Is my baby leopard tort, sick?

[graceandshaka]

Hello fellow tortoise lovers ! My name is grace and I am 14 years old . I just got a baby leopard tortoise yesterday . I have read so much about these cute guys and how to take care of them . But I am a little concerned about his health conditions at the moment . At the pet store he had bright eyes , was moving around , drinking (all the normal things tortoises do) and yesterday he was moving so much when I put him in his new home. I was concerned this morning when I found him sleeping still , he is still a baby , but he has been sleeping all day , not moving too much besides eating . Should I be worried ?? I have a heat pad and uvb lamp , and tomorrow I am putting cypress mulch in his home . I also have hide holes. Is it normal for him to sleep this much?? Is he sick?? Should I be worried??

 

[Jodie]

It takes a few days for them to settle in, and feel secure. Post pics of your enclosure, and we can help, if you need to tweak stuff. Babies need pretty specific care to be healthy.
Welcome to the forum.

 

[graceandshaka]

It takes a few days for them to settle in, and feel secure. Post pics of your enclosure, and we can help, if you need to tweak stuff. Babies need pretty specific care to be healthy.
Welcome to the forum.

Thank you so much I could use just about any help. Sometimes the Internet isn't so accurate on things (due to uneducated people) so that's why I joined tortoise forum . Glad to be here . I will post a thread of pictures to this .

 

[graceandshaka]

Thank you so much I could use just about any help. Sometimes the Internet isn't so accurate on things (due to uneducated people) so that's why I joined tortoise forum . Glad to be here . I will post a thread of pictures to this .

This is his enclosure. As you can see , in the corner , he has a UVB lamp, he has rocks , hide holes , a variety of shredded lettuces and kale , and In the corner where he is laying , a heat pad. I am going to put cypress mulch in tomorrow , but I am so worried about him

 

[graceandshaka]

He also has water and I soaked him in luke warm water for 10-15 mins today

 

[Blakem]

You should soak 20-30 minutes daily. You don't need si many rocks in there, it takes up too much space. Also get rid of the white pipe and put in a humid hide, plastic shoe box with a hole cut out and turn it upside down. You also need night time heat. read the leopard/sulcata care sheet

 

[dmmj]

what are your temperatures please? Overall, basking, warm, cool?

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Once you have the cypress mulch in there and take out most of those rocks, he'll be more comfortable. You need to measure the temperatures at their warmest and coldest, day and night. If he gets too cold, he'll get sick. Anything less than 80F is generally too cold for a tropical baby like yours.

 

[JoesMum]

Hi

I suggest you give these a good read

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

How to raise a healthy Leopard Tort
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

 

[Cheryl Hills]

Hi and welcome to the forum. This is the best place to get plenty information. Most of the stuff out on the web is outdated. Stick with this forum and you will get all the help and info you need. Good luck with your new baby. He sure is cute.

 

[Yvonne G]

@graceandshaka :

Get rid of that curly shaped bulb. Those burn baby tortoise's eyes. For UVB you had two choices:

The Mercury Vapor Bulb (MVB):


This one provides heat plus the UVB necessary for their calcium to work,

and a tube type fluorescent fixture:



You get UVB from this one, but no heat. Then you would need this:



This is a ceramic heat emitter (CHE). It provides heat without light and you can use it during the day and at night.

 

[graceandshaka]

Thankyou

 

[graceandshaka]

what are your temperatures please? Overall, basking, warm, cool?

Tempuratures in the room are about 75. In the enclosure on his heat pad , about 90 something

 

[JoesMum]

Tempuratures in the room are about 75. In the enclosure on his heat pad , about 90 something

You need to be a little more specific

You need 95F directly under the basking lamp.

The other 3 important temperatures are warm side of the enclosure, cool side and the overnight minimum.

You shouldn't need a heat pad and they are not recommended. Torts like to dig down into the substrate and risk electrocution with a heat pad.

 

[Yvonne G]

Please don't allow what I said about the compact fluorescent bulb (the curly shaped bulb) to get lost in the shuffle. These bulbs burn baby tortoise's eyes. And this might be why he's hiding/sleeping all the time. Turn it off immediately.

 

[JoesMum]

Please don't allow what I said about the compact fluorescent bulb (the curly shaped bulb) to get lost in the shuffle. These bulbs burn baby tortoise's eyes. And this might be why he's hiding/sleeping all the time. Turn it off immediately.

I agree. It's better to go without UVB for a couple of days while you get a safer bulb than continue with a harmful compact coil bulb

 

[Jodie]

This is his enclosure. As you can see , in the corner , he has a UVB lamp, he has rocks , hide holes , a variety of shredded lettuces and kale , and In the corner where he is laying , a heat pad. I am going to put cypress mulch in tomorrow , but I am so worried about him

View attachment 170026

Thank you for providing more info. You have lots of good advice above. Please don't get overwhelmed and frustrated. Once you get the enclosure set up right, and temps adjusted, it gets a lot easier. Read through the info and take one step at a time. Adding substrate will get the humidity up for healthy growth, but it is very important to have warm enough temps so he doesn't get sick with humid environment. Heat pads are dangerous. Babies will burn themselves on them. You want heat from above. Use a CHE on a thermostat for a minimum temp of 82F. Use the MVB for heat during the day. Directly under the heat lamp you want it close to 100F. No where should be colder than 82F. Ask any questions you have, and focus on humidity and heat before worrying about the furniture.

 

[graceandshaka]

Thankyou everyone