Cassidy Dixon
Member
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2015
- Messages
- 37
I will try to be as detailed as possible but here is step by step the turn of events since Friday when my sulcata hatchling arrived.
Tuesday- ordered it. Ask breeder if 30 degree night temps here in Kansas will be a problem shipping. "Sure no problem I have heat packs for this. It will be just fine" I put in notes on purchase order that night temps have been 30 here.
Friday- It arrives. He shipped it Fed ex overnight. It showed up about 1:30 in the after noon. Box had one sticker on it that was hard to read saying "live animal inside keep away from hot or cold" The box was 55 degrees inside when I opened it. Tortoise had all legs and arms stuck out and was not moving much. His shell was 55 degrees and he felt cold. I put him in 1/4" of room temperature water. After 5 minutes he was moving around and walking in the little dish. I then soaked him in water that was 88 degrees for about 10 minutes. He was very alive then and seemed fine.
I then put him in his enclosure. Under heat lamp the rock surface temperature is 95-100. On the cold side it is 70. He was walking around fine and ate some Romain lettuce. He was then sitting there breathing hard and had snot bubbles coming from his nose. Eyes look fine no signs of problems there yet.
I then put a 250 watt red heat lamp bulb about the enclosure on one side to boost the temps. Now surface temps are 100 on left side on rock, 78 in the middle (85 in his house) and 85 under the red heat lamp. He usually sits where its about 80 and goes in his house 50% of the time.
At night I only run one heat lamp with a night time bulb in it. This is in corner over grass. surface temps are 85. Then the cold side it is 68. He always stays under the heat lamp at night.
Friday- put him in dish and set him in the sun on my shop floor. I opened the window and removed the screen so it was unfiltered sun light. He sat in the sun for a total of 40 minutes 20 being in water 1/4 deep. His shell temp was 87 while sitting in the sun.
Saturday he ate chopped up grass clippings with Mazuri crushed up sprinkled on it. He ate like a champ. I moved his entire enclosure into the sun and opened the door. surface temps were 85 or so and his shell was 87. He got about 2 hours of sunlight before he then went in his house. I then put it all back under the heat lamps and am still using the large red light for extra heat.
My wife picked up some Aureomycin powder from the local Valley vet supply. Our local vet said she does not have time to mess with a tortoise. I mixed it according to instructions with his drinking and soaking water. I soaked him for 20 minutes in the medicated water. I am pretty sure he was also drinking it while he soaked.
Sunday- still has slight runny nose. no snotty bubbles though. He is very active and is in his house now. I fed grass and mazuri again but he only ate a small amount and walked away.
hope all the details help. I am open to suggestions. All info I have is google research. Here is a picture of him right now.
Tuesday- ordered it. Ask breeder if 30 degree night temps here in Kansas will be a problem shipping. "Sure no problem I have heat packs for this. It will be just fine" I put in notes on purchase order that night temps have been 30 here.
Friday- It arrives. He shipped it Fed ex overnight. It showed up about 1:30 in the after noon. Box had one sticker on it that was hard to read saying "live animal inside keep away from hot or cold" The box was 55 degrees inside when I opened it. Tortoise had all legs and arms stuck out and was not moving much. His shell was 55 degrees and he felt cold. I put him in 1/4" of room temperature water. After 5 minutes he was moving around and walking in the little dish. I then soaked him in water that was 88 degrees for about 10 minutes. He was very alive then and seemed fine.
I then put him in his enclosure. Under heat lamp the rock surface temperature is 95-100. On the cold side it is 70. He was walking around fine and ate some Romain lettuce. He was then sitting there breathing hard and had snot bubbles coming from his nose. Eyes look fine no signs of problems there yet.
I then put a 250 watt red heat lamp bulb about the enclosure on one side to boost the temps. Now surface temps are 100 on left side on rock, 78 in the middle (85 in his house) and 85 under the red heat lamp. He usually sits where its about 80 and goes in his house 50% of the time.
At night I only run one heat lamp with a night time bulb in it. This is in corner over grass. surface temps are 85. Then the cold side it is 68. He always stays under the heat lamp at night.
Friday- put him in dish and set him in the sun on my shop floor. I opened the window and removed the screen so it was unfiltered sun light. He sat in the sun for a total of 40 minutes 20 being in water 1/4 deep. His shell temp was 87 while sitting in the sun.
Saturday he ate chopped up grass clippings with Mazuri crushed up sprinkled on it. He ate like a champ. I moved his entire enclosure into the sun and opened the door. surface temps were 85 or so and his shell was 87. He got about 2 hours of sunlight before he then went in his house. I then put it all back under the heat lamps and am still using the large red light for extra heat.
My wife picked up some Aureomycin powder from the local Valley vet supply. Our local vet said she does not have time to mess with a tortoise. I mixed it according to instructions with his drinking and soaking water. I soaked him for 20 minutes in the medicated water. I am pretty sure he was also drinking it while he soaked.
Sunday- still has slight runny nose. no snotty bubbles though. He is very active and is in his house now. I fed grass and mazuri again but he only ate a small amount and walked away.
hope all the details help. I am open to suggestions. All info I have is google research. Here is a picture of him right now.