Sulcata seems very sick

[will4554]

I have a very young sulcata tortoise and he is having a lot of problems that just seem to be getting worse I don't know what's wrong or what I can do to help. His symptoms are as follows.
Shell getting increasingly softer
Not eating or drinking
Won't open eyes
Having trouble lifting his head
Can't use front two legs
Very inactive
If anyone has any ideas on what the problem is or what I can do to help him please let me know as soon as possible. Sadly I cannot get him to the vet until tomorrow but it dosnt seem like he will make it through the night.

 

[wellington]

Sadly, some just fail no matter what the new owner tries to do. It all most likely started by the way the little one was started from hatching. Try warm soaks with baby food carrot and piedialyte in it, twice a day. Keep him at 85 day and night with a basking of 95-100. If you can, get him outside for natural sun light too, just be sure there is lots of shade, filtered sunlight is good too.
Good luck, hope he can pull through.

 

[Tom]

I have a very young sulcata tortoise and he is having a lot of problems that just seem to be getting worse I don't know what's wrong or what I can do to help. His symptoms are as follows.
Shell getting increasingly softer
Not eating or drinking
Won't open eyes
Having trouble lifting his head
Can't use front two legs
Very inactive
If anyone has any ideas on what the problem is or what I can do to help him please let me know as soon as possible. Sadly I cannot get him to the vet until tomorrow but it dosnt seem like he will make it through the night.

Read this: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/

Sound familiar?

Then read this: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-incubate-eggs-and-start-hatchlings.124266/

Where did you get your baby? What do you know about its history?

 

[Yvonne G]

Sounds like Metabolic Bone Disease, and it's very painful. There's probably not much you can do now. When they get this far gone, it takes a miracle to get them back. A vet might be able to help you with calcium injections, but remember, all the calcium in the world, in his food or supplementation, won't work at fixing the soft bones and shell unless it is coupled with a GOOD UVB light or the natural sun.

 

[will4554]

Read this: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/

Sound familiar?

Then read this: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-incubate-eggs-and-start-hatchlings.124266/

Where did you get your baby? What do you know about its history?

I got him from a pet store near me. I'm not sure of his history before I got him. In the store he was being held in a tank the only thing in his tank was a small log and a food dish with cypress mulch as his substrate. Also he had a basking lamp and a uvb light other than that the tank was empty. I have only had him for about three weeks and have follwed all caring instructions on this forum.

 

[Aunt Caffy]

Are you able to get him into the vet today?

 

[will4554]

Are you able to get him into the vet today?

Yes but it won't be until tonight. The vet has no open appointments until next week but they do emergency appointments late in the day so that's when I will be able to take him in.

 

[Pearly]

Keep warm (85F) and humid (at least 80%) , try the carrot soaks. Don't give up just yet. Keep soaking and offering food all the time. Try soaking Mazuri in some carrot juice, mash it up and see if the baby will become interested. I think that if you can get her interested in food, she'd have betterchances of recovery

 

[will4554]

Keep warm (85F) and humid (at least 80%) , try the carrot soaks. Don't give up just yet. Keep soaking and offering food all the time. Try soaking Mazuri in some carrot juice, mash it up and see if the baby will become interested. I think that if you can get her interested in food, she'd have betterchances of recovery

Okay I will continue to try to get him to eat but right now he cannot even open his eyes or lift his head. Is there a way to force feed him?

 

[Tom]

Yes but it won't be until tonight. The vet has no open appointments until next week but they do emergency appointments late in the day so that's when I will be able to take him in.

You've got to make the call, but in my experience, if he was started dry and suffered kidney damage, there is nothing any vet can do. He will either live, or not.

If you are giving him correct care with warm temps day and night, daily soaks, damp substrate and a humid hide, UV from the sun or a properly used indoor source, then he will either pull through or not. Have your read these:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Is your care spot on? If yes, no reason to spend a bunch of money at a vet.

 

[Tom]

Okay I will continue to try to get him to eat but right now he cannot even open his eyes or lift his head. Is there a way to force feed him?

Force feeding won't help. Lack of appetite is a symptom. Until the problem causing the symptoms is fixed, the symptoms will persist. In cases of babies started too dry, the problem, and resulting symptoms, cannot be fixed.

 

[will4554]

Very sad to say but my Riddick has now passed away. Thank you all for your input and help.

 

[Pearly]

So so sorry for your loss! Don't bury him just yet. Wait maybe till tomorrow. Sometimes torts may look dead but they come of of that comalike state. Again, very sorry

 

[Tom]

Very sad to say but my Riddick has now passed away. Thank you all for your input and help.

I'm very sorry for you. Please let the pet store know and tell them why he died. Only when they hear it enough times, things will begin to change so that other tortoises and their new owners don't have to suffer the same fate.

 

[JoesMum]

Really sorry to hear this

 

[GingerLove]

I'm so sorry. I'm sure you gave him the best life he could have had in his last weeks with you.

 

[CathyNed]

So sorry to hear about Riddick...

 

[Sara G.]

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[surfergirl]

So sorry for your loss.

 

[Yvonne G]

That's sad news. I'm sorry to hear this.