I'm too worried!

[Knack4things]

Tom answered me on another thread, but still, I'm new at owning a tortoise so I have questions.

Do you think my sulcata tortoise, Cas, is healthy? I'm a paranoid keeper, I've had him for about three weeks now, he's just a baby, not more than a month. He seems to be gaining weight, as I weigh him every Friday. For the first few days he ate the pellet food that he came with. Then I went out and bought him Grassland Tortoise food and he devoured that for about a week along with some greens and has available grasses to eat outside.

He lives outside in an enclosure on the ground. Temps are in the 90's to 80 degrees, though we got a cold front and it lowered to about 78 degrees two nights ago, which is when his strange activity started. It's still pretty humid outside, we had a day or two of rain before the cold front. In my previous post Tom said it was normal behavior for them to slow down eating when temps drop, sounds about right, but...

Despite having available grasses, I usually bring him inside once a day to eat some grassland food so he gets his calcium and vitamins that he needs. Yesterday he ate a few bites but today he hasn't eaten his pellet food at all. He actually turns his head when I try to feed him! I even tried mixing a little peach/mango applesauce in it, but nope, no interest whatsoever, he just stomps on past the food. Tried to eat my bright, colorful key chain though. XP

So here's the thing. He has no discharge from his nose or mouth. He had a normal bowel movement yesterday afternoon. Good coloring on his shell. He moved around when I brought him inside and sticks his arms and legs out when I pick him up. His eyes are clear.

The only strange thing is that he occasionally rubs his face against his legs- This seemed to happen more yesterday than today before I soaked him a few times and wiped his eyes/nose area.

He does seem a little more lazy than usual, like when I brought him inside before he would move around and explore, now he'll walk around some and then kind of just plop down and doze off. When I put him outside he walks around more, shows some interest in eating grass, but doesn't act on it.

It doesn't look like he's dying but I have no idea what's going on. Is he just being a picky eater or is there something wrong? Can tortoises get bored of eating the same food? I'm so worried that he's going to starve. >.<

 

[Tom]

Babies should not be housed outside full time. They need consistent controlled temps and humidity. Outside for an hour or two during nice weather is great, but not full time. In my experience they don't do well outside full time regardless of temps and humidity.

 

[Knack4things]

Babies should not be housed outside full time. They need consistent controlled temps and humidity. Outside for an hour or two during nice weather is great, but not full time. In my experience they don't do well outside full time regardless of temps and humidity.

Oh no...he's been outside for three weeks, everything has been fine up until the cold front. Eating, moving around and everything. Going to bring him inside as soon as I can. I hope it's not too late.

 

[sibi]

Because he's a baby, his temps need to be warm and above 80 degrees. If there was a cold front, and temps dropped in the 70's, it could have triggered some biochemical reaction in him to slow down and sleep. Not unlike when we turn the clock back an hour during the fall, some people feel more tired earlier. Now, there's no proof of this a d I don't know that we ever will, but absent of any signs of a cold, it may explain why my torts are doing the same thing right now. They are eating less and sleeping more right now. All but one is healthy and as normal as before. But Tom has a good point though, babies shouldn't be outside all day. It can and has caused problems.

Take a deep breath, and keep the baby inside a warm enclosure. If it's above 80 degrees outside, you can let the baby graze for an hour or two; then, bring him inside.

 

[Knack4things]

Yes, he seems perfectly healthy, just sluggish and not eating. No signs of illness, wheezing, discharge. He has plants to eat, shade, sunlight, everything but an indoor enclosure, and even without that, he seemed to be thriving. Which is why I panicked when he didn't touch his food.

Originally, I was against the idea of leaving him outside because of predators and stuff but it's been nice weather up until two days ago. He stayed inside last night with me when I started noticing his odd behavior.

From now on I'll be bringing him inside. Cold weather's coming anyway. Thanks for your information, I'm definitely feeling better. Now I think I need to take up yoga or something before I have a panic attack XP

 

[wellington]

Please read Toms threads at the bottom of my post. They are the proper way for raising a healthy smooth sulcata. He has done all the research and experiments and may some mistakes along the way and shares all he has learned with us. Set him up inside as described in his threads and let him roam outside on warm days for an hour or so.

