Hey, new to the community, thanks for any help. I bought a baby sulcatta tortoise about a month ago that is definitely less than a year old. He eats, poops, and pees fine, but in the early morning I'll often hear him make a very loud squeaking/crying noise that's pretty startling. His whole body also clenches, and it's been going on for about three weeks.
I already took him to a very well-reviewed vet that treats tortoises and owns some himself. He told me the tortoise seemed fine as far as he could tell, and the tortoise didn't cough or do anything in front of him. He told me I could go for the antibiotics if I wanted to, but I backed out since the needles seemed kind of drastic. Before I left he told me to keep his temps high (around 90) and start giving him calcium supplements, which I've begun to do every other day.
Could the nighttime temperatures be causing this? I have a ceramic heat lamp for his basking spot, but he tends to move around and sleep in colder areas, and I'm afraid of burning him by enclosing him near his basking area.
I also recently removed some really dry soil he used to sleep in and he's been getting better since, just not very quickly. When I notice him napping he'll usually be moving his head slightly like he's very lightly coughing, and sometimes he'll scratch his eyes.
I guess I just wanted to know if you guys would go for the antibiotics or wait it out, as well as any similar experiences. Thanks again for any help, I'll post pics/video later if anyone is interested.
I already took him to a very well-reviewed vet that treats tortoises and owns some himself. He told me the tortoise seemed fine as far as he could tell, and the tortoise didn't cough or do anything in front of him. He told me I could go for the antibiotics if I wanted to, but I backed out since the needles seemed kind of drastic. Before I left he told me to keep his temps high (around 90) and start giving him calcium supplements, which I've begun to do every other day.
Could the nighttime temperatures be causing this? I have a ceramic heat lamp for his basking spot, but he tends to move around and sleep in colder areas, and I'm afraid of burning him by enclosing him near his basking area.
I also recently removed some really dry soil he used to sleep in and he's been getting better since, just not very quickly. When I notice him napping he'll usually be moving his head slightly like he's very lightly coughing, and sometimes he'll scratch his eyes.
I guess I just wanted to know if you guys would go for the antibiotics or wait it out, as well as any similar experiences. Thanks again for any help, I'll post pics/video later if anyone is interested.