Why is my baby sulcata scratching her little face?

[jr_16]

Hello,
I recently got a baby sulcata and she appears to look healthy. She loves exploring my yard and I give her some food pellets with spring mix. Her sleeping schedule is good she wakes up at 9am and then sunbathes until 2 pm and then I take her out to explore until she falls asleep at around 4. She then wakes up to eat at 6 and falls asleep again. The lighting I have is a zoo med bulb that has both UVA and UVB 100w I had a regular basking light but it broke so I’m waiting on a new one. It’s coming tomorrow, but for the mean time I take her out so that she gets enough heat. It’s about 7 inches from the ground. Her enclosure is pretty big and the substrate is a mix of topsoil with cypress mulch. Yet when she’s in her enclosure she scratches her little eye/side with her arm. I don’t know why. If any of you guys have some info for me I really appreciate it :,)

 

[jr_16]

This is her enclosure

 

[RioMarziliano]

That water bowl might be hard for her to use I suggest a plate or a planter tray. Also make sure you feed on a hard surface that way they can grind their beak and also reduce a chance of impaction

 

[Sarah2020]

Soil can itch. I would put it in a warm bowl of shallow water 33 Deg C and gently pour water over the shell and face and let it walk round and drink. It may have soil grains on it face or eye. Check the lighting as could be too bright . Also the substrate should be changed to remove soil and use have orchid batch or a mix of coir and bark this will allow depth and humidity. Let us know how the bath goes.

 

[jr_16]

That water bowl might be hard for her to use I suggest a plate or a planter tray. Also make sure you feed on a hard surface that way they can grind their beak and also reduce a chance of impaction

Ok thank you I changed her water bowl to something smaller and I give her some food on a small plate

 

[jr_16]

Soil can itch. I would put it in a warm bowl of shallow water 33 Deg C and gently pour water over the shell and face and let it walk round and drink. It may have soil grains on it face or eye. Check the lighting as could be too bright . Also the substrate should be changed to remove soil and use have orchid batch or a mix of coir and bark this will allow depth and humidity. Let us know how the bath goes.

Ok so I bathed her and the first thing she did was drink the water for like 15 secs after she was just walking around. I think she was thirsty. I also put the lights 11 in off the ground is that good enough or should it be higher? I’m definitely going to change the substrate. Thank you so much for the advice you’re a life saver

 

[jr_16]

This was her in her bath

 

[zovick]

Hello,
I recently got a baby sulcata and she appears to look healthy. She loves exploring my yard and I give her some food pellets with spring mix. Her sleeping schedule is good she wakes up at 9am and then sunbathes until 2 pm and then I take her out to explore until she falls asleep at around 4. She then wakes up to eat at 6 and falls asleep again. The lighting I have is a zoo med bulb that has both UVA and UVB 100w I had a regular basking light but it broke so I’m waiting on a new one. It’s coming tomorrow, but for the mean time I take her out so that she gets enough heat. It’s about 7 inches from the ground. Her enclosure is pretty big and the substrate is a mix of topsoil with cypress mulch. Yet when she’s in her enclosure she scratches her little eye/side with her arm. I don’t know why. If any of you guys have some info for me I really appreciate it :,)

@Tom You will hopefully have some recommendations for this person after checking posts #1 and #2.

 

[jr_16]

Ok so I bathed her and the first thing she did was drink the water for like 15 secs after she was just walking around. I think she was thirsty. I also put the lights 11 in off the ground is that good enough or should it be higher? I’m definitely going to change the substrate. Thank you so much for the advice you’re a life saver

It’s been a while after her bath and her skin seems a little dry and she still scratches her eye. Do you think it’s because her skin is dry?

 

[jr_16]

She looks like this
Should I be concern that her skin is dry ?

 

[Hamiltondood]

She looks like this
Should I be concern that her skin is dry ?View attachment 311168View attachment 311169

looks normal to me
if you find the shell (not the skin) dry, rub a bit of extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil on it.
im sure other oils will work too
i do this for my tortoise once a month. make sure you only use a drop or two and rub off some of the residue after.

coconut oil.

