Tortoise won’t stay awake for long

[FranklinTheSulcata]

I have a 4 month old Sulcata. For the last 10 or so days he has not been opening his eyes. I began soaking him everyday in warm water and recently added carrot baby food and pedialyte to his baths. I also added some pedialyte to his pool. I also use eye drops everyday. He only opens his eyes when he takes his baths and is more active in his baths. His hygrometer is reading at 80% and his temperature is on average 75-80°. He has a big heat mat on the side of his tank, a humidifier, a red light, and a regular day light. When I take him out of the bath he is not active and he won’t eat. Side note: he completely refuses to eat hay or pellets and I don’t know why. Please help! I love him so much!!

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings. I’m just going to guess that to start off, your temperatures are not what you think they are 24/7 and 75 degrees anywhere is just too cold. What kind of temp gauge are you using? Does the enclosure have a lid?

Upload some pictures of the enclosure.

Good luck.

 

[FranklinTheSulcata]

I’m using a Zoo Med thermometer that has a little probe at the end of it. And yes the tank has a lid with little holes in it but I can’t close it all the way because of the clamp light and the vaporizer tube.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Good on the gauge. How are you maintaining your ambient temperatures? I’m seeing a red heat bulb, do you have that on all the time? Day & night?

Take a very good read through Tom’s Sulcata Care Guide. Lighting, heating, size, etc.

➡️➡️ https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...se-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/

Your small enclosure makes it hard to maintain humidity & heat. Your fogger is producing cool/moist air in a small area. The lid is letting lots of humidity & heat out, etc.

Tom’s sheet has all of the best ways to set up an enclosure to start with a young sulcata.

 

[method89]

No sulcata expert but your temp seems low to me. Should be closer to 90.

What are you using the red light for? I don't believe it is doing your tort any good.

 

[FranklinTheSulcata]

Good on the gauge. How are you maintaining your ambient temperatures? I’m seeing a red heat bulb, do you have that on all the time? Day & night?

Take a very good read through Tom’s Sulcata Care Guide. Lighting, heating, size, etc.

➡➡ https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...se-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/

Your small enclosure makes it hard to maintain humidity & heat. Your fogger is producing cool/moist air in a small area. The lid is letting lots of humidity & heat out, etc.

Tom’s sheet has all of the best ways to set up an enclosure to start with a young sulcata.

I leave the red bulb on all the time. Do you suggest I use a lid with no holes or? Should I try maybe not using the fogger? I bought it because he wasn’t opening his eyes but now I’m worried he might have a respiratory infection. For awhile I wasn’t using the lid at all because I didn’t have the fogger and he was doing fine. The weather has been fluctuating here a lot recently. And I figured the enclosure was all he needed since he is so small still. I read that you’re supposed to have the humidity at 60-75%.

 

[FranklinTheSulcata]

No sulcata expert but your temp seems low to me. Should be closer to 90.

What are you using the red light for? I don't believe it is doing your tort any good.

I use the red light to keep him warm at night and I thought it would help raise the overall temperature.

 

[Yvonne G]

Turn off the vaporizer immediately. cool-moist = BAD, WARM-MOIST= good. 'Warm means 80°F or warmer. His eyes are probably closed because of the cool temperature along with the fogger, and also because he stopped eating due to not being warm enough.

Also figure out a way to hang the light so you can close the space.

 

[FranklinTheSulcata]

Sorry the picture is sideways but I went to Walmart and bought a big Tupperware tub and some soil as well as a ceramic heat bulb (ik walmart ugh but this felt like an emergency). I’m going this weekend to buy a UVB strip and I’m also currently working on cutting slots in the lid to where both lights and the strip will be inside his tank. Thank you all for the advice! Also was wondering, i know someone said to take the vaporizer out however if I cut a small hole into the side of his tank where the tube will go and now that the heat will be in his tank, will the vaporizer still be okay? It’s been keeping his tank super moist.

 

[Tom]

Sorry the picture is sideways but I went to Walmart and bought a big Tupperware tub and some soil as well as a ceramic heat bulb (ik walmart ugh but this felt like an emergency). I’m going this weekend to buy a UVB strip and I’m also currently working on cutting slots in the lid to where both lights and the strip will be inside his tank. Thank you all for the advice! Also was wondering, i know someone said to take the vaporizer out however if I cut a small hole into the side of his tank where the tube will go and now that the heat will be in his tank, will the vaporizer still be okay? It’s been keeping his tank super moist.

Please read the care sheet that Mark linked for you in post number 4. You are making a whole bunch of beginner mistakes and your baby is not going to survive if you don't correct these immediately.

75 is too cool.
No humidifiers.
No red bulbs.
No heat mats.
No soil.
Babies don't eat hay.
It takes a long time to introduce pelleted foods.
Humidity needs to be 80+%, but you need a closed chamber to do that.

Most of the care info you find is all wrong. Please read that care sheet and follow it. It may already be too late.

Where did you get your baby and how was it started?

 

[FranklinTheSulcata]

Please read the care sheet that Mark linked for you in post number 4. You are making a whole bunch of beginner mistakes and your baby is not going to survive if you don't correct these immediately.

75 is too cool.
No humidifiers.
No red bulbs.
No heat mats.
No soil.
Babies don't eat hay.
It takes a long time to introduce pelleted foods.
Humidity needs to be 80+%, but you need a closed chamber to do that.

Most of the care info you find is all wrong. Please read that care sheet and follow it. It may already be too late.

Where did you get your baby and how was it started?

Okay. I will take the humidifier out and I already removed the heat mat so it wouldn’t melt the plastic of the Tupperware. I just bought a 100W ceramic heat emitter and I’m trying to find a way to get it where it will be down further in the tank with him. I don’t understand what you mean by closed chamber? I have a lid but he needs oxygen so I have it open where his lights shine down. Also why no soil? I was using coconut substrate before. What bedding should I use instead? Also why no humidifier? I started using it AFTER he stopped opening his eyes because his humidity level was at 30-40% and now it’s up to 80%. And I bought him at a place called the Pet Zone in Shreveport, LA. I had problems with him from the beginning because he wasn’t eating but he got a lot better. This just started and he’s four months old.

 

[Tom]

Okay. I will take the humidifier out and I already removed the heat mat so it wouldn’t melt the plastic of the Tupperware. I just bought a 100W ceramic heat emitter and I’m trying to find a way to get it where it will be down further in the tank with him. I don’t understand what you mean by closed chamber? I have a lid but he needs oxygen so I have it open where his lights shine down. Also why no soil? I was using coconut substrate before. What bedding should I use instead? Also why no humidifier? I started using it AFTER he stopped opening his eyes because his humidity level was at 30-40% and now it’s up to 80%. And I bought him at a place called the Pet Zone in Shreveport, LA. I had problems with him from the beginning because he wasn’t eating but he got a lot better. This just started and he’s four months old.

All of your questions are answered in the care sheet. Just click and read. Then, after that, if anything isn't clear, come back and ask more questions about it then. Happy to talk tortoises with you.