 

[Knack4things]

Please read Toms threads at the bottom of my post. They are the proper way for raising a healthy smooth sulcata. He has done all the research and experiments and may some mistakes along the way and shares all he has learned with us. Set him up inside as described in his threads and let him roam outside on warm days for an hour or so.

Thanks! I'll do that. I hope to have him comfortable and eating soon

 

[Knack4things]

Well, today I woke up and checked on him, he stayed inside last night. He's not moving much and his eyes are swollen shut. He was rubbing them two days before like they were irritating him so I soaked him, now I don't know what to do. :/

 

[morloch]

Get a jar of baby carrot food . Warm it up a little with warm water, then soak him in there for about half hour. Then put him under some warm sun.

 

[Knack4things]

Get a jar of baby carrot food . Warm it up a little with warm water, then soak him in there for about half hour. Then put him under some warm sun.

Okay, tried the soak. It got him to liven up slightly and he even used the bathroom, it looked normal... but his eyes are still swollen shut. I found this Stye eye ointment made of mineral oil and petroleum to help with irritation, so I dabbed a little on one of his eyes to see if it helps.

 

[sibi]

The thing with petroleum jelly or mineral oil based products is that his sight will still be difficult because it distorts vision for as long as it's there in his eye. It probably would have been better to use a normal saline solution found in eye drops. You can see if you can find drops for irritated eyes and try that instead of the jelly. Gently squirting warm water in the eyes also helps. I know you're not using any coil type bulb, right? Just keep him warm. You may want to increase temps a bit. Basking 105 degrees, night 95 degrees, cool 85 degrees.

 

[Knack4things]

No coil bulb, he lives outside and gets natural lighting, though I'm planning on moving him inside.

So here's what happened. After being a nervous wreck since eight in the morning, I did the carrot soak but his eyes stayed shut. He seriously looked like he was about to croak. No movement, but occasionally he would raise his head and look at me as if to ask, "What the heck is going on?" A while later, after sitting dutifully by his cage hoping that he wouldn't die, he was moved outside for some fresh air. As soon as the sunlight hit him, he was like Mizuki Noguchi, sprinting across his cage, with his eyes open.

He used the bathroom twice even if I haven't seen him touch his food. He seems interested, then doesn't eat.

I'm still not sure what happened, but I'm glad he's okay for now. Keeping a close eye on him just in case. Any ideas on how to get him to eat?

 

[laney]

Have you managed to get a set up for him indoors in the mean time? If not I know a lot of people use those big plastic storage tubs. I think it sounds like he isn't warm enough, do you have a heat lamp for him now that he's coming indoors?
rinse his eyes every time you soak him just to give them a good flush out, I do that with my three even though their eyes look fine I always think that they're bound to get little bits of dirt stuck in there.
The eyes, lethargy and not eating could all be linked to temperature.
Good luck with your little one.

 

[Knack4things]

No I haven't, but soon! Waiting for a new lamp to come in the mail. Thanks for all the help, I'll keep doing the soaks.

 

[Tom]

You can just use a regular incandescent flood bulb indoors and you can use a ceramic heating element from any pet store for night heat.

Given what you've described above, your baby should not spend another night outdoors.

 

[Knack4things]

Unfortunately, Castiel passed just a few hours ago. I've been up with him for hours, doing everything that I cold to keep him alive, but the life drained out of him before my eyes.

I blame myself for his death, but I'm also going to take this as a learning experience.

 

[parrotlady]

I am sorry for your loss.

 

[laney]

Aww I'm so sorry to hear that.
You done your best for him I'm sure he enjoyed his time with you.
Try not to be hard on yourself, sometimes these things happen.
Sending you hugs, RIP little torty x

 

[sibi]

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that he didn't make it. I guess the outdoor setup was too cold for him. I wish we knew for sure what he died of so that you, as well as anyone who's reading this, could avoid a y mistakes that were made. Unfortunately, that's how we learn. Please don't blame yourself. Anybody could have done all they thought to care for their torts, and he'll still pass away. Babies are very difficult to keep from passing. Sorry for your loss. Please try again sometime soon.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

I'm sorry to hear.

Before stating the death was due to living outside, I'd want to know how this baby was started. Sometimes when the hatchlings are kept too dry with the breeder they suffer internal organ damage. Then it's just a matter of time... despite the care the new home offers.

Sent from my TFOapp