IF I can, put coconut oil on Nova’s shell once and awhile; for moisture. What kind should I use. @Tom @Yvonne G

tortoiseforum.org

 

[crimson_lotus]

what kind of light do you have? coil bulbs or cfl's tend to hurt tortoises eyes so it might irritate him

 

[jr_16]

what kind of light do you have? coil bulbs or cfl's tend to hurt tortoises eyes so it might irritate him

I have this light

 

[Maggie3fan]

She is too dry, that's one reason her eyes itch. Please read this care sheet before long term damages her. Sulcata hatchlings need about 80% humidity, here's some reading for you to do.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tom]

Hello,
I recently got a baby sulcata and she appears to look healthy. She loves exploring my yard and I give her some food pellets with spring mix. Her sleeping schedule is good she wakes up at 9am and then sunbathes until 2 pm and then I take her out to explore until she falls asleep at around 4. She then wakes up to eat at 6 and falls asleep again. The lighting I have is a zoo med bulb that has both UVA and UVB 100w I had a regular basking light but it broke so I’m waiting on a new one. It’s coming tomorrow, but for the mean time I take her out so that she gets enough heat. It’s about 7 inches from the ground. Her enclosure is pretty big and the substrate is a mix of topsoil with cypress mulch. Yet when she’s in her enclosure she scratches her little eye/side with her arm. I don’t know why. If any of you guys have some info for me I really appreciate it :,)

There are quite a few possibilities from what you've posted here. The care sheet Maggie linked for you will explain everything, but here are some problems I see that I'd like to point out to help you.

• Most of the care advice given for this species is wrong. Its obvious you love your tortoise and want to take excellent care of it, but you were taught the wrong stuff and sold the wrong products. We will help you get it right.
• Your baby needs to be in its indoor enclosure most of the time. All that time outside is not good for it and it is also causing pyramiding. Pyramiding is permanent and cannot be undone. Once its there it is there forever. All you can do is work to prevent it from getting worse, and hopefully the new growth will come in better over time. Your baby needs monsoon conditions, not desert conditions. You'll need a closed chamber since you can't maintain monsoon conditions in an open topped enclosure like the one you have.
• The bulb you are using also causes pyramiding.
• Only your thermometer can tell you the correct bulb height. It should be about 95-100 directly under the bulb.
• It should be 80+ in the rest of the enclosure day and night. You need night heat. A CHE or a radiant heat panel will be best.
• Soil should never be used under a tortoise. The soil you've used has perlite in it. This is deadly to tortoises and you need to remove it ASAP. Fine grade orchid bark is best for this species. You can find it in bulk at local nurseries. Its also called fir bark. You won't find it at hardware stores.
• Those bowls are tortoise death traps. Its good that you removed it. Terra cotta plant saucers sunk into the substrate work best.
• When you say "take her out to explore" do you mean loose on the floor? If yes, that is a recipe for disaster. The tortoise should be either in the indoor enclosure or the outdoor. Or the soaking tub.

Read that thread from Maggie, and then come back with all your questions.

 

[jr_16]

There are quite a few possibilities from what you've posted here. The care sheet Maggie linked for you will explain everything, but here are some problems I see that I'd like to point out to help you.

• Most of the care advice given for this species is wrong. Its obvious you love your tortoise and want to take excellent care of it, but you were taught the wrong stuff and sold the wrong products. We will help you get it right.
• Your baby needs to be in its indoor enclosure most of the time. All that time outside is not good for it and it is also causing pyramiding. Pyramiding is permanent and cannot be undone. Once its there it is there forever. All you can do is work to prevent it from getting worse, and hopefully the new growth will come in better over time. Your baby needs monsoon conditions, not desert conditions. You'll need a closed chamber since you can't maintain monsoon conditions in an open topped enclosure like the one you have.
• The bulb you are using also causes pyramiding.
• Only your thermometer can tell you the correct bulb height. It should be about 95-100 directly under the bulb.
• It should be 80+ in the rest of the enclosure day and night. You need night heat. A CHE or a radiant heat panel will be best.
• Soil should never be used under a tortoise. The soil you've used has perlite in it. This is deadly to tortoises and you need to remove it ASAP. Fine grade orchid bark is best for this species. You can find it in bulk at local nurseries. Its also called fir bark. You won't find it at hardware stores.
• Those bowls are tortoise death traps. Its good that you removed it. Terra cotta plant saucers sunk into the substrate work best.
• When you say "take her out to explore" do you mean loose on the floor? If yes, that is a recipe for disaster. The tortoise should be either in the indoor enclosure or the outdoor. Or the soaking tub.

Read that thread from Maggie, and then come back with all your questions.

She is too dry, that's one reason her eyes itch. Please read this care sheet before long term damages her. Sulcata hatchlings need about 80% humidity, here's some reading for you to do.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Hello Tom,
Thank you so much for replying. I really i appreciate your help and I have some questions if you don’t mind.

Is it ok if I make a wooden lid that has the holes for the lamps? It would be perfectly fit so that the humidity won’t leak out. I would put the the lamps in the enclosure but I don’t know how to do that.

