Need help with new baby sulcata

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tortoises101

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If he's emptying his bowels then he that's likely a good sign. It shows that he's hydrated. I wouldn't feed fruit to sulcatas; they have a habit of getting addicted. You could feed pumpkin or squash instead.
 

handsomeEdger

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Feed the pumpkin it is good for there gut and does help them with bathroom issues. I do give our sulcata a treat of fruit...I say "treat" because thats exactly what it is once a month usually we give him the small cut up chunks of the gerber baby apples you can find them in any grocery store they have no protein 1g of fiber and no added sugar. Only rarely though should you give him or her any some people are against this but I figure there just like us we like treats every once in awhile just not on a daily basis. also if your local store, winco in the area i live, has optunia cactus pads sulcatas love them cut into small pieces helps give them hard healthy shells and also good for them. Get some reptivite or t-rex 2:1 vitamin supplement and give a small dusting to the food a couple times a week as it will fill in for the vitamins they dont get from the food. The soaking is a must every night and I find our sulcata likes the water as hot as we can get it without it being so hot it burns. If the water is to hot to your hand its to hot for the tortoise. I dont know what your weather is like there but the humidity and temp are also a must we recently designed a new enclosure for ours (http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Edger-s-new-home) check out the photos. You will see in the back we use a warm mist humidifier and the green house is 6x6 we purchased at harbor freight tool for 130.00. we have him in the family room and this greenhouse creates a perfect micro-climate for him and holds in the heat and humidity. The heater in the front is an automatic set the temp and it turns on and shuts off when the temps are in range (50.00 at walmart). Feel free to ask if you have more questions. Forgot to mention get a small spray bottle and mist him or her with warm water a couple times a day hydration and humidity are key in raising a sulcata. There is a gentleman on here goes by Tom very knowledgeable on this subject.
 

sheac88

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Ok thank you guys for all your help. Tried the pumpkin about an hour ago. No luck with that either. I hope he can hang in there until friday....
 

Wirewehear

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sheac88 said:
Ok thank you guys for all your help. Tried the pumpkin about an hour ago. No luck with that either. I hope he can hang in there until friday....

I'd call the Vet and ask if they can move up the appt. If its an urgent situation they will fit you in. My 17lb'er had kind of an impaction. It was very distressing for him and he is a tough guy.
Call them back and explain to them that you are afraid he wont make it and that he is suffering. He's just a little guy. :(
Good luck
 

sheac88

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Well I did a bad thing. I decided to try a small piece of strawberry, about the size of a dime. To my surprise he ate it! After he took a few bites, I put some calcium powder on it. I know it's not healthy for him but I figure it's better than nothing. Tomorrow I'm going to try some romaine lettuce and maybe a small amount of pumpkin puree if the lettuce doesn't work. Don't be too hard on me for feeding the strawberry please! :(
 
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Maggie Cummings

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Relax! I feed strawberries to Bob. Instead of pumpkin try squash. Like and acorn squash, that's Bob's favorite he can't resist. Did you call the Vet and tell them it's an emergency? I think you need to get him in before Friday...
 

sheac88

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Lol Another vet will see him tomorrow afternoon. So that is the plan at this point. I'm just glad he got something in his belly :)
 

tobibaby

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sheac88 said:
Lol Another vet will see him tomorrow afternoon. So that is the plan at this point. I'm just glad he got something in his belly :)

good luck with him.. please keep us updated, you already got the best advice and can you post pictures of him and whats ur baby's name? dont know if u mentioned it
 

sheac88

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Got back from the vet. He Said he just seems a little dehydratedand that I'm doing the right things. I'll post pics as soon as I find the battery for my camera lol. The lady that sold him to me wants to give me his brother/sister because she can't provide proper care for it. I fee that it needs a good home with proper care. It lives in a 16 qt sterelite tub in a snake rack. I now have my guy in a christmas tree storage bin. I am wondering if two Sulcatas would be ok together. Assuming that the other one isn't beyond saving.
 

Yvonne G

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If they lived together before you got the first one, I see no problem with having them together in your bin. But be on your toes and make sure your first one is eating. The vet didn't say anything about the tortoise is a picky eater?

Ok, so buy some Spring Mix, or even some red or green leaf lettuce. They usually REALLY like the red leaf lettuce. Its not something you want to feed exclusively, but we've got to get this baby in the habit of eating. Just try it and see if he'll eat. If so, then we'll work on it some more, so keep us informed.
 

ChiKat

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I like to soak/spray my tortoise's greens/lettuce before giving it to him, to increase hydration :) Just a little tip! I hope you can get him eating soon.
 

sheac88

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emysemys said:
If they lived together before you got the first one, I see no problem with having them together in your bin. But be on your toes and make sure your first one is eating. The vet didn't say anything about the tortoise is a picky eater?

Ok, so buy some Spring Mix, or even some red or green leaf lettuce. They usually REALLY like the red leaf lettuce. Its not something you want to feed exclusively, but we've got to get this baby in the habit of eating. Just try it and see if he'll eat. If so, then we'll work on it some more, so keep us informed.

The vet mentioned that he may be a picky eater and to try optunia, aloe vera, or other succulents. When I last checked on him, he was chewibg on a pice of orchard grass. I'll try the red leaf lettuce and see if that triggers a feeding response. Thanks for all the help!
 

moswen

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aahh vet beat me to it, i was about to suggest opuntia, opuntia fruits, and aloe vera. these are 3 incredibly nutritious things that all sulcatas go for, esp if he may or may not have a blockage, aloe vera is incredibly high in fiber. but be careful about feeding too much, abviously it will lead to loose stools which can lead to dehydration.

so glad to hear he got a vet's "ok" and that he's eating! keep up the vigil and good work!
 
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