I am currently taking care of my friend's two baby sulcatas. I have done a lot of research to make sure I take care of them correctly however upon doing all this research I realize my friend has been raising them very very wrong and he won't listen to me. I feel bad for these babies because they were an impulse buy by his mother, and she didn't even buy them a proper tortoise table (they were in a flimsy cardboard box until I gave them this unused little box), not even a heat and uvb lamp. They've also been feeding them store bought foods like broccoli and cauliflower, both of which I thought were horrible things to include as a main diet when tortoises mainly eat grasses and weeds.
The two babies have become immobile, they have slept for 4 days straight, only taking one bite off the grass and clovers I give them and the only hydration they experience is when I give them a bath for about 10 to 15 minutes. They even try to sleep in the bath. And the most they've walked is about 10 steps per every two days, 5 away, and then 5 towards their little hideaway.
The enclosure looks unappealing, its just dirt and rocks and moss I bought to at least keep the humidity a bit higher in their hideaway but it doesn't help very much. I also am unable to afford both a uvb and heat lamp for them (plus it shouldn't be my responsibility) , and the closest I've gotten them to be warm is when I placed a water bottle with hot water (covered by a sock) in their open enclosure. As for sun, the most they've gotten was a couple of days ago, for about 30 minutes. We live in Nevada, and its been cloudy and cold recently so its hard to take them outside to bask in the sun.
Does anyone have any advice on what I can be capable of as a temporary care giver to these baby sulcatas?
Also, I'm going to try to help my friend find the right things to purchase, so if you have suggestions for:
- Substrate (preferabley bark ones so its easier to manage)
- Uvb bulbs
- Heat lamps
- Calcium or D3 supplements
- Enclosure ideas
please feel free to tell me!
Also here some pictures of the babies (one has a zig zag pattern on his/her shell) and the enclosure my friend set up.
the scuted also look bumpy and there are small dips in their scutes. Is this normal for the baby sulcatas?
The two babies have become immobile, they have slept for 4 days straight, only taking one bite off the grass and clovers I give them and the only hydration they experience is when I give them a bath for about 10 to 15 minutes. They even try to sleep in the bath. And the most they've walked is about 10 steps per every two days, 5 away, and then 5 towards their little hideaway.
The enclosure looks unappealing, its just dirt and rocks and moss I bought to at least keep the humidity a bit higher in their hideaway but it doesn't help very much. I also am unable to afford both a uvb and heat lamp for them (plus it shouldn't be my responsibility) , and the closest I've gotten them to be warm is when I placed a water bottle with hot water (covered by a sock) in their open enclosure. As for sun, the most they've gotten was a couple of days ago, for about 30 minutes. We live in Nevada, and its been cloudy and cold recently so its hard to take them outside to bask in the sun.
Does anyone have any advice on what I can be capable of as a temporary care giver to these baby sulcatas?
Also, I'm going to try to help my friend find the right things to purchase, so if you have suggestions for:
- Substrate (preferabley bark ones so its easier to manage)
- Uvb bulbs
- Heat lamps
- Calcium or D3 supplements
- Enclosure ideas
please feel free to tell me!
Also here some pictures of the babies (one has a zig zag pattern on his/her shell) and the enclosure my friend set up.
the scuted also look bumpy and there are small dips in their scutes. Is this normal for the baby sulcatas?