Recommendations for vet

[Ccunningham]

Hello all! I want to get my Sulcata checked out by a exotic vet. He/she has slowed down and sleeps all the time over last 4-5 days. Not eating or even interested in food and it gets soaked every day. We do find it in the food dish but it doesn’t look like it’s eating anything. Looks like there’s a small amount of poo on its backside. I use cypress mulch substrate, small amount of feed spring mix lettuce with a Sulcata tortoise seed mix I grew myself from Tortoise Supply, plus their dried additive herbs, flowers etc. calcium powder twice a week. Indoor enclosure is at 80 degrees with heating mat attached to enclosure, basking area roughly 92 degrees with a incandescent light bulb. Humidity is around 70 percent, sometimes when I come home after work it’s at 50 percent. I’ve ordered a mister to help keep it up during the day. Also ordered a digital thermometer and humidity meter. I use an infrared thermometer gun to check enclosure temps daily. I spray the substrate daily to keep humidity up. It’s an open top enclosure but I covered it to make it enclosed. Saw a post from Yvonne about using aluminum foil, it helped a-lot to keep humidity up.

We got him/her in June from a reputable source it was roughly 2-2 1/2 inches big. Weighed two days ago at 0.1 ounce. I do not remember how much it weighed when we got it, I thought I took a picture but I guess I didn’t.

I’m looking for any vet recommendations in the North Houston/Woodlands/ Conroe area. Or any advice at all to help to get this little fella to eat and drink.

Thank you in advance.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

To me. Your parameters don't jump out at me as being off. But I'm not a Sulcata keeper.
I think @Yvonne G may have a list of forum approved vets in most states.
Let's ask her.

 

[Ccunningham]

Thank you kindly.

 

[wellington]

What are your night temps? They need to be 80.
Temps never below 80.
I would also raise the basking temp to 95-100.

 

[wellington]

Also be very careful taking a tortoise to a vet. They have very little knowledge of the proper care. Most seem to do more harm then good and still push the old outdated info.

 

[Ccunningham]

Also be very careful taking a tortoise to a vet. They have very little knowledge of the proper care. Most seem to do more harm then good and still push the old outdated info.

Yes, thank you! I have read several forums on here about vet care and that’s why I was seeking assistance to make sure I go to one that knows what they are doing. My night temp is around 78-80 degrees. I can get a larger heating mat or a second one to try to get it at 80 or a little higher. My thermostat and mister should be here today. I will lower my light to get the 95-100 degree basking spot. Is there anything I can feed or supplement to give the little guy some energy? Or just continue to soak and offer fresh food daily. I know fruit shouldn’t be fed regularly but I was able to get it to take a couple bites out of the peach I was eating on Sunday. I place the tortoise mix grass/weed under the peach bite so it would get some greens also. I even take it out of the enclosure to offer food and it just sleeps. I can’t seem to stimulate it enough to wake it up to feed. It will even sleep in the water as we soak it daily. My water level is just below the bottom of his mouth to make sure it does not have the nostrils in the water. We use a small spoon and put water over the top of its shell. Two to three times a week he gets sunshine for UV for about 15-20 minutes while we soak him.

 

[Tom]

Hello all! I want to get my Sulcata checked out by a exotic vet. He/she has slowed down and sleeps all the time over last 4-5 days. Not eating or even interested in food and it gets soaked every day. We do find it in the food dish but it doesn’t look like it’s eating anything. Looks like there’s a small amount of poo on its backside. I use cypress mulch substrate, small amount of feed spring mix lettuce with a Sulcata tortoise seed mix I grew myself from Tortoise Supply, plus their dried additive herbs, flowers etc. calcium powder twice a week. Indoor enclosure is at 80 degrees with heating mat attached to enclosure, basking area roughly 92 degrees with a incandescent light bulb. Humidity is around 70 percent, sometimes when I come home after work it’s at 50 percent. I’ve ordered a mister to help keep it up during the day. Also ordered a digital thermometer and humidity meter. I use an infrared thermometer gun to check enclosure temps daily. I spray the substrate daily to keep humidity up. It’s an open top enclosure but I covered it to make it enclosed. Saw a post from Yvonne about using aluminum foil, it helped a-lot to keep humidity up.

