Radamila

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Forum members...what is the consensus of what’s causing the red tint in the rear legs...is this a indicator of why the tort has trouble with them? Also the buildup of fecal matter at the cloaca?
Yes, I also noticed that... I would give this Baby a good bath to clean her (see the dirt, poop on her plastron), with soft brush to massage her for better circulation. I use natural coconut oil on my Sulcata after bath as moisturizer... may be that will improve the circulation in her legs, get rid of the redness (it looks like irritation from dirt or chemicals). Wishing the Best for Baby-Sulcata!
 

Yossarian

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Yes, I also noticed that... I would give this Baby a good bath to clean her (see the dirt, poop on her plastron), with soft brush to massage her for better circulation. I use natural coconut oil on my Sulcata after bath as moisturizer... may be that will improve the circulation in her legs, get rid of the redness (it looks like irritation from dirt or chemicals). Wishing the Best for Baby-Sulcata!

Im sorry to do this but how exactly does coconut oil applied topically affect blood circulation?

And the reason the skin on the back legs looks that way(worn and red) is because this poor little tort has been dragging his legs around because it cant walk properly. Unless the OP actually listens and makes significant changes to the torts care, it wont improve.
 

Radamila

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Camp Verde, Arizona
Im sorry to do this but how exactly does coconut oil applied topically affect blood circulation?

And the reason the skin on the back legs looks that way(worn and red) is because this poor little tort has been dragging his legs around because it cant walk properly. Unless the OP actually listens and makes significant changes to the torts care, it wont improve.
I use coconut oil for massage and as a moisturizer on Sulcata’s legs and plastron (Arizona has dry and hot climate).Massage with coconut oil can improve the blood circulation in this Baby-Sulcata case, but... it has to be applied on clean skin. What the harm do you see in using coconut oil on Tortoises, who live in man created habitat?
 

Yossarian

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I use coconut oil for massage and as a moisturizer on Sulcata’s legs and plastron (Arizona has dry and hot climate).Massage with coconut oil can improve the blood circulation in this Baby-Sulcata case, but... it has to be applied on clean skin. What the harm do you see in using coconut oil on Tortoises, who live in man created habitat?

My apologies I completely overlooked the word 'massage' in your comment. I agree obvously that a massage can help circulation, at least temporarily, im not sure about massaging a tort but I suppose trying wont hurt. I thought you were saying the coconut oil improves circulation on its own haha.
 

Tom

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She has access to sun most of the day, a nice basking spot, and well shaded area to go. I changed the enclosure to ideal specs too.

Fresh water daily, got most recommended sulcata foods, and making sure her temps are always 80s even at night.

Warm water baths @ 80-85 degrees for 30 minutes a day
Water temps for soaking should be 90-95. Warm but not hot.

How are you maintaining 80 degrees at night for this tortoise?

Outside time is great for babies, but it needs to be limited. You are seeing the reason why. My general rule is an hour of outside time per inch of tortoise, followed by a long warm soak on the way back in to the baby's warm humid closed chamber where it spends most of every day. When your tortoise gets older and larger, outside all day is great for them, but as you are seeing, outside all day is not good for babies even in a wonderfully warm climate like yours.

The open rabbit cage is not good. Babies do best in a closed chamber, and it doesn't matter where in the world you are. This is true even in Africa where they come from.

I see two other potential issues, in addition to cold night temps, too much time outside, and the wrong type of enclosure. I say potential because I don't have experience with either. I'd stop with the koa leaves. Feed only known tortoise foods. Weeds, leaves and grasses of the right types. How about some tender young hibiscus leaves and flowers? Can you sprout some tender young grasses for her to mix in? What about weeds in HI? What have you got there? Dandelions? Sow thistle? Broadleaf plantain? Clover? How about some Mazuri as a supplement?

The other issue is the water. I'm not sure that volcanic high pH water is good for tortoises. How about using regular tap water for drinking and soaking for a while and seeing if things improve.

Something is terribly wrong. At 8 months old they should be around 300-800 grams. Babies typically hatch at around 35-40 grams right out of the egg. They should double this weight after a month or two when cared for correctly and fed right. Here is the problem: Almost no one starts them right, cares for them right, or feeds them right. You say your friend starts them well, but I doubt that based on previous experience, and your tortoise's condition says otherwise too. Does he soak daily? Keep the babies mostly indoors in warm humid conditions? How long does he use a brooder box after hatching and how does he keep the brooder box warm? What incubation substrate? What foods are introduced right after hatching?

You've asked for help, and you clearly have potentially fatal problems going on there. Here is the answer to your request: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/

If you read this care sheet, do what it says, and if its not already too late, your baby might still survive. Keep doing what you have been doing, and survival is unlikely.
 

Maro2Bear

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Water temps for soaking should be 90-95. Warm but not hot.

How are you maintaining 80 degrees at night for this tortoise?

Outside time is great for babies, but it needs to be limited. You are seeing the reason why. My general rule is an hour of outside time per inch of tortoise, followed by a long warm soak on the way back in to the baby's warm humid closed chamber where it spends most of every day. When your tortoise gets older and larger, outside all day is great for them, but as you are seeing, outside all day is not good for babies even in a wonderfully warm climate like yours.

The open rabbit cage is not good. Babies do best in a closed chamber, and it doesn't matter where in the world you are. This is true even in Africa where they come from.

I see two other potential issues, in addition to cold night temps, too much time outside, and the wrong type of enclosure. I say potential because I don't have experience with either. I'd stop with the koa leaves. Feed only known tortoise foods. Weeds, leaves and grasses of the right types. How about some tender young hibiscus leaves and flowers? Can you sprout some tender young grasses for her to mix in? What about weeds in HI? What have you got there? Dandelions? Sow thistle? Broadleaf plantain? Clover? How about some Mazuri as a supplement?

The other issue is the water. I'm not sure that volcanic high pH water is good for tortoises. How about using regular tap water for drinking and soaking for a while and seeing if things improve.

Something is terribly wrong. At 8 months old they should be around 300-800 grams. Babies typically hatch at around 35-40 grams right out of the egg. They should double this weight after a month or two when cared for correctly and fed right. Here is the problem: Almost no one starts them right, cares for them right, or feeds them right. You say your friend starts them well, but I doubt that based on previous experience, and your tortoise's condition says otherwise too. Does he soak daily? Keep the babies mostly indoors in warm humid conditions? How long does he use a brooder box after hatching and how does he keep the brooder box warm? What incubation substrate? What foods are introduced right after hatching?

You've asked for help, and you clearly have potentially fatal problems going on there. Here is the answer to your request: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/

If you read this care sheet, do what it says, and if its not already too late, your baby might still survive. Keep doing what you have been doing, and survival is unlikely.


Good to see Tom picking up on the feeding/reliance on Koa leaves. Like I posted above in Post No 15, there’s not a lot known about these leaves per se, but, they keep bad company. Personally, I would not feed these leaves ‘til more is known about them.

➡➡ Acacia koa is a species of flowering tree in the family Fabaceae. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, where it is the second most common tree. The highest populations are on Hawaiʻi, Maui and Oʻahu.
➡➡ Most reference tables indicate to be wary of “Acacia” plants for torts.... Id cut back on feeding your “Koa” and feed other known leafy grass, weeds & greens.

Plant Family Acacia koa is a species of flowering tree in the family Fabaceae and Subfamily of Mimosoideae. Again - most “mimoso” plants are NOT recommended as tort foods.
 

Snoopy’s mom

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If you’re on Oahu I can help you identify some plants, we have different names for some of them here. As some members know, I’ve been helping with a sully here and don’t mind helping you with anything if you like.
 
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