First get those cedar wood chips outta there! They are toxic to reptiles.Hey everyone, my hatchling sulcata tortoise, Franklin, whom I ordered from “tortoise town” and arrived Thursday, October 4th, is gasping for air and acting lethargic. His substrate is eco earth coconut fiber substrate, mixed with cedar wood chips I believe. He is in a black storage tub that I got from tractor supply co, Kamp Kenyan showed how he used them in one of his sulcata care videos. I have a red 100 watt nightlight on one side,and a 100 watt daytime lamp on the other side. In the middle of his tub I have a zoomed uvb rectangular light. He has a half log on his hotter side, and a little cave rock that the red light shines on, with moist spaghnum moss inside to keep the humidity inside his cave up. The temperature in his tub ranges from 80 degrees to 104 on his basking spot. He has a shallow water dish, and is fed springmix, st Augustine grass, yellow squash, cucumber, purslane flowers, dandelion flowers and greens, and as an occasional treat, a strawberry. Now that I have covered his setup and diet, ill go over his case.
He is a couple months old, and as previously stated arrived the 4th of October. Recently he has been acting lethargic. He is sleeping most of the day, and gasping on his basking spot. He occasionally pulls his arms and legs inwards, then lets out a squeak, what must either be a sneeze or cough. I cant find any other case of a sulcata hatchling squeaking. I have a vet appointment planned, but I am very worried. Other people seem to consider replacing their tortoise if it gets sick/dies, but I am willing to do everything to keep this hatchling going strong. Any advice is appreciated.