Reassure me? Is this normal "adjustment" behavior?

[Gab5150]

Hi everyone. I got an 8 weeks old baby Sulcata on Wednesday, and am starting to get a little worried about him. He spends the entire day asleep in his burrow and I haven't seen him come out to eat yesterday or today. I did find him asleep in his water dish this morning though so he was moving around during the night. I will describe my setup and would love to hear some thoughts, opinions, suggestions etc.

Setup:
I have been soaking him at least once a day since bringing him home and he drinks every time. After his soak, he usually roams around his enclosure for about 20 minutes. He seems very active and alert during this time. He climbs into his loft, onto his hide etc. When he is out he nibbles on his food a little, but still doesn't eat much. I'm still working on getting his numbers perfect, but the temps in his enclosure are 79F cool side, 87F warm side, 96F basking, 78% humidity. I am using a Ceramic Heat Emitter (no coil bulbs). I have been trying to offer a large variety of food items. Since getting him I have offered bok choy, collard greens, various grasses, clover, dandelion, spring mix, mazuri, rose leaves/pedals and I also added a little calcium D3 supplement to his food yesterday.

Burrow:
Now I'll describe his burrow incase it would help for some reason. I built him a loft that stands about 5" above the bottom of his enclosure. I then filled the space between the bottom of his enclosure and the floor of the loft with substrate (eco earth) thinking that he might like to burrow into (which clearly he has)! It's dark, humid, and probably secure so I suppose I can see why he might like spending his time in there but I just worry that I am doing something wrong or that he may have gotten under the weather during shipping?

Any thoughts are welcome and much appreciated! I'm sorry for rambling, I'm just worried.

 

[Yvonne G]

They DO go through a period of adjustment, but the most common cause of not eating and staying hidden all the time is not warm enough. Go over your husbandry and make the necessary adjustments. It should be upwards of 80F degrees in there.

 

[Zeko]

I know the guides all say keeping ambient of 80-85 is ideal.

However, in my case: my little guy was sluggish and would sit under the CHE at these temps. I bumped ambient up to around 90, and he now runs around and eats like a champ.

From a conversation I had with @Tom, he mentioned that he has had/has seen several Sulcatas that also showed this desire for higher temps.

Personally would recommend higher humidity and two soaks a day if you do so tho. Need to ensure you keep him well hydrated.

Also, is he in a "closed chamber"? Hot air rises, and perhaps he is staying in the top part because it is warmer.

Hope it helps!,
Brad

 

[Gab5150]

He is in a closed chamber so perhaps that is a possibility, Brad. I will try bumping up the temps a bit just incase.

I think I may have jumped the gun here though. He came out on his own and is out exploring, climbing, and eating right now so I'm hoping that I am just being overly paranoid.

Maybe I underestimated how much babies torts sleep at this age? How many hours do they usually need at 8 weeks?

 

[Tom]

What is the over night low temp and where did you get the tortoise?

 

[Gab5150]

Hi Tom. The coolest temp at night is 78F on the cool side in his log hide (the coolest point in his enclosure). I'm working hard to get that up to 80F though and have prepared a small oil heater in the room to make sure that the temps don't drop at all. Also, I got him from Lance here on the forum so I know that he was started well.

For the past hour the little guy has been exploring so I feel a little better, but he is still only nibbling on his food here and there.

 

[Zeko]

What about adding a second CHE on a stat?

I use one per side of my enclosure, and that way you can make sure that the temp remains what you set it for.

In a closed chamber, I would imagine it would also be much cheaper than trying to heat the whole room.

 

[Tom]

Given all of the above, I agree with your assessment of "overly paranoid".

That's not necessarily a bad thing. Its good that you are paying attention.

 

[Gab5150]

Given all of the above, I agree with your assessment of "overly paranoid".

That's not necessarily a bad thing. Its good that you are paying attention.

I am so relieved that you think so, Tom! Lance did warn me that his appetite may be a little off while he adjusts, but I can't help but worry. I will continue to monitor him closely though until...well...I'll probably always be like this

 

[Gab5150]

Hi guys. I just wanted to give a little update on Squirt, now named Seven (my toddler decided that his name should be Seven. What can ya do...) Seven has been increasingly active between his naps, but I still wasn't happy with his eating as he only nibbles here and there. I think he might be too distracted in his enclosure, but I may have found a solution.

I started putting him in a "drying bowl" in his enclosure after his morning soaks because the Eco Earth always sticks to him if he isn't completely dry. I also started putting lots of whatever food he is eating that day (usually grasses, clover, dandelion, and maybe some greens from the store) in his drying bowl with him. He always falls asleep right away, but wakes up after a bit and eats a good portion of his food. Once he is finished eating, I remove the bowl and he goes about his day. Since I started doing this, I've noticed that he has shown more interest in his food throughout the day and is more active. So I think we're going to do alright together And thank you to everyone who responded. As a newbie, it's nice to have a place to turn for reliable information and support!

Happy Veterans Day!

 

[leopard777]

hmm i might try this idea as well