Where do I find mazuri? How do you keep the greens?
SulcataSquirt said:Their are a few members here that sell Mazuri in smaller quanitys, if you do a search on here you can find several, on member that i have bought from is Jdub its fresh and youll get it fast. feeding mazuri i soak in hot water until soft and form it in to a mazuri wall, also makes it easy to mix in calcium and vitamins. as for the greens i keep them in a large tupperware in the fridge i wash them under cold water water really well before stuffing in their, right now my greens are just about a month old and still fresh, i have in their dandilion, radicchio, butter lettuce, and endive.
ripper7777777 said:Glad to hear it's not MBD, although dehydration is a monster if not caught.
I second the Mazuri, man it's like crack to them, it will get him back up and running, just don't over do it or you'll have a fat little tort to deal with. Soak the Mazuri so that it's soft, then he get's food and water. Make sure to get the greens in also. You can smash the mazuri and dust the greens to entice them. I also spray the greens with water to make sure they take in lots of liquids. Local feed stores may have or can order Mazuri, also you can add cuttle bones to the enclosure (remove the bone backing) they like to snack on them or you can use a knife or small file to scrap the dust on the food. I keep an ambient temp of 80, the adults are more hardy but I don't like any of my babies to get cold. I know others do long soaks, but I don't, 10-15 minutes max, it's mainly a bath to remove any dirt or walked in poop, sulcatas follow the same path a lot and well....
maggie3fan said:What kind of light are you using?
BrinnANDGupta said:Don't worry you are doing an awesome job and once he starts really moving again and getting his metabolism going he will start to eat like all sullies do
By the way a really good way to check temps in different areas of the cage really fast is with a temp gun
This one on amazon is only like 17 dollars and its what I have
Temp Gun
you just hold done the trigger and point the laser any where in the enclosure to get an immediate temp reading.
Also I prefer zoo med grassland food to the mazuri..the mazuri is mostly soy and has more protein than fiber.
With the grassland food its got a lot more fiber than protein and is mainly hay. With a bunch of other healthy things in it
Some tortoise wont eat it though, I won't feed mazuri cause I don't like that its just soy . It works great for everyone else though so I imagine I am just being too picky.
It's awesome that your little baby is going to be okay.
BrinnANDGupta said:Don't worry you are doing an awesome job and once he starts really moving again and getting his metabolism going he will start to eat like all sullies do
By the way a really good way to check temps in different areas of the cage really fast is with a temp gun
This one on amazon is only like 17 dollars and its what I have
Temp Gun
you just hold done the trigger and point the laser any where in the enclosure to get an immediate temp reading.
Also I prefer zoo med grassland food to the mazuri..the mazuri is mostly soy and has more protein than fiber.
With the grassland food its got a lot more fiber than protein and is mainly hay. With a bunch of other healthy things in it
Some tortoise wont eat it though, I won't feed mazuri cause I don't like that its just soy . It works great for everyone else though so I imagine I am just being too picky.
It's awesome that your little baby is going to be okay.
ripper7777777 said:This is what I would do, others will do things differently.
First thing just so you know, I prefer Aquariums for the little ones or very deep tubs, higher walls help keep in the humidity and block air currents. Breeder tanks go sale often at pet stores, they are just perfect for reptiles. I use 40 gallon breeders. But really any deep tub will work, I just like to be able to see the little guys and I'm yet to see any of the glass rubbing syndrome. Now the decorative background confuses the heck out of one of the hermanns, he is constantly trying to climb over the rocks in the picture.
I'd change the substrate, I use Coir/Scott's top soil/garden dirt, But just the Scott's or good brand of top soil will work fine. I than cover that with a layer of cypress mulch. I don't use any of the pricey stuff just what I can get from Lowes. Dirt from the yard will work, we just have very hard clay dirt here.T
You need a lid or partial cover to help hold in the humidity.
You can add some small plants once you get the soil, Spider plants look nice and tolerate the humidity. I also like to buy small 6 packs of lettuce and plant those, they like to eat it and hopefully it encourages grazing later on.
I wash any soil out from the roots of any plants to get rid of the perlite.
Mist, Mist, Mist, I spray the sides of the tank and peanut and the slate under the heat lamp, than close the lid.
As far as temps Just have warmth and basking on one side and keep the cool side near 80, I prefer it warmer for the little ones and keep a 80 degree minimum. Again a lid helps maintain this.
Tom's Caresheet is an excellent resource for the care of the little ones.
ripper7777777 said:I don't do anything overly pricey or complicated. I use an infrared heat light with a dimmer and a fluorescent tube UVB. The heat lamp is over my basking rock, during the day I turn up the heat and night I turn it down. My tank is insulated on all sides and I cover it with a towel to keep the heat in, so the ambient temps never drop. The lid has a removable section over the cool side to vent any excess heat.
dragonmomma said:I am not sure what kind of light bulb it is. I know it is of a mercury vapor bulb.
Most of the time I was using the sunshine, but now that it is winter
it isn't as much.
I also know that what I was told about how warm to keep it was incorrect as well.
It has been too cold for him as well.
I have a lot to learn, I just hope it is not too late for my Tank.
I really do love him!!
Weda737 said:Oh man, good luck, I'm sorry you got steered wrong about how to raise your baby. We know a lot now about the humidity, my vet herself has had no success raising sulcata babies because she still believes in the humidity makes respiratory infections thing. She's tried 3 different times and all her babies died. You don't need to worry about respiratory problems, like the others have said, if you keep the temps up. Right now though it sounds like Sunshine is your best friend. I've never had this problem with my sulcata, but have had quite a few other reptile rescues with MBD and have managed to bring them back from the brink. Don't give up, there is hope, with a lot of work and dedication. Come to think of it, before I got my Red eared slider from my mom, it was hers at the time, his shell had gotten so soft you could see his little organs pumping inside, we put him out in the sun and upped his calcium doses, now he's a healthy, if not a little grumpy, turtle. Best of luck to you. You can fix this.