I am Groot!

[LunaPhases15]

Hi everyone! I picked up my baby Sulcata on Monday. They were hatched on April 29. We’ve decided to name it Groot (thought it would be cute for a boy or a girl)
I made sure Groot has all the right things. Coco fiber bedding, UVB 10.0 tube light, a nice hide, access to a nice, shallow water dish. Also constant access to spring mix, collard greens and Arcadia freshly pressed tortious food. I have a heating pad under the tank where the hut is. I’ve now got the temp pretty consistently staying right around 80°F (give or take a few) and humidity around 80% as well. (Thank goodness for an old mister I had lying around) Groot is pretty antisocial right now and when feeding I have to put a blanket over the hut or else he is hiding. I only mess with him about and hour or 2 because I read they sleep a bunch as hatchlings.
I just had a few questions about him. By no means am I asking for medical advice, as I have an appointment with a local exotic vet tomorrow, but I’m just curious what you guys think.
1. I think he’s dehydrated. The person I got him from wasn’t the breeder. From my understanding, they have other reptiles and I’m assuming traded a different animal for Groot and few clutch-mates. The picture I was sent of him was over a smaller tank that looked to be kept outside (that’s solely an assumption) but the skin around his neck seams to be a pretty wrinkled. I haven’t totally witnessed him take more than three or four gulps of water since I got him home.
2. I’ll link a pic but I’m concerned about this spot right above his ear. Does this look like an abscess? I can’t really tell but I think maybe it’s gotten slightly bigger since I brought him home. I didn’t notice it at first (pics I was sent were of the opposite side of him and when I got him, he wouldn’t come out of his shell before I left the seller)
3. The picture isn’t the best at showing what I’m talking about but there are a few white spots on his shell I’m worried about. His shell is hard and strong, so I’m thinking maybe just some scratches from the clutch mates.
4. Groot also hasn’t pooped yet that I’ve seen (I’ve been looking 😂) and I’ve been soaking 20-40 minutes a day in the morning.
Any and all advice is welcomed! Thanks so much for this awesome platform! I have learned so much already from you guys! 🤗😁

 

[SinLA]

@Tom

 

[Tom]

Hi everyone! I picked up my baby Sulcata on Monday. They were hatched on April 29. We’ve decided to name it Groot (thought it would be cute for a boy or a girl)
I made sure Groot has all the right things. Coco fiber bedding, UVB 10.0 tube light, a nice hide, access to a nice, shallow water dish. Also constant access to spring mix, collard greens and Arcadia freshly pressed tortious food. I have a heating pad under the tank where the hut is. I’ve now got the temp pretty consistently staying right around 80°F (give or take a few) and humidity around 80% as well. (Thank goodness for an old mister I had lying around) Groot is pretty antisocial right now and when feeding I have to put a blanket over the hut or else he is hiding. I only mess with him about and hour or 2 because I read they sleep a bunch as hatchlings.
I just had a few questions about him. By no means am I asking for medical advice, as I have an appointment with a local exotic vet tomorrow, but I’m just curious what you guys think.
1. I think he’s dehydrated. The person I got him from wasn’t the breeder. From my understanding, they have other reptiles and I’m assuming traded a different animal for Groot and few clutch-mates. The picture I was sent of him was over a smaller tank that looked to be kept outside (that’s solely an assumption) but the skin around his neck seams to be a pretty wrinkled. I haven’t totally witnessed him take more than three or four gulps of water since I got him home.
2. I’ll link a pic but I’m concerned about this spot right above his ear. Does this look like an abscess? I can’t really tell but I think maybe it’s gotten slightly bigger since I brought him home. I didn’t notice it at first (pics I was sent were of the opposite side of him and when I got him, he wouldn’t come out of his shell before I left the seller)
3. The picture isn’t the best at showing what I’m talking about but there are a few white spots on his shell I’m worried about. His shell is hard and strong, so I’m thinking maybe just some scratches from the clutch mates.
4. Groot also hasn’t pooped yet that I’ve seen (I’ve been looking 😂) and I’ve been soaking 20-40 minutes a day in the morning.
Any and all advice is welcomed! Thanks so much for this awesome platform! I have learned so much already from you guys! 🤗😁

Hello and welcome.

1. Soak daily. I'll link the care info. Click and read through that.
2. That very well may be an abscess. Be careful. Vets don't know tortoise care and you are likely to get bad care advice and hear all the usual old wrong info. Misdiagnosis is common. Mis-treatment is likely because of that. We see it here frequently.
3. Its obvious this guy wasn't housed or started correctly. The shell is very dry and already pyramiding. All you can do at this point is house him correctly. Get rid of the heating pad, misters and humidifiers should not be needed or used, get the temp always over 80 everywhere in the enclosure, and find a regular incandescent "flood" bulb to make a basking area around 95-100 degrees directly under it. You need a closed chamber. There is no way to make this work with an open topped enclosure.
4. You might not be seeing it in the coco fiber, or there might not be any since he's not eating much.

Coco fiber should not be used as tortoise substrate. The stringy stuff can block them up. Coco coir, aka: coco peat, is okay but too messy for baby sulcatas in my experience. Orchid bark works best, and cypress mulch is okay too.

Read each of these at least twice to take it all in. You mind will be reeling. Questions and arguments are welcome. Fire away!

