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Haira32

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My baby sulcata tortoise arrived this morning. I was so nervous about what condition he would be in and I am happy to say that right now he is doing very well! He arrived in a plain brown box, no "live animal" or even "this side up" When the delivery man stepped out of the van he gave the box a little toss and my heart and stomach sank as he handed it to me. I opened it up to find a poor, cold, perfect hatchling. He is only about two inches long with a beautiful shell. I quickly put him in some warm water and after a few minutes he was moving all around the dish. I had to change the water a few times to keep it warm and continued to soak him for thirty minutes. He ate some leafy greens while soaking and continued to eat when I placed him in his enclosure. After that I left him to get comfortable, he is still doing very well, walking all over the place. One of his eyes does look a little cloady, but it may have been the lighting. I will continue to keep a close eye on him and give him the best care that I can. I will try and post pics when I can, but I am not the most computer savvy. I am so happy that he is doing well!
 

wellington

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I can't believe how he was packaged. Glad he's Doing good though. Be sure to check out Toms threads below in my post for raising sulcatas.
 

zman7590

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super sad....if your gonna sell babies learn how to package em...put a lil money into it...trust me and extre 25 cents wont make you go broke
 

ainfalt

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Is it common for people to get tortoises through the mail? I never would have imagined this.
 

theelectraco

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ainfalt said:
Is it common for people to get tortoises through the mail? I never would have imagined this.

Yes, but the box should be labeled properly so the carrier knows that there is a live animal in the box.


0.1.0 Dachshund
0.0.1 Redfoot
1.0.0 Greek
 

theelectraco

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What vendor or breeder were they purchased from?


0.1.0 Dachshund
0.0.1 Redfoot
1.0.0 Greek
 

johnsonnboswell

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I've gotten several through the mail. I had promised my family I would not adopt any more animals, but that if they showed up on my doorstep I was going to keep them. The mail carrier brought them to the door.
 

EchoTheLeoTort

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I got my ball python through the mail and my leopard tort threw the mail. They were both labeled correctly and had heat packs and newspaper to keep the sack/container in place for less ruffling. Sorry yours were delivered poorly :(
 

ainfalt

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Yikes! That's scary! I would be afraid to have an animal delivered through the mail. Especially after hearing how they can be handled.
 

Haira32

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Today he has been slow and sleepy. I soaked him in the morning, and he was active in the afternoon for an hour or two but other than that he slept and he has not eaten much if at all. Is this normal behavior for an adjusting tortoise?
 

Haira32

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Here are some pictures of me soaking my baby when he first arrived on Friday. Does his shell look okay? He still is not eating very well that I have noticed.

2qib538.jpg

2mgjgwj.jpg
 

goby

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Where can I get one at in Texas or a good place in the mail what's a good website
 

Tom

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Haira32 said:
Today he has been slow and sleepy. I soaked him in the morning, and he was active in the afternoon for an hour or two but other than that he slept and he has not eaten much if at all. Is this normal behavior for an adjusting tortoise?

This is not a good sign. What are his four temps? Basking, warm side, cool side and night? What are you using for heating and lighting? How was he started before you got him? Have you read the links in my signature yet? Can you tell us where you got him? Might give us some insight.
 

Jacqui

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goby said:
Where can I get one at in Texas or a good place in the mail what's a good website

Hi Goby and welcome! There are several folks on here who hatch them out, that is where I would start. How to find them is the key to learning proper sulcata care, that key is to read the sulcata threads. There you will find proper preset up and after arrival care, as well as several choice folks to buy them from. Plus when you get a chance, how about doing an intro thread post for us, please. :)

Now are you folks saying these guys came in your regular mail? Or are you meaning they came by something like FedEx and UPS?

As to the shipper of this little guy in the thread, he/she really needs to get an education. What was done was not only wrong for the tortoise, but could get hiher in legal trouble, too.
 

sibi

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Hi and welcome. Your baby has had a rough start. You need to give us info on your setup, lighting, temps, etc. Tom has asked you for the same info. Please respond to us because your new baby's life depends on it. Something you may not know is that tortoises will try and mask any illness or weaknesses it may have because they are hardwired that way to keep predators from scouting them out and eating them for lunch. The first couple of days may be reasonable to have a hatchling sleep a lot and not eat. But, after that, they should be responsive or there may be something going on. So, get back to us asap.
 

Haira32

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After last Friday, which was one week from when I got him he has been doing so much better! he is running around like crazy and has what I can only assume is a true sully personality because he runs into anything if he wants to go that way. I put him in the middle of the floor and runs at the wall, hits it and tries to keep going. When he weighs more, he will be trouble. :) When I bring him out side I put the wire top of a rabbit cage over him so he can be in the grass but be protected from birds while I watch him, he is very determined to get to the other side of the cage. He just plows right into it. He has been eating very well and pooping well. he has also had a few large watery pees with a small amount of urates. He mostly enjoys his soaks, so I think he is doing well now. I did find him upside down once, looks like he was trying to plow through his enclosure and tipped, he has been doing well since then though. I am still keeping a close eye on him.
One thing I am worried about though is with his food. I am giving him the moistened tortoise pellets and dark leafy greens, well the greens he drags all over his enclosure, so they get covered in the coco coir. Is there any chance the coco coir on his food could cause impaction?
 
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