our remaining sulcata hatchlings
- Thread starter moraima_jay
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Hi Moraima:
Very pretty little babies. I'm sorry you lost Dizzy, but I'm sure Sully and Erna will be just fine if you follow your doctor's orders. Just keep them warm, feed them right and leave them alone to be tortoises and they'll do well.
On your other thread you mentioned something about the light and 20". Really, the light should hang down to 12" from the top of the baby's back. This gets the UVB down where it will do them some good, plus gives you the added advantage of making it warmer in the habitat.
It sounds like you have a good reptile vet. Good luck with your babies.
Very pretty little babies. I'm sorry you lost Dizzy, but I'm sure Sully and Erna will be just fine if you follow your doctor's orders. Just keep them warm, feed them right and leave them alone to be tortoises and they'll do well.
On your other thread you mentioned something about the light and 20". Really, the light should hang down to 12" from the top of the baby's back. This gets the UVB down where it will do them some good, plus gives you the added advantage of making it warmer in the habitat.
It sounds like you have a good reptile vet. Good luck with your babies.
They are very cute!
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
Because of the problem you have with them being so soft I would give them calcium every time you feed. They'll just pee out the excess...sprinkle calcium over the food every day and they'll harden up, believe me I have done it myself...I promise! And put your light at 12"...not 20 Put it at 12"!!!
maggie3fan said:
well i am sprinkling calcium on their food...but erna is not eating...and now sully has stopped eating...his carapace is now getting soft too even after the calcium injection...
i think i am going to loose them both...i am soooo upset...you know now that i think about it..they have had soft shells since we got them..i remember mentioning it to my husband..i thought it was due to them being hatchlings, maybe they came sickly...that just upsets me more..
well i got the Exo Terra Repti Glo 10.0 Desert Compact Fluorescent Lampekm5015 said:
(26W Repti Glo 10.0 Desert)
i dont know what else to do...aside not watching them suffer and short of euthanizing them....
i feel like a complete failure...
I just read your post you said the calcium injection is not working your light ( Exo Terra Repti Glo 10.0 ) does not put enough UVB/UVA I suggest you get a MVB bulb as soon as possible they need UVB it help absorb the calcium
your light ( Exo Terra Repti Glo 10.0 ) does not put enough UVB/UVA I suggest you get a MVB bulb as soon as possible they need UVB it help absorb the calcium
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don't give up! :O get a mercury vapor bulb.
get a mercury vapor bulb.
we got our new light bubl
yesterday we traveled about 1 hr to joplin, mo to get a mercury vapor bulb..i had been taking sully and erna outside with some warm rice pockets under a towel and having them bask in the sunlight..
we got a solar glo 125w mercury vapor bulb and it recommends to put it at the min 30 inches distance...we put it at about 20-22" i hope that is ok..we basked the sullies in it last night for about 4 hrs..then we went to sleep.
today when i woke up i soaked sully and erna then lit up the bulb..i had just laid the new feed of spring mix(sprinkled with calcium powder) and was cleaning out their water when sully just went to the spring mix!!!!!!!!!!!!! by himself!!!!!!OMG!!!!!!! i started crying of happiness he ate for the first time in 4 days!!!!!!!!!!! and boy did he eat!!!!!!!! we are so happy!!!!!!!!!! wish erna would do the same....she began moving some by herself...i guess we will see if she pulls through..."Sully" is on his way .
wish us luck and please continue to give us all the advice you have...
i wish we could take them out in the sun more but the snow is still on the ground...
any advice???
yesterday we traveled about 1 hr to joplin, mo to get a mercury vapor bulb..i had been taking sully and erna outside with some warm rice pockets under a towel and having them bask in the sunlight..
we got a solar glo 125w mercury vapor bulb and it recommends to put it at the min 30 inches distance...we put it at about 20-22" i hope that is ok..we basked the sullies in it last night for about 4 hrs..then we went to sleep.
today when i woke up i soaked sully and erna then lit up the bulb..i had just laid the new feed of spring mix(sprinkled with calcium powder) and was cleaning out their water when sully just went to the spring mix!!!!!!!!!!!!! by himself!!!!!!OMG!!!!!!! i started crying of happiness he ate for the first time in 4 days!!!!!!!!!!! and boy did he eat!!!!!!!! we are so happy!!!!!!!!!! wish erna would do the same....she began moving some by herself...i guess we will see if she pulls through..."Sully" is on his way .
wish us luck and please continue to give us all the advice you have...
i wish we could take them out in the sun more but the snow is still on the ground...
any advice???
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That's good news glad to hear Sully is eating on his on I just looked at your pic what are you using for substrate?
I just looked at your pic what are you using for substrate?
coreyc said:That's good news glad to hear Sully is eating on his on
we are using 1/2 coconut fiber and 1/2 reptilite sand
well after many weeks of trying.............we have lost our lil sulcatas...hard lessons to learn for first timers...i dont believe we will ever get lil hatchlings..
it was very hard to loose our babies...they were very sweet and with great personalities..
we are now left with our box turtles........
speed bump keeps improvig and now appears to be moving alot more and burrowing deeper into the soil.
if we get a trotoise again........what am i saying.........
of course we will..........
we are looking into a red foot tortoise....and we want at least a yearling..
so my research continues....these species appears to be more up our league...
thanks for all of your advice...
would appreciate any advice on purchasing a red foot...i dont want to have them mailed to us....we are looking for purchasing close to us..better to make a special trip to pick it up than to have it delivered in unknown conditions..
Jay and Moraima
it was very hard to loose our babies...they were very sweet and with great personalities..
we are now left with our box turtles........
speed bump keeps improvig and now appears to be moving alot more and burrowing deeper into the soil.
if we get a trotoise again........what am i saying.........
of course we will..........
we are looking into a red foot tortoise....and we want at least a yearling..
so my research continues....these species appears to be more up our league...
thanks for all of your advice...
would appreciate any advice on purchasing a red foot...i dont want to have them mailed to us....we are looking for purchasing close to us..better to make a special trip to pick it up than to have it delivered in unknown conditions..
Jay and Moraima
Sorry to hear about them, I know you say no mailing, but we do have several good breeders on here of red foots, who do deliver great tortoises, just a thought. Condolences.
I'm sorry for your loss.
So sorry! All the best with your new additions.
I am sooo sorry.
Sorry for your loss
darn it! *hugs* I am sorry when anybody has to go thru this, but with it being not only your first time with tortoises and it being several of them, it makes it that much sadder.
Thank you all for all your condolences.....but time heals...dmmj said:
well...i just dont know...i know i will never order from that place again!!!! we tried to contact them and tell them what happened...they denied ever sending the turtles ill...and they were saying that we should have told them from the begining...we tried explaining that we were new and we didnt know the hatchlings were suppose to NOT have soft shells...since we were first timers....all we had experience with was adult rescued BOX TURTLES!!!!
so we were trying to make a point that their sales people should pay more attention as to how they sell these creatures.. they should make recommendations especially to NEW owners..and give more information about the special needs of every species with the animal....so we will know what to do when we get them...
just recommedtions as to how they have them set up or what they want for us to use as soon as they get home...so that transition will be as smooth as possible...
but that is just my opinion...
i wont name any names.......but NEVER again from them!!!
when you are ready.. there are plenty of rescues out there needing good loving homes. Now that you have learned a lot, im sure you can give a older sullie and good home. Continue to do your homework and housing larger ones outside and go save one!
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