakings seems to have perked her up a little but I am so worried she's not eating and don't know how to help her. I'm so worried about her

Don't worry, don't panic. I have read time and once again that the white "stuff" that a tort poops confirms that the tort is healthy.

Sorry, can't be of more help, but hope that the experts here can help you soon.

 

[AZSid]

The white stuff is urates and totally okay. Urates can actually help determine if a tort is dehydrated or not. They should be kind of creamy, like toothpaste. That's good! If they are dry and gritty, your tort is dehydrated. I've never heard of soaking with pedialyte, and while I am rather new at this myself compared to most, I have heard countless times on TF to use pureed baby food carrots for soaking if you are concerned with nutrition intake.

 

[Tom]

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

Where did you get the tortoise and how was it started in its first few days and weeks after hatching?

 

[Michelle85]

I had this same issue with mine. I read a care sheet that was posted in the forum and it help me out a lot. I'm still new to owning my sulcata but I have noticed heat is very important if it's not warm enough they will not move much. Having the right kind of bulb makes a huge difference I ended up getting a new light after I read all the information I found from others post. I noticed direct sunlight will get them up and going. I move mine outside everyday for at least a few hours and they seem to enjoy it. Good luck