Sulcata does not eat anything healthy.

[WalterSulcata]

Hello,

So Walter, my baby sulcata is looking ok. But he doesn’t eat like he used to. I have been soaking him daily, mist him constantly, and let him walk for about an hour per day in full sun on wetted grass. I found a neighbors hibiscus, big red flowers and leaves and borrowed them. Washed them, she used no chemicals, but my dude just walked right over them. It looked so tasty I can’t believe it. I give him some romaine, he eats it. So what do you do with that situation.
Also as a side note, I wonder if my enclosure is too hot. He seams to always walk away from the light and the average temp is 110 degrees. The low temp is 90 degrees in his brick hideout, and the highest temp is under the light at about 115 degrees. Should I just get rid of the lights ? My air temps are a steady 85 degrees.

 

[Tom]

What age and size?
Where are you?
What humidity?
What size and sort of enclosure?
Where did you get him and how was he started?

 

[wellington]

If you have t yet, besides giving the info Tom asked for, read his threads at the bottom of my and his posts. If your lowest temp is 95, then your temps are a little high. The basking spot should be 95+, all over temp and humidity should be 80 degrees and 80% day and night.

 

[Dizisdalife]

Don't get rid of the lights. If he is walking away from the basking spot he is looking for a place to cool down. He should however, after some time, return to the basking spot to warm up again. If he doesn't do that it might be too hot for him. Raise the light a little bit and see what happens. They need to have a temperature gradient fron the basking spot of 100 degrees to a cooler area of 80 degrees.

These temps have to be measured accurately. I ran into this problem early on and needed to upgrade my thermometers to get the temps right. A temp gun was very valuable in setting up the basking spot and measuring the temp gradient in the inclosure. A thermostat was the answer for controlling the ambient temp and the night time temp.

When a sulcata feels secure in his environment, the temps are right and the humidity is good, they will eat. And eat. And eat. When they are too hot or too cold and can not thermoregulate, or they feel threatened (no place to hide) they don't eat and eat and eat. They may nibble, but not chow down like you would expect them too. Do everything you can to give them the stable environment that they need and then feed them a varied diet. No romain. Hold off on the flowers until they eat their greens.

 

[Yvonne G]

Tortoises in jail can only eat what you give them. Only offer a good diet. If he doesn't eat today or tomorrow, he won't starve himself. He'll eventually eat. Just make sure everything is what it is supposed to be, as mentioned in the above posts, and stop feeding bad food.

 

[WalterSulcata]

Ok,

Thanks for the great advice. My situation is a little bit different than most peeps I think. I live in the Philippines. My tort is 2.25 inches, and a guestimate age of 2+ months. Done by size only, don’t know the person that he started with. He looks healthy, I mean the guy walks like crazy. He puts in a lot of tort miles.. lol.. The humidity is 85% pretty much all the time, sometimes higher, but never below 70% in the dry season. Currently its the wet season. . The night time lows are 85 F. and daytime highs,.. well its off the charts in full sun, but the shade is about 95 F. I keep him in a 6 by 6 ft enclosure with a hide, water, clay and coconut substrate. I mist it and keep everything moist. I am about to complete his new enclosure and it will be approximately 20 ft by 60 ft. I will post pics shortly . My temps are very accurate I believe, as a scientific person I have some high tech temp equipment and have about 6 thermocouplers in every area to possible measure. And the temp guns show the same temps. Maybe he just does not like hibiscus and i’m over reacting, lol, that the most probable answer.