In need of answers and advice

[irot]

I dont even know where to start.. I am concerned about my baby sulcata tort Lewy. It has been a rough start from the beginning. We got him in November 2022 from a seller in California who wasn't very informative and gave us incorrect instructions for his care.
We live in Utah so we have been concerned about temperature and heat since we brought him home because it was a lot colder then what he was used to In cali. We have had to change and adjust lots of things for our little guy since we got him and just hope we can do what we need to help our tort thrive.
The first week we had Lewy we noticed that his eyes were kinda white and dry/crusty looking and that Lewy would ”scratch“ them often and would mostly keep them closed. So we changed his enclosure in hopes that it would help. (We were given a tiny plastic terrarium from seller) We also changed the type of bedding he had because we weren’t sure when that last time the seller changed his bedding. We also purchased a heat lamp and a Uva bullb. For a while he seemed to get better, he stoped scratching his eyes and they cleared up. He seemed to be active and happy to be around us. We learned how to soak him properly and he even started to poop regularly when he was soaking. After a while we noticed that he started acting more lethargic and eating less. So we did more research and learned that we needed to expand his diet (seller told us all he needed was lettuce) So we tired to expand his diet by adding calcium powder to his food and using spinach for vitamins. So we bought Zoo Med’s repti calcium with Vitamin D3 from Amazon We would just take a pinch and put on top of greens and shake it around. He did not seem to like the powder calcium and started eating even less. We also tired the Flukers soft moist tortoise diet and he would not even touch that. We also added fruits and vegetables on occasion. We have also added wet orchid moss in his enclosure and even in his hide to help with humidity and keeping things cooler for him. He has a water bowl that we keep clean so he won’t get sick. We noticed that he would just sit in the shallow water dish for hours and hours. He also started flipping over on his a lot so got him a bigger enclosure and added a hide that was safe for him to climb on and put up fake plants around the sides to help decrease risk of him being on his back while we were out of the house for a few hours. He still just hasn’t really gotten any better. He doesn’t move much anymore and sleeps a lot. He stays in a conner on top of his hide. He doesn’t eat a lot and we haven’t noticed him poop in the water anymore- he hardly moves at all when soaking. He hasn’t really grown very much either. We have had him for three months and has not grown very much ( unsure how much he should have gown by now) We are unsure how old he was when we first got him and we have not been weighing or measuring him/ we are unsure how to. His shell color seems to have changed to a lighter shade all together and we noticed an white opaque looking film in the lines of his shell. He keeps his eyes closed all the time and his mouth also look kinda white and his eyes are a dull shade. His legs also always seem to be off to the side and behind him. The back of his shell has been kinda jaged since we got him and we dont know if that is normal or if its damaged. (Pictures below) His plastron also seems more soft than usual. We have recently changed his light to one that was recommended to us on amazon: Aiicioo Mercury vapor Bulb UVB the reptile light 100W -Mercury vapor bulb basking heat UVA UVB all in one sun lamp we keep his enclosure temp at 83F and have the bulb on for 10 throughout the day. We just really need help in getting our tort back to health and have no idea what else we need to do to help him. There are just so many different things that seem to not be okay with him and we dont know how to identify and solve the problem.
So If you have any recommendations as to what we can do, we would so appreciate it. We just want our baby to be okay
. We have added a bunch of pictures as well - thefirst ones are when he was looking his best and was healthy. Thank you

 

[AmandaF]

Unfortunately I can’t help, however someone here will be able to help you. The people on here are amazing & knowledgeable. X

 

[wellington]

Just about Everything is wrong.
Basking area needs to be 95-100 or he can't digest his food. All over day and night 80-85. Humidity needs to be 80% or higher day and night. Diet needs to be more edible greens/weeds not just additives. Lettuce is of no value except for water content.
Get rid of the moss, can cause impaction and entanglement, use coconut coir and/or fine grade orchid bark.
Use tube florescent uvb bulb and flood bulb for basking and ceramic heat emitter s for added day heat if needed and for night heat.

