New baby sulcata help! !!

Michaela

New Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2015
Messages
13
I got a baby sulcata through the mail about 5 days ago! When she arrived she was cold! I gave her a lukewarm bath up to the bottom of her shell! All I have right now is a 10 gallon tank with newspaper as substrate and a 40w heat bulb and a 14uvb and a under the tank heater! I have some towls on top of the under tank so it doesn't get to hot! She was blowing bubbles out of her nose and rubbing her eyes on day 3 we took her to a reptile vet he gave her a shot of antibotics. I have to give her oral antibotics 2 times a day! I gave her the last dose today and she has been sneezing a few times and sucking back into her shell and itching her eyes! I give her antis on a tiny piece of spring mix! She eats tortoise grassland pellets soaked in water with a little multivitamin sprinkled on top! I also give her Timothy hay but she doesn't eat it! She fits in the palm of my hand! I don't know if I'm doing anything right I need help!!! I soak her in warm water every morning for about 5 mins! I have been leaving her heat light on all night because the vet said to keep the temp up! I turn the uvb off! I don't know if I'm doing anything right! There is so much information and some says to do one thing then another! I don't want my baby to get to bad sick please please help
 

SarahChelonoidis

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What are your temperatures in your tank? Highs and lows, day and night. Your soaks are too short to be effective. You need to review the sulcata care sheets - your enclosure (size, substrate, lighting/heating) and diet needs quite a bit of work. Temperatures are most important for a sick tortoise, so confirm what those are ASAP.
 

Dizisdalife

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Welcome to the Forum, Michaela. The best thing you can do for your baby right now is get the temp to about 85°F and keep it stable. Cover the top of your tank, if needed, to hold the heat in. Just don't let it get too hot in there. Continue the soaks. Make sure the water temp is at least 85°. Then read. There is lots to read on the Forum, but you can start here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

Oh, baby sulcatas are not likely to eat hay. Here is a good thread on what they will eat. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
 

Gillian M

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A very warm welcome to the forum! :tort:

Please post pictures of your tort and its enclosure so as to enable us to help you more. And don't forget that torts take time to adapt to a new place, new environment, new climate, new owner, new everything! ;)

Good luck!:)
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Michaela, and welcome to the Forum!

Your 10 gallon tank is ok for now while you're trying to make sure your new baby is not getting sick, but it's going to need a bigger habitat soon. Eventually you need to have a hot side and a room temperature side, and with a 10 gallon you can't get a gradient like that. But for now, keep your 10 gallon tank an even 80-85F degrees.

Using a bowl with tall sides, and a small foot print, add enough warm water to come up to the middle of the baby's sides (where the top shell meets the bottom shell). Leave the baby soaking in the water for about 15 or 20 minutes daily.

Relax and enjoy your new baby. I think he's going to be ok.
 

Tom

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You have some serious problems there. I need to point them out so you can fix them. I'm not trying to be mean or insulting, but I need to be frank about what is happening. You have received some bad advice from somewhere. Hopefully we can remedy that situation here today.

1. Go to the hardware store or Walmart and get a remote probed wireless thermometer. Should cost about $10-20. You need to know the temps in your enclosure day and night. Respiratory infections are usually caused by cold temps. Warm temps are the cure.
2. Turn off that coil type UV bulb right now. Its burning his eyes. He can go a few weeks without UV while you sort this all out.
3. You need a bigger tank now. If you have a bigger glass tank that will work fine. If not buy a 40 or 50 gallon plastic storage tub at Walmart or the hardware store.
4. Get a 100-150 watt regular incandescent flood bulb from the hardware store.
5. The pet store will have a light fixture with a built in rheostat. Get one of those to run your incandescent bulb in and you can simply dial in the right temperature.
6. Number 5 will take care of your daytime heat and basking area. Next you need night heat and overall ambient temp maintenance. For this you need a Ceramic Heating Element (CHE) from the pet store. You will need a thermostat to run it on. Hopefully the pet shop will have a thermostat for you. The thermostat allows you to set a background temp and it will turn the CHE on and off as needed to maintain this temperature. Makes things very easy. You need the temperature to be around 85-90 24/7 for this guy until about two weeks after symptoms go away. This might take a month or more. Daily soaks will be critical to maintain hydration with these hotter temps. If the pet store does not have a thermostat you can order one online, but in the mean time you can leave the CHE on and plugged in, but monitor the temperature carefully.
7. Go to a local garden center and get a big bag of fine grade orchid bark to use for substrate.
8. Also from the hardware store, get a couple of 4" terra cotta saucers that are used for plant pot bases. These make perfect food and water containers.

All of this and more is explained here:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
 

Michaela

New Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2015
Messages
13
You have some serious problems there. I need to point them out so you can fix them. I'm not trying to be mean or insulting, but I need to be frank about what is happening. You have received some bad advice from somewhere. Hopefully we can remedy that situation here today.

1. Go to the hardware store or Walmart and get a remote probed wireless thermometer. Should cost about $10-20. You need to know the temps in your enclosure day and night. Respiratory infections are usually caused by cold temps. Warm temps are the cure.
2. Turn off that coil type UV bulb right now. Its burning his eyes. He can go a few weeks without UV while you sort this all out.
3. You need a bigger tank now. If you have a bigger glass tank that will work fine. If not buy a 40 or 50 gallon plastic storage tub at Walmart or the hardware store.
4. Get a 100-150 watt regular incandescent flood bulb from the hardware store.
5. The pet store will have a light fixture with a built in rheostat. Get one of those to run your incandescent bulb in and you can simply dial in the right temperature.
6. Number 5 will take care of your daytime heat and basking area. Next you need night heat and overall ambient temp maintenance. For this you need a Ceramic Heating Element (CHE) from the pet store. You will need a thermostat to run it on. Hopefully the pet shop will have a thermostat for you. The thermostat allows you to set a background temp and it will turn the CHE on and off as needed to maintain this temperature. Makes things very easy. You need the temperature to be around 85-90 24/7 for this guy until about two weeks after symptoms go away. This might take a month or more. Daily soaks will be critical to maintain hydration with these hotter temps. If the pet store does not have a thermostat you can order one online, but in the mean time you can leave the CHE on and plugged in, but monitor the temperature carefully.
7. Go to a local garden center and get a big bag of fine grade orchid bark to use for substrate.
8. Also from the hardware store, get a couple of 4" terra cotta saucers that are used for plant pot bases. These make perfect food and water containers.

All of this and more is explained here:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
THANK you so much for all the information! I'm going to purchase a wireless thermometer, a big storage tub does it matter what color?
A bulb, I have a zoo med lighting kit that says it can go up to 100 would this work?
And can the Che run on the other side? I have another lamp that goes up to 60w!
And when I get the orchid bark should i wash it? I had fur bark I. And it was making her sneeze and the vet told me to take it out? I know she needs moisture and news paper isn't doing it? Thanks again for actually helping me I have been drawn away from so many forums because people was so mean to me! I just want to learn so I can take care of my baby!!!
 

Michaela

New Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2015
Messages
13
A very warm welcome to the forum! :tort:

Please post pictures of your tort and its enclosure so as to enable us to help you more. And don't forget that torts take time to adapt to a new place, new environment, new climate, new owner, new everything! ;)

Good luck!:)
A very warm welcome to the
Thank you for such a warm welcome yall are very nice on here and very helpful! I'm trying to post some pictures right now
 

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