Need immediate advice: rescue

staktere

New Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2022
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
Phoenix
My mom became recently disabled in a car accident and could no longer take care of my little brother's tortoise.

Upon taking over responsibility of the tortoise, I began to realize that she wasn't taking very good care of him anyway.

I have no idea what kind of tortoise he is, just that he's a desert tortoise, not tropical. He does seem to be brumating. Initially, I had to get him eye drops as the clay my mom had in his tank hadn't been changed enough and his eyes had started to swell. That problem has since been resolved, but there was little to no care put into researching his environment.

His hind legs retract when touched but he keeps his front legs out most of the time. For a while he kept climbing into his water bowl. He does eat but has been eating less recently, seasonal?

His mom was a rescue of my uncle's, he'd had her for several years without any exposure to any other tortoises. He was the only egg in his clutch. His mom stepped on him when he was a baby and she's at least fifty pounds. His shell grew in asymmetrical as you can see in the pictures, I believe.

Normally, I'd do all this research on my own AND beforehand. As things are, I want to make sure he's taken care of quickly given the circumstances.

I replaced his bedding with coconut shell in the meantime because I read it was safe for him to eat, and it wouldn't have as high a dust risk on his eyes.

She didn't have a uvb bulb for his tank so I bought one of those right away. He has a food and water dish. I got him Timothy hay pellets per an experienced friend's suggestion.

I'm willing to pay for the equipment necessary to keep him; my brother really cares about him. I don't want him to have to lose his pet tortoise on top of mom being mostly bedridden.

Any advice is helpful. I am willing to do anything for him.

I just want to know how to take care of him.
 

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TaylorTortoise

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Joined
Mar 24, 2020
Messages
1,461
Location (City and/or State)
Abington
We need to change that food dish asap to a saucer dish. Also, pellets are not a good varied diet for any tortoise. They need bright leafy greens. You can find a sulcata’s care sheet on here by searching for sulcata care guides.

I’m going to include some professionals here to help chime in. You are here in the right place, now lets get that tortoise healthy.

We recommend daily WARM soaks.
Pay attention to the shape, form of poop for any changes in texture this can result in tortoise health. Solid brown is the best kind of poop. Similar to humans..

Sulcatas need humidity, that husbandry needs to be changed. They need large enclosures. Switch to a wooden garden table instead line it then put substrate down, use plexi glass to cover the top and chicken wire or a regular aquarium screen to place lights on. That fish tank is made strictly for fish and not tortoises.

Hope some of this info is helpful. We are here to help.

Also, need to check heating temps below the light to make sure the tortoise is getting enough uvb. They bask so please have enough lighting for basking as well.
@Tom @maggie3fan @Yvonne G
 

Hzwolun

Member
Joined
Nov 30, 2021
Messages
57
Location (City and/or State)
Fairfax County VA
ima keep short and concise
80 degrees at cold area 90+ at basketing area
Eat healthy with Mazuri and leafy greens
Clean water needs to be replaced often
Always have Vitamins ready/Calcium
Looks like a weak baby/swollen eyes to me
could be vitamin deficiency, could be dirty environment so he always uses his front leg to wipe his eyes cause infection.
 

staktere

New Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2022
Messages
3
Location (City and/or State)
Phoenix
I got him some eye drops that came with some vitamins to mix in with his food. Should I get him something else?

I appreciate the advice thus far ^_^
 

Lyn W

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5 Year Member
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Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Hi and welcome,
I'm so sorry your Mum has been through all that.
Thank you for trying to give this tort a better life and if you follow the caresheet and advice from some of the very experienced members here he should do much better.
The vitamins should come from a healthy diet rather than supplements, and it's recommended a pinch of calcium is only given a couple of times a week - many of us leave a cuttlefish bone in the enclosure for the tort to nibble on when they want. (The sort sold for birds with the plastic or metal cage clips removed). This may be ignored most of the time but occasionally they'll nibble when they need it.
As well as the caresheet www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is a good guide to tort safe plants - it's based on UK plants but there will be some we have in common.
Many of us use T5 HO tube kits for UVB with a flood basking bulb and CHE run through a thermostat for night heat. (Avoid coilded/cfl type bulbs which have been known to harm tort eyes and coloured bulbs which confuse them and encourages them to eat things they shouldn't).
Climbing in his water bowl is normal and the way they self soak to hydrate as well as drinking. The shallow luke/baby warm soaks mentioned above will help him too, and if he has enough room to move about in it that will encourage him to defecate which is easier to dispose of and keeps his enclosure clean. Don't let the water get cold.
Getting his temps right at his level is important because if they are cold they won't be active, eat or poop. Use a decent thermometer and or temp gun to set the height of your heat lamps.
Keep asking as many questions as you like everyone here only wants the best for torts.
 

Lyn W

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Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
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UK
Thanks so much, would I be looking to build him something like ?

this
How big is the tort at the moment?
Tanks/vivs are fine for babies as they are easier to control humidity and temps, but they also need floor space to be able to roam about for bone and digestive health. Depending on his size now you may be better going for the 4 x 8 feet recommended size for now and then he will need much bigger as he grows possibly outdoors if your climate allows.
 

Yvonne G

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He's very thin (you can see that in the second picture - his upper legs), and his eyes are swollen shut. He needs to be in a hospital tank right now, and while he's in there, you can be worrying about making the correct habitat for him.

Hospital tank = something small, a plastic tub or aquarium, that you can cover and keep the whole thing 85F degrees day and night. Warm moist air and substrate. Soak him daily in 50/50 warm water/Gerber strained carrots for 45 min to an hour. If you set the soaking bowl with him in it back into his hospital tank it will stay warmer longer. Don't worry about feeding him right now, as he won't eat until his eyes are open, which will happen after three days of soaking in the carrot mixture.

In the meantime, read the link - https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...se-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/ - and work at setting him up in the correct environment. He'll need lots of room when he gets well.
 
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