Urgently. Help me please. Small sulcata. There was an appetite, normal stool, and average activity. I've had it for over a month now, but I haven't gained any weight at all. I tried to maintain good conditions and believed in the best. But I noticed that she became less active. Today, while bathing, I noticed that she was dragging her paws. They don't seem to be holding her. 😭🙈 What's wrong with her? Is it possible to save her? Attached some foto
Problems with paws and weight
- Thread starter Mariia
- Start date
We need to know exact. Exact temps, humidity, lighting, heat, diet, substrate, enclosure type and size, how often you soak. Adding pictures will help too.
Humidity from 50 to 90
Temperature was between 80 to 100
Last to night temperature Suddenly dropped to 73 somewhere
Soaking 6 days a week 15-20 min
Took her to the sun every few days
Close plastic box, during hot days I leave little bit open
Substrait orhide core
Also some times use spiralling lamps for UV, when could not take her outside. I know it's not so good, but don't think it's make her leg problems
Feed with different greens, little bit grass, does not eat this much, flowers from pumpkin, cucumber, but the most she likes puking flower and lettuce
Some times putting vitamins on her food, but couldn't be sure, she eat it
35 watt lamp for heat spot
She is 46 gr and doesn't grow for one month at all
Today she couldn't moving good, can't keep her body on the legs and not eating
From yerstaday less active and less appetite
Her shell down was always little bit soft, I thinking becouse she is too small
If you need more info ask me
Attachments
First the enclosure is way too small. If they don't have room to roam, they will not be able to walk properly.
Do not use the coil bulbs,no, they won't hurt the legs, but they do the eyes, like the first pic, the one eye doesn't look right. The coil bulbs also have little to no uvb.
The temp is never to go below 80-85 day and night. The humidity should not go below 80%
With a proper sized enclosure, the proper lights can be used. Those should be a straight tube fluorescent for uvb, an incandescent flood bulb for basking and ceramic heat emitter or two for night heat and added day heat if needed a closed chamber with heat on thermostat and there will be no need to leave the lid off some.
Get things corrected and hopefully she will improve.
Where did you get her from? How was she started do you know?
Do not use the coil bulbs,no, they won't hurt the legs, but they do the eyes, like the first pic, the one eye doesn't look right. The coil bulbs also have little to no uvb.
The temp is never to go below 80-85 day and night. The humidity should not go below 80%
With a proper sized enclosure, the proper lights can be used. Those should be a straight tube fluorescent for uvb, an incandescent flood bulb for basking and ceramic heat emitter or two for night heat and added day heat if needed a closed chamber with heat on thermostat and there will be no need to leave the lid off some.
Get things corrected and hopefully she will improve.
Where did you get her from? How was she started do you know?
From pet shop, I don't know haw she grow befor. I understood about enclosure. But what can be with her leg? Not enough calcium? Infection? Haw I right before, I took from the same shop 2 years ago 2 small sulcata and both died. Only now I found out it was this signet with yellow bamp. One of them had it. So I read also, the virus liked humidity, so today I keep her open box all day. I'm scary of the virus. Also make vet appointment for tomorrow. But still appreciate for your help and advise 🙏
The enclosure is too small!
You are not buying from good sources!
You are not keeping it warm enough!
You are using wrong bulbs!
Etc etc everything I mentioned in my first post.
Get everything corrected and hope for the best. When you buy from unreliable sources, you take a big chance. You already knew this with the first two you had. If this one doesn't make it, stop buying from pet stores. Buy only from breeders that actually start them correctly. Most likely any from a pet store are not only not started correctly but the store isn't housing them correctly either. The poor tort has an uphill battle from the get go.
In order to give it a fighting chance, you have to do everything right. An open top, too small enclosure with improper lights, temps and humidity isn't it.
You are not buying from good sources!
You are not keeping it warm enough!
You are using wrong bulbs!
Etc etc everything I mentioned in my first post.
Get everything corrected and hope for the best. When you buy from unreliable sources, you take a big chance. You already knew this with the first two you had. If this one doesn't make it, stop buying from pet stores. Buy only from breeders that actually start them correctly. Most likely any from a pet store are not only not started correctly but the store isn't housing them correctly either. The poor tort has an uphill battle from the get go.
In order to give it a fighting chance, you have to do everything right. An open top, too small enclosure with improper lights, temps and humidity isn't it.
I have a close top, not so big, yes. But I saw she was not much mooveble. And I want to make her bigger enclosure little bit later, to don't stress her to move from one place to other. It was warm. Only last 2 night temperature come under 80. Is it can made this problem? Should I put heating at night, if temperature 75-80? I took from the same shop, becouse they promised me to give free baby, becouse I lost two previous. 😢😔 Thank you for your advice, I will see also what vet will speak tomorrow.
