What's wrong with Alfie? Please help me....

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My parents do not like the idea of having dead animals in the freezer. I tried storing frozen rats in the freezer when my snake was younger so that I can feed him and they flipped out. Still can't believe Alfie's gone... had him for just two months and quickly became attached to him.
 

AmRoKo

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Maybe ask them if you could put him in the freezer someplace where they wont see him so it wont bother them and tell them its until you can find an appropriate place to bury him.

For saving the shell the process is a little nasty, you can probably find someone who can do that for you if that's what you want to do.
 

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I have him next to my turtle tank right now... just keep pretending he's just sleeping to make myself feel better. What will happen if I just leave him there? I actually remember my mom having a friend whose turtle died when I was younger and they kept the whole thing on their TV stand, but don't know what happened, if anything, to it.
 

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Had to throw him out, unfortunately. :(:(:(

I will probably try again with another tortoise when it gets warmer out. Hopefully it survives more than two months...
 

boris'mommy

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Whatever you do, you should start again with a baby, making sure it stays warm enough and has the proper amount of humidity, and you're soaking him/her EVERYDAY if not twice a day. Not to sound rude or mean in any way, but an adult sulcata is 100% harder to care for when it comes to funds and space. You said you do not have a backyard so it would be 10000% impossible for you to properly care for an adult. Don't be discouraged though. A baby sulcata is out of this world special to watch grow. You just need to make sure you keep VERY close eyes on them. The hospital set up you had going should have been set up the moment he wasn't eating. And you can never keep a baby in an enclosure you are not sure the temperature of. Just a few tips for your next try. RIP ALFIE
 

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Whatever you do, you should start again with a baby, making sure it stays warm enough and has the proper amount of humidity, and you're soaking him/her EVERYDAY if not twice a day. Not to sound rude or mean in any way, but an adult sulcata is 100% harder to care for when it comes to funds and space. You said you do not have a backyard so it would be 10000% impossible for you to properly care for an adult. Don't be discouraged though. A baby sulcata is out of this world special to watch grow. You just need to make sure you keep VERY close eyes on them. The hospital set up you had going should have been set up the moment he wasn't eating. And you can never keep a baby in an enclosure you are not sure the temperature of. Just a few tips for your next try. RIP ALFIE
He was kept warm enough and yes I know adult sulcatas need more space; we're moving into a house in a couple of months and he would've had the freedom to do anything he wanted out there in the spring and summer. I don't know if I'll get a sulcata until a couple of years go by, but does anyone know if tortoise food expires or whatever? I still have some Mazuri and a big container of tortoise grassland food that he never ate because he didn't like them. I don't know anyone with a grassland tort and wouldn't want them to go to waste.
 

boris'mommy

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I'm sure if you made a post someone on here that may not have the funds to buy mazuri or something would be more than happy to have it.
 

leopard777

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My hatching is displaying some similarities like yours, very fussy with food, sleep a lot, doesn't want to eat mazuri too, but I make sure he eats every day, get his soaks, check that he defecate every day, I feel hatchings sleeps too much, thus need more constant care and monitoring.
 

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My hatching is displaying some similarities like yours, very fussy with food, sleep a lot, doesn't want to eat mazuri too, but I make sure he eats every day, get his soaks, check that he defecate every day, I feel hatchings sleeps too much, thus need more constant care and monitoring.
I recommend taking it to a vet just to make sure nothing is wrong with it. I wish I would have with Alfie before it was too late.
 

leigti

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I'm sorry about your little tortoise. as for the logistics about the food, maybe there's a turtle or tortoise rescue near you you could give it to. I'm sure you can store it in the freezer for a while. Maybe you can get another tortoise someday. Research different species of tortoise. But maybe try with a juvenile or yearling instead of a hatchling. Or get a hatchling from someone on here who has started them correctly. I have not had a hatchling so I have no first-hand experience, I'm just going from what I have read on here and sometimes no matter what they just don't make it. you sometimes don't know how they were raised before you got them and there is a very small window for error. Just some suggestions. Again I'm sorry for your loss.
 

