Some concerns, New sulcata owner

[Cwt622]

hello everyone!
I have a Sulcata tortoise, He is about 11 weeks old He eats romaine lettuce with a mix of crumbled up mazuri pellets. I soak him atleast once a day. Sometimes up to 4 times a day cause I can tell he loves it when he stretches out his little tortoise legs and lays down in the water.
I am currently keeping him indoors cause its colldddd outside in vermont. His temps are kept at 82-85 degrees in the main area, 101-103 in the basking area, I mist his substrate atleast once a day, sometimes twice. He seems like a happy little tortoise, Runs around and is very strong.
My only real concern is that people keep telling me that Sulcatas are "Eating machines". Mine will eat 3 or 4 pieces (2 inch pieces) of lettuce a day. I sprinkle some of his calcium powder on his meals 2 or 3 times a week. He has a minor soft spot on this shell near the rear on the edge, I think its cause hes so young, His belly part of the shell is soft too. He has 2 UV lights and the bulbs are brand new.
His substrate is Coconut stuff with Cypress mulch mixed together.
I just wish he would eat more, I'm kind of concerned because what I did was went on google and saw all these things about MBD and Hachling Failure Syndrome and now im really worried. Hes a strong, tough little guy and gets around great. Very active and seems happy. He poops and pees daily, He just doesnt want to eat much.
Is this something I should be concerned about? Thank you !!

 

[surie_the_tortoise]

only advice would be offer the little guy different kinds of food. dandelion greens, kale , some cucumber, some squash. sounds like your doing a great job though

 

[mainey34]

Has he ever eaten good for you or is this the way he always eats? Have you read toms threads? If not they are under my signature. Please read I think your temps and humidity might be the culprit...

 

[Cwt622]

He has stuffed his face before like once or twice since I got him 3 weeks ago. but other than that he doesnt eat much.

 

[L82lalaland]

How long have you had him, sometimes it takes a few days even a week to settle in and get used things. I have two 4 month olds and some weeks I can't keep the bowl full and others I am dumping wilted food in the trash.

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

He might night like the calcium powder. I alway's add a tiny pit on the greens once a week and mist it. Plus he needs more variation of food. pick up a spring mix from your grocery store and you can add Kale, Endive, Radichio (sp?), escarole, squash and maybe even get your hands on some spineless opuntia cactus. In the warmer months you can plant his outdoor enclosure with grasses and weeds but for now, like me you are going to have to hit the produce section . Best of luck and keep us posted!

 

[sibi]

Change the foods, and try the varieties given. I like to cook orange squash and when it cools, I feed it to my sullies. They love it. Other times I cook pumpkin the same way and feed it to them. One other thing I noticed in one rescued sully is that unless I take the greens and tear it into to y pieces, he can't eat it. It's not because he doesn't want to eat, it was because he couldn't tear the larger pieces with his weak jaw. Check to see if that's what's going on. Keep us posted.

 

[mainey34]

So have you read toms threads? My concern still is temps and humidity..what is your humidity? If you only spray 1 time a day, that is not enough. What you are feeding is also not enough. Have you tried spring mix?

 

[Cwt622]

I put in another ceramic heat emitter, put in a flat piece of stone, he went out and lied down on that, Stretched out his legs, I put some Mazuri pellets in front of him (that I pre-soaked) and man oh man. he inhaled those things.... 2 pellets gone in 20 seconds.

 

[Laura]

better diet.....

 

[Dizisdalife]

When my sulcata was a baby I threw out a lot of wilted produce. I kept waiting to see the "eating machine". He did gain weight, ever so slowly at first, and then faster and faster. My little one always seemed to be a picky eater. One day he would eat kale and then he would not touch it again. He would eat dandelion like it was his favorite food, then the next time I fed it to him he would walk all over it. Very frustrating.

Keep offering him a variety of foods. Make sure that the temperatures are correct. It is very important that they be measured as accurately as possible. Babies need to sleep a lot. They need it dark at night, but still warm, and they need a place to hide and feel safe. I kept mine at 80F at night because the humidity was pretty high. When they feel secure, get quality rest, and the temps are right for them, they will eat.

Soaking him 4 times a day might be too much. I know he likes it, but it is probably the warmth he likes. Some say that too much soaking interferes with their digestion. I soaked mine once a day and kept a water dish in the enclosure that he could drink from or soak in, which he did often.

 

[sibi]

It's okay to feed him mazuri daily, especially if he really goes for it. At some point, though, I would cut up into tiny pieces some Timothy hay Orchard grass and mix it into the mazuri. That will give him the fiber he will need, and get him accustomed to eating grass later down the road. Also, you can dress the mazuri and grass with some spring mix or catus fruit. I think you may have found what he likes. Keep us posted. Btw, you never did say what you are doing for humidity? what is the humidity level in his enclosure? If you are spraying the enclosure, do you have a lid to cover the top most of the way? It's the only way to keep the warmth and humidity in, unless you have a closed chamber. Finally, do you have a gauge to measure the temps and humidity? All these questions are important to the overall health of your baby.