• I’m going to get coconut coir mix with orchard bark if that’s ok?
• How much power does the CHE have to be? 100w or 60w
• Can I not take her out on the grass anymore? Like ever or until she grows more?
• When should I change the substrate? And will it mold?
• Currently I’m feeding her some spring mix and some nutrional tortoise pellets. But shes picky and only eats the greens and not the purple leafs and she only eats a couple of pellets because it sticks to her little mouth. Should I just give her greens and grass with a sprinkle of vitamin powder? ( I have one called zoo med reptivite with vitamin D3)
• I also haven’t seen her poop or pee since I got her which was 5 days ago is something wrong ?
• These are the things I’m getting for my baby :
• thermostat controller,
• another lamp with a CHE bulb,
• some cuttlefish bone,
• a digital thermometer,
• a terra cotta plant saucer
• I’m going to make her a lil humid hide by using a plastic container and putting some pea moss in it.
• Is there anything else you’d recommend for my baby? I really just want to give her a good life and I was so sad to see that I wasn’t treating her like she was suppose to be treated. Hopefully with everything I’m getting her she stays healthy and lives for long.:,)

 

[jr_16]

She is too dry, that's one reason her eyes itch. Please read this care sheet before long term damages her. Sulcata hatchlings need about 80% humidity, here's some reading for you to do.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you so much Maggie. I really appreciate your help

 

[jr_16]

@Tom

 

[Maggie3fan]

There are quite a few possibilities from what you've posted here. The care sheet Maggie linked for you will explain everything, but here are some problems I see that I'd like to point out to help you.

• Most of the care advice given for this species is wrong. Its obvious you love your tortoise and want to take excellent care of it, but you were taught the wrong stuff and sold the wrong products. We will help you get it right.
• Your baby needs to be in its indoor enclosure most of the time. All that time outside is not good for it and it is also causing pyramiding. Pyramiding is permanent and cannot be undone. Once its there it is there forever. All you can do is work to prevent it from getting worse, and hopefully the new growth will come in better over time. Your baby needs monsoon conditions, not desert conditions. You'll need a closed chamber since you can't maintain monsoon conditions in an open topped enclosure like the one you have.
• The bulb you are using also causes pyramiding.
• Only your thermometer can tell you the correct bulb height. It should be about 95-100 directly under the bulb.
• It should be 80+ in the rest of the enclosure day and night. You need night heat. A CHE or a radiant heat panel will be best.
• Soil should never be used under a tortoise. The soil you've used has perlite in it. This is deadly to tortoises and you need to remove it ASAP. Fine grade orchid bark is best for this species. You can find it in bulk at local nurseries. Its also called fir bark. You won't find it at hardware stores.
• Those bowls are tortoise death traps. Its good that you removed it. Terra cotta plant saucers sunk into the substrate work best.
• When you say "take her out to explore" do you mean loose on the floor? If yes, that is a recipe for disaster. The tortoise should be either in the indoor enclosure or the outdoor. Or the soaking tub.

Read that thread from Maggie, and then come back with all your questions.

Just so you can really understand what can happen and now what it looks like. I operated a small special needs turtle and tortoise rescue for a number of years, and have a reputation for that around here.
This is Mary Knobbins. She was found walking the streets of downtown Portland Oregon, so guy picked her up and brought her to the local wildlife rescue, so they called me and I went and got this tortoise...this is what pyramiding looks like, and your baby is in danger of this, also, what you can't see that generally speaking, goes along with pyramiding, is MBD metabolic bone disease
anyway, here's Mary

also that is what she looks like after 3 years of being under my care. Her new growth is smooth. She is between 3 and 5 years old and only weighs 20 lbs. But she's growing...
This is Big Sam...
His growth was fine until last winter when he had to spend most of the winter in his shed under a UVB light that was out of UVB. The way his carapace curves also a sign of pyramiding.
I just wanted you to see what we were talking about and why.

 

[jr_16]

Just so you can really understand what can happen and now what it looks like. I operated a small special needs turtle and tortoise rescue for a number of years, and have a reputation for that around here.
This is Mary Knobbins. She was found walking the streets of downtown Portland Oregon, so guy picked her up and brought her to the local wildlife rescue, so they called me and I went and got this tortoise...this is what pyramiding looks like, and your baby is in danger of this, also, what you can't see that generally speaking, goes along with pyramiding, is MBD metabolic bone disease
anyway, here's Mary
View attachment 311229
also that is what she looks like after 3 years of being under my care. Her new growth is smooth. She is between 3 and 5 years old and only weighs 20 lbs. But she's growing...
This is Big Sam...
His growth was fine until last winter when he had to spend most of the winter in his shed under a UVB light that was out of UVB. The way his carapace curves also a sign of pyramiding.
I just wanted you to see what we were talking about and why.View attachment 311230

Thank you so much for taking your time in educating me. I now see how serious pyramiding is for a tortoise and I will take care of my baby so that she won’t be in any harm. Best wishes to Big Sam and Mary Knobbins