Alaskamike

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I feel your pain
Take this with the proverbial " grain of salt " as just my opinion.

I too lost a hatchling last year - a baby leopard. He was started " right" as I know the breeder. My care was the best I could provide and he was raised with 2 others who are thriving.

Sometimes we do everything " right " and they still don't make it - sometimes others do everything " wrong" and the little scamps make it in spite of questionable care.

Hatchling failure to thrive is not uncommon. In our care , we expect 100% survival rate , it is 3-10% in the wild. And not all of that is predators. Genetics, bad luck, poor constitution, the wrong thing at just the wrong time , all play a part.

I know you are devastated and blame yourself - when I lost one I did too , but many here have lost one. Many.

This may be contrary to group think , but my suggestion would be to look for one 9 months or older. . .. Past the most delicate stage. And unless you are dead set on a sulcata , consider some of the other species too. They all have great qualities.

I hope you don't give up. You seemed so devoted to your baby. Nature can be cruel sometimes and despite our best efforts has a mind of its own.
Good fortune to you
Mike


Sent from my iPhone
 

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I feel your pain
Take this with the proverbial " grain of salt " as just my opinion.

I too lost a hatchling last year - a baby leopard. He was started " right" as I know the breeder. My care was the best I could provide and he was raised with 2 others who are thriving.

Sometimes we do everything " right " and they still don't make it - sometimes others do everything " wrong" and the little scamps make it in spite of questionable care.

Hatchling failure to thrive is not uncommon. In our care , we expect 100% survival rate , it is 3-10% in the wild. And not all of that is predators. Genetics, bad luck, poor constitution, the wrong thing at just the wrong time , all play a part.

I know you are devastated and blame yourself - when I lost one I did too , but many here have lost one. Many.

This may be contrary to group think , but my suggestion would be to look for one 9 months or older. . .. Past the most delicate stage. And unless you are dead set on a sulcata , consider some of the other species too. They all have great qualities.

I hope you don't give up. You seemed so devoted to your baby. Nature can be cruel sometimes and despite our best efforts has a mind of its own.
Good fortune to you
Mike


Sent from my iPhone
Thank you for the kind words, really makes me feel better. Why are hatchlings so hard to care for? I even made sure to go to a good breeder in hopes of getting something that'll thrive, not die at 4 months old... 2 months of me owning it. I've always been fascinated with turtles and tortoises as a kid and fell in love with sulcata tortoises after looking at a tiny hatchling at the Bronx Zoo when I was younger, so if I were to get another tortoise someday, it would be a sulcata. The only reason I'm blaming myself is because everyone else on here seems to be raising their babies correctly somehow, seeing as to how they've been living longer than two months under their care...

I was also wondering how those tortoises who aren't cared for properly survive for years haha. I saw a thread on here of someone who rescued I believe to be a two year old sulcata that had no pyramiding whatsoever, yet was raised in a kitchen with no UVB and fed lettuce its entire life. I really don't get it...

@leigti, I've been researching and apparently there are a few tortoise and turtle rescues in my city. I'd probably break down and start crying if I see any adult sulcata at these facilities though, something that Alfie should've made it to at least... :(
 

leigti

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I don't know the answer as to why some tortoises can be raised all wrong and they still live while others are raised right and they die. Sometimes they just aren't meant to make it, and no matter what we do it doesn't help. babies of any species are fragile however and it doesn't take much to sometimes put them over the edge. I am not an expert but I bet some of the veteran tortoise owners and breeders on this forum have all lost hatchlings despite great care provided.
Give it some time to decide if you want to try a hatchling again or maybe go for one that's a little bit older. but don't beat yourself up. maybe just try a different breed her to get a different line, there are weaker and stronger lines in all animals.
 

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