Not Gaining Weight

[Hannah Staine]

Okay so I've been waiting and waiting and trying to be patient but my sulcata is just not growing at all and I am getting very worried.
I got him when he was 2 months old in mid August and he weighed in at 75 grams. I weighed him about a month later and he was 79 grams. Then, a couple days ago, he weighed in at 76. He should be 4 months old now. Everything else seems normal...he eats and poops the weight just does not add on and I am getting nervous. I feed him leaves and weeds, grassland tortoise food, and sometimes romaine. His home is heated properly and the humidity is not quite there yet but I am working on it. I watch him eat every day and I soak him every day and he goes outside and seems very healthy otherwise. I do not know what to do.

 

[Hannah Staine]

Here is a photo

 

[sibi]

Have you taken him to a vet to have his poop checked for parasites? That's just one of so many possibilities. As Tom would ask, how was he started? Was the breeder hatching the eggs in dry or wet conditions? Tom could explain it better than I could, but some breeders don't hatch their eggs and place the hatchlings in a.moist environment from the beginning. Most times, if not started correctly, the hatchling will experience stunt growth and/or illnesses. If you received your baby from a pet store, it's very likely that he didn't have a good beginning. So, you may not even know it, but your baby will need constant attention. He should be soaked in warm water everyday, even twice daily for 130 minutes. He should be given calcium in his food 2-3 times a week. A small sprinkle is all that's needed. He needs at least 2 hours or more of sunlight and exercise everyday. Check the proper care sheets for food and heating. Make sure he's in a humid environment most of the night. Mind you, even if this is what you're doing, it could still not be enough because of his beginning. I would try to introduce small amounts of moisten mazuri to his diet. If he eats it, he will grow. You can offer that to him just two times a week. It's nutritional and keeps your tort healthy. Keep monitoring his weight, and take him to the vet for a checkup, if you hadn't done so already.

 

[Tom]

What are you feeding him and what are your four temps?

What heating and lighting equipment are you using? UV?

Sylvia was right. Where did you get him?

 

[Hannah Staine]

I feed him mostly leaves and weeds and grassland tortoise food.
Basking is about 98 and the rest 80. overnight CHE set to 82. I have a 100 watt infrared spotlight...he does not eat the dirt under it- and a uvb tube. I got him from a store but it was a reptile store I don't know how humid they had him but they did say to soak daily.

 

[Yvonne G]

I have one that has a hard time putting weight on too. I'm going to de-worm her and see if that helps.

 

[Yvonne G]

...forgot to mention - that's a very pretty little sulcata.

 

[Tom]

I feed him mostly leaves and weeds and grassland tortoise food.
Basking is about 98 and the rest 80. overnight CHE set to 82. I have a 100 watt infrared spotlight...he does not eat the dirt under it- and a uvb tube. I got him from a store but it was a reptile store I don't know how humid they had him but they did say to soak daily.

Temps sound perfect. The UV tube is good, but I'd replace the infrared spot. Spots aren't good because they concentrate too much carapace desiccating heat and IR-A in one little area. Floods work much better. I also don't like infrared bulbs. These make things look funny to the tortoises. It can confuse day and night. Just imagine if all the lights in your house were red and you couldn't go outside. It would be weird. Weird enough to suppress appetite. Switch to a regular white flood bulb and see what happens. Adjust the height or wattage to get the temperature under it right.

Diet sounds pretty good, but where is the protein source? Try occasionally adding some alfalfa, clover, beans, green beans, peas, lima beans, or original Mazuri once in a while and see if things get better. Not every day, but two or three times a week as part of a mix of other good stuff. Be sure to soak daily with added protein in the diet.

A fecal exam for worms is also a good idea and it can confirm or deny that possibility.

Most of the dry started ones don't make it past 50 grams or so. That is why I'm leaning away from that as your problem. I could be wrong, but I've not seen a case of a dry started baby that wasn't going to live make it to 76 grams. I suspect something else going on here.

 

[Tom]

Also, just to be sure…
You've been warned about the dog, right? Never ever trust the dog alone with the tortoise. Not for one single second. The dog should never have access to the tortoise, like in a back yard enclosure for example.

 

[Hannah Staine]

Can you show me what kind of light you mean to get? I don't know any that give hear except the IR. I will get that light and some mazuri and see what happens...I don't really have the money to go to a tortoise vet right now.
The dog is scared of the tortoise haha I know everyone thinks their dog won't do anything even though it could so he cannot reach him and I am supervising when we are all outside like in that picture.

 

[Tom]

Can you show me what kind of light you mean to get?

Something like this:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sylvania...ndoor-Flood-Light-Bulb-9-Pack-10247/204322062
Its a pack of 9 bulbs for $9.97. You could probably buy couple of singles if you prefer, but this is the style. Its just a "regular" incandescent flood bulb from the hardware store.

If you bring in a stool sample, a local vet should be able to check it for about $25-$35. If your baby is 4 months old and not growing, you can't afford to not go to the vet.

Here are some ideas for cheap and easy outdoor enclosures to keep your tortoise safely contained:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/cheap-easy-simple-sunning-enclosure.14680/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/simple-sunning-enclosure.104351/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...table-but-safe-outdoor-baby-enclosures.30683/

Also, it occurred to me: Have you seen these already:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

 

[Hannah Staine]

Will those lights give off heat?of
Yes of course I have already read all of those.

 

[Tom]

Will those lights give off heat?

Yes. They give off about 80% heat and 20% light, just like your IR bulb, but it gives off white light to simulate daytime instead of red light.

You may need a higher or lower wattage bulb, or you may need to adjust the height of the fixture to get the correct basking temp under your bulb, but only your thermometer can tell you that.

 

[Hannah Staine]

Okay- what could he have gotten parasites from?

 

[Tom]

Okay- what could he have gotten parasites from?

Food, the environment, etc…

Passing birds poop on the leaves they eat or on the ground in their enclosure. Pinworm eggs are so small and light that they can blow in on a breeze. Native reptiles, like little lizards or snakes, move around your outdoor enclosure and around the fields where the food is grown.

There are many many possible sources of parasites.

 

[JoesMum]

Okay- what could he have gotten parasites from?

Eating something. Frequently it's poop (I know - it sounds disgusting, but they do it)

Your tort was probably infected when you got it.

EDIT
Tom beat me to it

 

[Tom]

Okay- what could he have gotten parasites from?

Also, we don't know that he has parasites. It is just one possibility to eliminate in our efforts to discover why your baby isn't growing.

 

[Hannah Staine]

What can be done if the vet finds parasites?

 

[JoesMum]

What can be done if the vet finds parasites?

The vet will prescribe a worming medication for your tort. It's easily treated.

A fresh poop sample is required for diagnosis - that's all

 

[Hannah Staine]

I think it is just some reason he does not have an appetite and I don't know why.. even if something in my enclosure is wrong I take him outside to eat a lot and he still only eats for a couple of minutes then walks away.