New Sulcata owner needing advice

Jaxcross

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Hi.
I've recently rescued a stucata tortoise from someone who clearly didn't want her/him..
I'm a big animal lover and need as much advice as possible to help this little lady get better.
She's hardly eating anything, sleeping all day long and (if this makes sense) generally looks miserable..
I've been told it's a she and about 2 years old
I live in the UK..
 

JoesMum

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Hello and welcome to TFO from Kent, UK

This tort is a Sulcata... Perhaps.

In the UK Sulcatas are very unusual, so a photo will help us confirm whether it is actually a Sulcata (African Spurred Tort) or a Greek (Mediterranean Spur Thigh) which is very common

P!ease could you post photos from the top including the head and of the underside including the tail.

Care of these 2 species is very different so it's important we get this right.

Sulcatas can grow to weigh 150lb /70kg and cannot hibernate
Greeks grow to weigh around 7lb /3.5kg and can hibernate
 

Jaxcross

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Hi. I've looked up the Greek spur thigh and she doesn't look anything like that.
I've searched and researched on Google and forums for all basic info about Sulcatas. So I now know basics.
My two main concerns is her lack of interest in food. Her virtual none movement and she hasn't drank anything since I got her last week.
I've bathed her daily incase she's dehydrated.
I've changed her diet from solely iceberg lettuce (what they where feeding her on) to fresh cut grass, dandelions, clover, water cress. But she's virtually eating nothing.
I've changed the builders sand/grit to dried grass.
How do I put piks on
 

SarahChelonoidis

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Temperature is usually the biggest issue for an inactive tortoise. Sulcata's are a tropical species and need to be kept warm all the time - a minimum of 80F, day and night, is needed for this species, plus a basking spot during the day 95-100F.
 

Jaxcross

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She has a table with a heat mat and UV/Basking lamp. But it's only 36 inch long and she's already from front to back of her shell 7 1/2 inch..
 

JoesMum

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This Sulcata needs much more space and outdoor space!

At that sort of size you are talking a minimum of 4'x8' (1.5 x 2.5 metres)

You will need some sort of shed that you can set up as heated accommodation. This species cannot hibernate. It will be able to go out in the garden on all but the coldest days but will need heat provided day and night, even in summer.

Our weather is not suited to this species. They require quite a bit of care. They're also very strong and love to burrow, so you are going to need secure boundaries.

@Lyn W in Wales has a leopard tortoise in Wales that requires similar care. Hopefully she will be around soon.

In the meantime you need to read these if you haven't already

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

How to raise a healthy Sulcata
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
 

SarahChelonoidis

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You need to measure the temperatures - just having heat sources isn't enough. You need a thermometer to tell you if it's warm enough.
 

JoesMum

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You need to measure the temperatures - just having heat sources isn't enough. You need a thermometer to tell you if it's warm enough.
It needs to be 35-37C directly under the basking lamp. This is easiest to measure with a temperature gun like this from Amazon

You also need to know the temperatures warm side, cool side, directly under the basking lamp and overnight minimum

A 4'x6' bookcase with the shelves knocked out and lined with pond liner will make a good tortoise table for the time being. You may be able to get something from Freegle or Freecycle online
 

Jaxcross

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Ok. Well everyone thanks for the info ALL taken on board. But can I just point out I've only had her since last Thursday and I did rescue her. So any more advice is greatly appreciated.
Breaking your advice down, your saying she's not warm enough is that the reason she's not eating or active??
 

SarahChelonoidis

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The pond liner is so the wood doesn't rot from contact with moist substrate.

Too cold is a common possibility, but you can't know for sure unless you are measuring temperatures. Too hot can also lead to inactivity. So can illness. But temperature being too cold is a very common problem and easy to check first.
 

Jaxcross

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So in order of importance what do I need to do/get first etc.
What substrate is best, what sort of thermometer, best food etc etc. .
 

JoesMum

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1. Thermometer to check temperatures

2. Bigger enclosure
Coco Coir substrate, piece of flat rock or slate for a food plate, terracotta plant saucer for water bowl, shelter (see the enclosures forum for ideas), cuttlebone.

Replace the UVB bulb as it's probably old and not giving off much/any UVB any more.

It's all in that Care thread I linked I think :)
 

JoesMum

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I shall be turning in shortly. If you're a night owl them the American members will be around and perhaps even @Tom or @Markw84 who have a great deal of Sulcata experience
 

Jaxcross

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I'm just looking now for bigger enclosure, it's a brand new bulb, and i'll go look for Coco coir substrate as well. And I've got the terracotta dish already..
I just need her to eat now..
Thanks
 
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Thank you for your help..
I'll do it all in next day or so.
I would give her an outdoor enclosure. But that might be kinda hard since the weather in the UK is a bit different... I've noticed that having tortoises outside makes them more active, but the temps might be your problem too.
 

Lyn W

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Hi and welcome.
I became a leopard tort owner by accident 3 years ago and have had a very steep learning curve.
If your tort is definitely a sulcata then they and leopards need higher temps day and night in our climate than the more common horsefields/Russians and hermanns torts and they are not cheapest to keep when you first start up. As he is new to you I would recommend finding a reptile specialist/herpetologist vet and take a stool sample to test it for parasites.

My tort is just under 12 inches long now and has had his own room in an used shower room since I've had him. Torts are wandering animals so the bigger the tort the more room they need. He has rubber mats on the floor with large trays of coco coir and orchid bark along with a large shallow plant saucer that he can self soak in, and plants.
I use an arcadia mvb 125w bulb from Pets at Home - approx £40 but this gives heat light and essential uvb in one bulb so is easy to use. This is in a wide dome fitting which I hang so that I can adjust temps by raising or lowering and its safer than the clamps that could fail and cause fires. At night I use a ceramic heat emitter (CHE) run through a thermostat so that the temps stay even . This just gives heat as torts need darkness to sleep. approx. £55 for both from the Range. This is also in a wide dome fitting. I also have a basking bulb which is cheaper then the MVB but your tort must have uvb for digestion and absorption of minerals. (Avoid coiled/long thin cfl type bulbs as although cheaper they have been known to damage tort eyes) There is also a radiator on 24/7/365 so my heating bills are not cheap!!! There are some good examples of night boxes which would be cheaper to heat though. Look out for Toms design.

I have a fenced area of garden for Lola to go out into on warm days for supervised time out - when the ground temp is at least 70'F, but he is always brought in at night. You need a digital temp gun which makes it easy to spot check temps.

Even though the species are from dry areas humidity is still important so I soak Lola everyday in warm (not hot) water. A good thing to remember is
right temp + humidity = healthy tort
too cold + humidity = sick tort.

The caresheet will give you a list of plants that are good for diet - www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is also a good guide for tort safe plants and for helping with IDing them.

If you post pics of your tort and enclosure members will help you make sure it is as safe as possible to keep your tort healthy. (if on laptop use upload a file button then browse/choose/open your photos)
Sorry this is such a long post but hope it helps and feel free to ask as many questions as you need.
 
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