sulcata foaming out of the mouth

[bigoliv87]

Hey guys been brouwsing around here and look at different types of posts but also wanted to get some more feedback.

I have a 6 week old sulcata. I brought him home yesterday and today i had him in a plastic bin outside so he can get some sun (I don't feel cofortable letting him browse around the yard since he is so small). He hasn't ate any ouside grass and the only thing i have gave him so far is romaine lettuce this morning. i was watching him outside roam around in the bin and about 5 minutes in he started foaming out of his mouth. I imediatley took him back inside and let him stand in a little bit of water and he imediatley stoped.

Everything I looked at sais it can be a number of things but the most comon seems to be dehydration. At the moment he is inside in a 20gal tank (not sure if that matters) but I am planing to build him a turtle terrarium soon.

Any advice or criticism from more experienced owners will be greatly apreciated. Thank You.

 

[Tom]

They foam at the mouth when they are overheating, or when they have eaten something toxic. They can overheat in a bin in the sun in the summertime in just a few minutes at that size.

I don't want to sound overly harsh, but you need to understand the gravity of the situation, so that it does not happen again. You nearly killed him. Just another minute or two and he could have died. It is that serious for a tiny one in the summer.

Outdoor time for grazing, exercising and sunning is really good for them, BUT it must be done very carefully. On warm days, at least half of their area should be shade, and it must be constantly adjusted or watched as the sun moves. It is best to use a pen made on the ground with some weeds and vegetation for shade. Just for some examples I temped one of my pens yesterday. Outside ambient was around 92. The open ground was at around 116. The top of the tall laid over grasses was 94-98. In the shade under the squash leaves was 86-88. I parted the thick grass and vegetation and got a reading of the soil temp at tortoise level where they can hide out when they want and it was 73-74. Just guessing, but a plastic tub in full sun would probably reach 140 or more very quickly, depending on the color. In the winter I use big black rubber tubs for sunning. On a sunny 58 degree day I get tortoise shell readings of 90-95 and tub surface readings of 95-105. Even on these days I offer shade, although they don't usually use it when it's that cold out.

In the summer they need extensive shade. It can't be something laid across the top either since that will heat up and radiate the heat into the pen or tub. It needs to be something high up like a tree or a bush. A temp gun is indispensable for checking outdoor temps and making adjustments.

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I also think a 20 galon is too small even for a hatchling. By the time you add a water dish, a humid hide, a food bowl and a basking rock, there is hardly any room left to walk. Certainly no room left for any fun stuff or potted plants. I like to use a minimum of a 40 or 50 for tiny new hatchlings, but they usually outgrow even this in a couple of months...

Just my opinion on the matter... I intend it to be helpful, not critical.

 

[Eweezyfosheezy]

Yes he was definitely overheating. And at 6 weeks old he can overheat extremely fast. Give him some soaks and keep him fairly cool right now. Once a tortoise overheats he is extremely prone to have it happen again.

 

[Jacqui]

Oh yeah, take it from some personal experience, plastic bins can be very deadly. Were you in full sun or how hot was it outside? Count yourself very very lucky you caught it in time.

 

[wellington]

Ditto on all. Please read the threads at the bottom of my post. Gives great info on raising a smooth, healthy sulcata. Glad you paid attention to your little one and got him in time

 

[dmmj]

Foaming at the mouth indicates over heating or ingesting something toxic, they foam as a last ditch attempt to cool down. Sounds like you got him in time. When kept outside in a small container they need access to a cool spot so they can cool down. If they are kept in a small container with no shade they can literally over heat in just a few minutes and die a painful death (personal experience with a box turtle).

 

[bigoliv87]

Thank You for all your answers/input, anything helps. Dont worry about being too harsh or anything like that any criticism helps.

This is pretty much what i get for listening to the guy at the petstore at all, I did a lot of reading on him and I'm a lot more confortable now. I went out today and bought wood and made a 4ftx2ft enclosure walls are about a foot high with a place inside he can hide under.

He's eating and walking around so seems ok.

I'm gonna do more indepth reasearch on him to make sure he gets the best possible. Thank you all.

 

[Livingstone]

Good job for making an enclosure. Bad job for doing this completely bass ackwards. RESEARCH, then TORTOISE. And please post pictures of your enclosure.

 

[mctlong]

Good job for making an enclosure. Bad job for doing this completely bass ackwards. RESEARCH, then TORTOISE. And please post pictures of your enclosure.

You're not alone, I did everything bass ackwards when I got my first tort too. Lessons learned.

 

[Kenazfehu]

On a hot day, sulcatas like some water in their pool, too (also shade). My yard is uneven, so one side of the wading pool will be dry and the other side has a puddle. He loves pooping in the puddle!

Here is how I keep track of him when I'm outside and he's roaming the yard:

I've learned the danger of dogs now; those two are never left alone any more. I used to leave Neenyo outside in the pool and the dog outside, and I'm very lucky that Neenyo never became a chew toy. Oh - and be aware that other animals and birds prey on little tortoises, too.

 

[Tom]

Thank You for all your answers/input, anything helps. Dont worry about being too harsh or anything like that any criticism helps.

This is pretty much what i get for listening to the guy at the petstore at all, I did a lot of reading on him and I'm a lot more confortable now. I went out today and bought wood and made a 4ftx2ft enclosure walls are about a foot high with a place inside he can hide under.

He's eating and walking around so seems ok.

I'm gonna do more indepth reasearch on him to make sure he gets the best possible. Thank you all.

I'm glad the comments were well received. We all just want to help.

On that note, your enclosure idea sounds good, but just two points to bring up...

2x4x12" high is going to create a fairly narrow, windless area. Use a temp gun and a thermometer to be sure it doesn't over heat in there. In my area, those dimensions would not work for most of the year, but your area may be coooler. Either lowering the sides a bit, or making it a bit wider would help a lot.

The other thing is your shelter. Again use a temp gun or a remote probe thermometer to really check those temps. If the sun is beating down of the roof of the shelter and he is right under that, it could get too hot.

Hope the build goes well.

 

[TortoiseBoy1999]

On a hot day, sulcatas like some water in their pool, too (also shade). My yard is uneven, so one side of the wading pool will be dry and the other side has a puddle. He loves pooping in the puddle!

Here is how I keep track of him when I'm outside and he's roaming the yard:

I've learned the danger of dogs now; those two are never left alone any more. I used to leave Neenyo outside in the pool and the dog outside, and I'm very lucky that Neenyo never became a chew toy. Oh - and be aware that other animals and birds prey on little tortoises, too.

ROFL!!!!! LOL!!!!! that's a good idea!