Yes, the temp can not drop below 80-85 at night!
Being in a too small enclosure is also stressful.
A vet may do more harm than good, so be very careful of what you let them do. They do not get educated in vet school on tortoises.
Make the improvements ASAP, I don't understand what you are not understanding!
@Tom
Being in a too small enclosure is also stressful.
A vet may do more harm than good, so be very careful of what you let them do. They do not get educated in vet school on tortoises.
Make the improvements ASAP, I don't understand what you are not understanding!
@Tom
This reptile vet, he is only one in Cyprus. I wish he can help me. I used all Tom's recommendations. But becouse I just moved her in bigger enclosure and it was little bit stressed for her I didn't like to stress her more and move again. Thank you for your help.
No you did not. Your enclosure is too small, you used the cfl UV bulbs that I say not to use, you do not have ambient lighting in addition to the heat lamp, and you did not have thermostat controlled ambient heating. You also have humidity too low because the top of the box was off. These are all important details.
I'm not trying to be mean or hurt your feelings, but the advice given was not followed. Not at all. What you have done there is still not too far off and a healthy, well started baby would probably have done okay with what you have set up. Its not perfect, but with the temperatures and humidity listed, and daily soaks, your set up should have been enough to at least keep the baby alive and growing. I am fairly certain that the problems you are experiencing are not your fault, and there is nothing you can do about mistakes that were made by the breeder and the pet store. You can't undo the damage that they did. No one can. And if the store has a history of Austwikia, there is nothing you can do about that either.
No vet can fix these issues. Most vets will misdiagnose the problems because they don't understand what is happening and they get their info from the same wrong sources that everyone else gets their info from. Vets don't know any more about tortoises than anyone else. Often, in cases like yours, vets make things worse by offering treatments and medicines that are not needed, don't help, and sometimes do damage. Sad, but true.
Proper care and husbandry from day one is what is needed. The correct type of enclosure, heating, lighting, substrate, food and hydration. When done correctly, this is easy and things go well. When not done correctly, like a dry started baby, no one can undo the damage. Not me, not anyone.
Mariia, I am so sorry that you are having such a bad time even though you are trying your best to have a healthy little tortoise!
My dear, all the advice that you have been given here on this forum is absolutely right and correct. Do not blame yourself for this little one's condition. The breeder/pet shop are to blame, which happens very often. These little ones are not started out in life in the right way, and dishonest people are just anxious to sell them off and pass them along before they die! A lot of these tortoises are sold too young and already sick!
The very best you can do is to carefully follow the information and advice already given by Wellington and Tom, who really love these animals and have years and years of valuable experience. Just brace yourself, stop worrying and apply yourself to improving this little one's care as best you can! You are in the right place, whatever may happen. Good luck!
My dear, all the advice that you have been given here on this forum is absolutely right and correct. Do not blame yourself for this little one's condition. The breeder/pet shop are to blame, which happens very often. These little ones are not started out in life in the right way, and dishonest people are just anxious to sell them off and pass them along before they die! A lot of these tortoises are sold too young and already sick!
The very best you can do is to carefully follow the information and advice already given by Wellington and Tom, who really love these animals and have years and years of valuable experience. Just brace yourself, stop worrying and apply yourself to improving this little one's care as best you can! You are in the right place, whatever may happen. Good luck!
Thank you so much for your words 🙏
Soft shell, weak legs are due to a calcium/UVB problem. When a tortoise ingests calcium unless he is also provided UVB the calcium just goes right on through the tortoise. Evidently what little sunshine you provided was not enough, and then you used the wrong type of bulb, thinking it would provide the UVB, but it didn't.
Every one speak it's normal to took her just few days in the week on the sun. I took her dayly🤷 and here in Cyprus very strong sun. But I could not sure she was eating her vitamins when I sprayed them in food. But they should took calcium them from the greens also. Here is video of her, what I took yesterday. She was not putting weight at all, and yesterday suddenly she couldn't wolk normal, stopped eating and moving. Day before she just had less appetite. She'll down was always little bit soft, on the top is hard enough.
Sulcata Tortoise Care Group | Urgently. Help me please
Urgently. Help me please. Small sulcata. There was an appetite, normal stool, and average activity. I've had it for over a month now, but I haven't gained any weight at all. I tried to maintain good...
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Hello Maria, definitely soak the turtle in warm but not hot water. Also try to feed mullbery leaves (very common in Cyprus as I am from Cyprus too) more greens like roka, antidia. Very little to few lettuce and fruits. I have several tortoises if you need any advicr contact me on fb Nikolas Polychroniou