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[LunaPhases15]

Hello and welcome.

1. Soak daily. I'll link the care info. Click and read through that.
2. That very well may be an abscess. Be careful. Vets don't know tortoise care and you are likely to get bad care advice and hear all the usual old wrong info. Misdiagnosis is common. Mis-treatment is likely because of that. We see it here frequently.
3. Its obvious this guy wasn't housed or started correctly. The shell is very dry and already pyramiding. All you can do at this point is house him correctly. Get rid of the heating pad, misters and humidifiers should not be needed or used, get the temp always over 80 everywhere in the enclosure, and find a regular incandescent "flood" bulb to make a basking area around 95-100 degrees directly under it. You need a closed chamber. There is no way to make this work with an open topped enclosure.
4. You might not be seeing it in the coco fiber, or there might not be any since he's not eating much.

Coco fiber should not be used as tortoise substrate. The stringy stuff can block them up. Coco coir, aka: coco peat, is okay but too messy for baby sulcatas in my experience. Orchid bark works best, and cypress mulch is okay too.

Read each of these at least twice to take it all in. You mind will be reeling. Questions and arguments are welcome. Fire away!

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Hello and welcome.

1. Soak daily. I'll link the care info. Click and read through that.
2. That very well may be an abscess. Be careful. Vets don't know tortoise care and you are likely to get bad care advice and hear all the usual old wrong info. Misdiagnosis is common. Mis-treatment is likely because of that. We see it here frequently.
3. Its obvious this guy wasn't housed or started correctly. The shell is very dry and already pyramiding. All you can do at this point is house him correctly. Get rid of the heating pad, misters and humidifiers should not be needed or used, get the temp always over 80 everywhere in the enclosure, and find a regular incandescent "flood" bulb to make a basking area around 95-100 degrees directly under it. You need a closed chamber. There is no way to make this work with an open topped enclosure.
4. You might not be seeing it in the coco fiber, or there might not be any since he's not eating much.

Coco fiber should not be used as tortoise substrate. The stringy stuff can block them up. Coco coir, aka: coco peat, is okay but too messy for baby sulcatas in my experience. Orchid bark works best, and cypress mulch is okay too.

Read each of these at least twice to take it all in. You mind will be reeling. Questions and arguments are welcome. Fire away!

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

1. Hearing pad and misters are out now!
2. I said coco fiber, I meant coco peat, That was my mistake. I have it packed how pretty tightly about 4-5 inches deep. But I’ll get some orchid bark today.
3. The temperature in the enclosure has been at or over 80 since mid yesterday. Was just working on getting the space heater in the room set to the right temp to keep it warm.
3. I’ll pick up a flood light also today!
4. I ordered an enclosed chamber, just waiting for it to arrive. I have thick fabric over the top right now besides where the light is at. Do you recommend something else until the enclosure gets here?
5. Are the brown spots in the middle of the scutes the pyramiding? Also, with proper care, will that stunt the pyramiding?
6. What would you do about the possible abscess?

Thank you for the quick response! I’m going to read through the material more and take notes to help me remember (I’ve read those both once already but my reading retention sucks 😅)

Also, sorry to make you type out the same, redundant response. You are very much appreciated!

 

[Tom]

1. Hearing pad and misters are out now!
2. I said coco fiber, I meant coco peat, That was my mistake. I have it packed how pretty tightly about 4-5 inches deep. But I’ll get some orchid bark today.
3. The temperature in the enclosure has been at or over 80 since mid yesterday. Was just working on getting the space heater in the room set to the right temp to keep it warm.
3. I’ll pick up a flood light also today!
4. I ordered an enclosed chamber, just waiting for it to arrive. I have thick fabric over the top right now besides where the light is at. Do you recommend something else until the enclosure gets here?
5. Are the brown spots in the middle of the scutes the pyramiding? Also, with proper care, will that stunt the pyramiding?
6. What would you do about the possible abscess?

Thank you for the quick response! I’m going to read through the material more and take notes to help me remember (I’ve read those both once already but my reading retention sucks 😅)

Also, sorry to make you type out the same, redundant response. You are very much appreciated!

I'm here to talk tortoises! No apology necessary.
1. 👍🏼
2. You can leave the hand packed coir if it is not too messy for you liking. I prefer orchid bark, but coir is safe and effective too. Just messy.
3. 👍🏼
4. I don't know how long it will take, but portable plastic green houses work too.
5. Pyramiding shows in the notch in the seams between the scutes. The brown spots in the middle are normal pigmentation. The white areas appear to be hard water stains, or possibly abrasions. After soaks and whenever spraying, use non-mineralized water to rinse. Reverse osmosis water, distilled water, or I use collected rainwater. Use "regular" water for soaking and drinking. Only use the non mineralized water to rinse the regular water off of the carapace to prevent the hard water stains.
6. Go to a vet. This is a medical issue and that is what vets are good at. Just understand that they don't know about tortoise care and are likely to tell you the same wrong care info as every other source, because they all learn it from all the same wrong sources that everyone else learns it from. Don't allow any "vitamin" or calcium injections. No wormers without a fecal done first and an obvious necessity for it. Make sure the vet knows that Ivermectin is toxic to tortoises if worming even comes up.