We got him/her in June from a reputable source it was roughly 2-2 1/2 inches big. Weighed two days ago at 0.1 ounce. I do not remember how much it weighed when we got it, I thought I took a picture but I guess I didn’t.

I’m looking for any vet recommendations in the North Houston/Woodlands/ Conroe area. Or any advice at all to help to get this little fella to eat and drink.

Thank you in advance.

Weigh in grams. That is the standard we all know. 0.1 ounces would be 2.8 grams. That is impossible. They hatch at around 30 grams. 1 ounce would be 28.3 grams which would be undersize for a hatchling on day one. If your tortoise is still that size after several months, I suspect it was started too dry.

Who is a reputable source? Very few breeders start sulcatas correctly. Almost none of them.

Heat mats are not suitable for tortoises in this circumstance and should not be used.

80 is the lowest temp at night. Daytime high should climb to the low 90s, and basking area needs to be 100.

Humidity should be 80% or higher, all the time.

Diet sounds good, but add more variety.

This sounds like a typical dry started baby. If that is the case, no one can save it. No vet can do anything but harm and then charge you money for it. Here is more about that:

"Hatchling Failure Syndrome"

I've heard this term for many years and I don't like it. Its a way to excuse our ignorance and failure. I will agree that an occasional hatchling is born that is just not going to make it no matter what anybody does, but MOST of them, if they make it full term and hatch, SHOULD survive and...

tortoiseforum.org

Here is the correct care, housing and feeding info:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.

 

[Ccunningham]

Weigh in grams. That is the standard we all know. 0.1 ounces would be 2.8 grams. That is impossible. They hatch at around 30 grams. 1 ounce would be 28.3 grams which would be undersize for a hatchling on day one. If your tortoise is still that size after several months, I suspect it was started too dry.

Who is a reputable source? Very few breeders start sulcatas correctly. Almost none of them.

Heat mats are not suitable for tortoises in this circumstance and should not be used.

80 is the lowest temp at night. Daytime high should climb to the low 90s, and basking area needs to be 100.

Humidity should be 80% or higher, all the time.

Diet sounds good, but add more variety.

This sounds like a typical dry started baby. If that is the case, no one can save it. No vet can do anything but harm and then charge you money for it. Here is more about that:

"Hatchling Failure Syndrome"

I've heard this term for many years and I don't like it. Its a way to excuse our ignorance and failure. I will agree that an occasional hatchling is born that is just not going to make it no matter what anybody does, but MOST of them, if they make it full term and hatch, SHOULD survive and...

tortoiseforum.org

Here is the correct care, housing and feeding info:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.

I will weigh again tonight- obviously my scale is off. I’ll buy another one to check weight. I got him from Tortoise Supply- recommended on a forum I read about reputable breeders on this site before we bought one. I read the article about proper care and your care sheet for Sulcatas before we got it to set up the enclosure. It’s my fault I thought the heating mat was the same thing as a radiant heat panel. I will correct that this weekend.

The food: I have used the tortoise table and we have several plants/ weeds we feed as well. It would pick around stuff it didn’t like and eat mostly the tortoise supply seeds plant I grew and lettuce offered.

I have corrected the temperature and my humidity should be correct after this weekend to stay at 80% and not drop to 50-70%. But it sounds like there is nothing I can do for him but just wait for him to perish? I don’t want that.

Weigh in grams. That is the standard we all know. 0.1 ounces would be 2.8 grams. That is impossible. They hatch at around 30 grams. 1 ounce would be 28.3 grams which would be undersize for a hatchling on day one. If your tortoise is still that size after several months, I suspect it was started too dry.