 

[wellington]

Thread 'The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise' https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...se-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/

 

[Tom]

I dont even know where to start.. I am concerned about my baby sulcata tort Lewy. It has been a rough start from the beginning. We got him in November 2022 from a seller in California who wasn't very informative and gave us incorrect instructions for his care.
We live in Utah so we have been concerned about temperature and heat since we brought him home because it was a lot colder then what he was used to In cali. We have had to change and adjust lots of things for our little guy since we got him and just hope we can do what we need to help our tort thrive.
The first week we had Lewy we noticed that his eyes were kinda white and dry/crusty looking and that Lewy would ”scratch“ them often and would mostly keep them closed. So we changed his enclosure in hopes that it would help. (We were given a tiny plastic terrarium from seller) We also changed the type of bedding he had because we weren’t sure when that last time the seller changed his bedding. We also purchased a heat lamp and a Uva bullb. For a while he seemed to get better, he stoped scratching his eyes and they cleared up. He seemed to be active and happy to be around us. We learned how to soak him properly and he even started to poop regularly when he was soaking. After a while we noticed that he started acting more lethargic and eating less. So we did more research and learned that we needed to expand his diet (seller told us all he needed was lettuce) So we tired to expand his diet by adding calcium powder to his food and using spinach for vitamins. So we bought Zoo Med’s repti calcium with Vitamin D3 from Amazon We would just take a pinch and put on top of greens and shake it around. He did not seem to like the powder calcium and started eating even less. We also tired the Flukers soft moist tortoise diet and he would not even touch that. We also added fruits and vegetables on occasion. We have also added wet orchid moss in his enclosure and even in his hide to help with humidity and keeping things cooler for him. He has a water bowl that we keep clean so he won’t get sick. We noticed that he would just sit in the shallow water dish for hours and hours. He also started flipping over on his a lot so got him a bigger enclosure and added a hide that was safe for him to climb on and put up fake plants around the sides to help decrease risk of him being on his back while we were out of the house for a few hours. He still just hasn’t really gotten any better. He doesn’t move much anymore and sleeps a lot. He stays in a conner on top of his hide. He doesn’t eat a lot and we haven’t noticed him poop in the water anymore- he hardly moves at all when soaking. He hasn’t really grown very much either. We have had him for three months and has not grown very much ( unsure how much he should have gown by now) We are unsure how old he was when we first got him and we have not been weighing or measuring him/ we are unsure how to. His shell color seems to have changed to a lighter shade all together and we noticed an white opaque looking film in the lines of his shell. He keeps his eyes closed all the time and his mouth also look kinda white and his eyes are a dull shade. His legs also always seem to be off to the side and behind him. The back of his shell has been kinda jaged since we got him and we dont know if that is normal or if its damaged. (Pictures below) His plastron also seems more soft than usual. We have recently changed his light to one that was recommended to us on amazon: Aiicioo Mercury vapor Bulb UVB the reptile light 100W -Mercury vapor bulb basking heat UVA UVB all in one sun lamp we keep his enclosure temp at 83F and have the bulb on for 10 throughout the day. We just really need help in getting our tort back to health and have no idea what else we need to do to help him. There are just so many different things that seem to not be okay with him and we dont know how to identify and solve the problem.
So If you have any recommendations as to what we can do, we would so appreciate it. We just want our baby to be okay
. We have added a bunch of pictures as well - thefirst ones are when he was looking his best and was healthy. Thank you View attachment 354333View attachment 354334View attachment 354335

Start here, and then read the thread that Wellington left for you:

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[TammyJ]

Welcome! Please follow all the advice and study the care sheets. This is a terrific place and the experts here will give you everything that you need to take better care of your tortoise! Thank you.

 

[zolasmum]

Lewy's mouth looks very dry -Can you wipe it over gently every day with a damp cottonwool pad? You could do the same for his eyes, too. Also he should only have a very small pinch of calcium powder once or twice a week - this may be putting him off his food. I am not an expert, but the white lines between his scutes could be growth lines -which are a good thing!
Best wishes from Angie (UK)