Who is a reputable source? Very few breeders start sulcatas correctly. Almost none of them.

Heat mats are not suitable for tortoises in this circumstance and should not be used.

80 is the lowest temp at night. Daytime high should climb to the low 90s, and basking area needs to be 100.

Humidity should be 80% or higher, all the time.

Diet sounds good, but add more variety.

This sounds like a typical dry started baby. If that is the case, no one can save it. No vet can do anything but harm and then charge you money for it. Here is more about that:

"Hatchling Failure Syndrome"

I've heard this term for many years and I don't like it. Its a way to excuse our ignorance and failure. I will agree that an occasional hatchling is born that is just not going to make it no matter what anybody does, but MOST of them, if they make it full term and hatch, SHOULD survive and...

tortoiseforum.org

Here is the correct care, housing and feeding info:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome.

I will weigh again tonight- obviously my scale is off. I’ll buy another one to check weight. I got him from Tortoise Supply- recommended on a forum I read about reputable breeders on this site before we bought one. I read the article about proper care and your care sheet for Sulcatas before we got it to set up the enclosure. It’s my fault I thought the heating mat was the same thing as a radiant heat panel. I will correct that this weekend.

The food: I have used the tortoise table and we have several plants/ weeds we feed as well. It would pick around stuff it didn’t like and eat mostly the tortoise supply seeds plant I grew and lettuce offered.

I have corrected the temperature and my humidity should be correct after this weekend to stay at 80% and not drop to 50-70%. But it sounds like there is nothing I can do for him but just wait for him to perish? I don’t want that. I read several care sheets and forums on here about Sulcata before we committed. Now I feel like I didn’t do it right and the little one is suffering because of me. 😔

 

[wellington]

I will weigh again tonight- obviously my scale is off. I’ll buy another one to check weight. I got him from Tortoise Supply- recommended on a forum I read about reputable breeders on this site before we bought one. I read the article about proper care and your care sheet for Sulcatas before we got it to set up the enclosure. It’s my fault I thought the heating mat was the same thing as a radiant heat panel. I will correct that this weekend.

The food: I have used the tortoise table and we have several plants/ weeds we feed as well. It would pick around stuff it didn’t like and eat mostly the tortoise supply seeds plant I grew and lettuce offered.

I have corrected the temperature and my humidity should be correct after this weekend to stay at 80% and not drop to 50-70%. But it sounds like there is nothing I can do for him but just wait for him to perish? I don’t want that.

I will weigh again tonight- obviously my scale is off. I’ll buy another one to check weight. I got him from Tortoise Supply- recommended on a forum I read about reputable breeders on this site before we bought one. I read the article about proper care and your care sheet for Sulcatas before we got it to set up the enclosure. It’s my fault I thought the heating mat was the same thing as a radiant heat panel. I will correct that this weekend.

The food: I have used the tortoise table and we have several plants/ weeds we feed as well. It would pick around stuff it didn’t like and eat mostly the tortoise supply seeds plant I grew and lettuce offered.

I have corrected the temperature and my humidity should be correct after this weekend to stay at 80% and not drop to 50-70%. But it sounds like there is nothing I can do for him but just wait for him to perish? I don’t want that. I read several care sheets and forums on here about Sulcata before we committed. Now I feel like I didn’t do it right and the little one is suffering because of me. 😔

Just keep doing the right care and hope for the best.
Try getting some mazuri tortoise food, and see if that will help. I would try to get the older variety of the mazuri not the LS kind as most tortoises don't like it.
You can also try adding some baby food carrot and piedalyte to the soak water and see if that will help perk him up and want too eat.

 

[wellington]

No more fruit! Not only is it bad for them, its specially bad for a baby.

 

[Ccunningham]

No more fruit! Not only is it bad for them, its specially bad for a baby.

Thank you so much!! I was desperate because he wasn’t eating. No more fruit!!