Is my Sulcata sick?

[EmilyPond]

We have two African Spur Tortoises. They are 1 year and about 2 or 3 months old. They are also from the same mother and were hatched at the same time. (We bought them together for my little sister as a Good Job Present for getting Strait A's AGAIN!!) There names are Alvin and Theo. (We call Alvin, Alvina because we think she is the girl. And we think Theo is the boy, but were not sure..)

Alvina is aprox. 3 inches long from front to back of shell.. She has been Hibernating for, id say about 4-6 months now.. she is so tiny compared to Theo.. She doesnt eat or drink or WAKE UP for that matter unless we pick her up out of her house and give her a bath to wake up, then she drinks but she still doesnt eat... And when she goes to the bathroom, her poop is chalky white and runny.. (Is that normal if they dont eat? We are REALLY worried about Alvina.. Do you know what might be wrong with her? Do you think she may be sick?

Theo went into Hibernation, I believe, but not for that long.. He eats like 2 or 3 sometimes 4 lettuce leaves a day. (Depending on how much my mom thinks he needs to eat..) We feed them Romain Lettuce off the Stock. He is about 4 in., MAYBE 4 1/2 in. from front to back of shell.. He has no problem waking up and eating and drinking and he is getting really big.

What are your thoughts on this...? Do you think Alivina is sick or something? How much longer until we can determine what sex they are? (How old are they when they start making nests? How old are they when they start to mate? Sorry for so many questions!! lol Its just my family and I are so VERY worried about Alvina and we dont know how to help her or what to do... Is there anything you can suggest to me or any advice you have for me? We all would really apreciate any pointers or tips or suggestions on what is wrong with her.. Thank you for listening and I hope I hear from you soon!

*Emily Pond*

 

[Kristina]

RE: boy or girl? African spur thigh tortoise or sulcata

Hi Emily, welcome to the forum.

I am going to move your post into its own thread, so that more people will see it and can answer your questions.

First off, let me say that Sulcatas do not hibernate. There probably is a health issue, so we will do our best to help you get it corrected.

 

[EmilyPond]

[split] boy or girl? African spur thigh tortoise or sulcata

Thank you! I really apreciate it! My little sister Darlene would be utterly DEVISTATED if something happened to her babies! She has wanted pets for a long time now, but she is special needs so its hard to find one for her.. What will the new post be named as so I can find it? I just joined this site today so I dont know much about it..

 

[October]

Yes, if your tortoise is indeed a Sulcata and appears to be hibernating, she is very very sick. I'm not sure there are any torts who should be hibernating right now, unless you are south of the equator.

We will need pictures to accurately ID your torts. And more Specifics on the enclosure, substrate, temperatures, food, etc. We can try to guess their sex if you give pictures of their tail and bottom shell. But it will only be a guess. We need a pictures of the whole carapace and while plastron to determine what breed of tort you have. As many of you want to take really. The more the merrier.

The big issue here is figuring out the health issues of your babies.

 

[Laura]

they are about 15 months old? both of them?
We need to know much more... diet, temps, calcium, outdoors at all?
Sulcatas need a minimum of 75 ' year round, DO NOT hibernate, and really need good calcuim and real sun to do well.
however, if where you got them from didnt raise them right,, then you were doomed from the start. :-(
Please post more info and pictures. We are here to help. but it doesnt sound good...
also.. if you are using a Coil bulb... turn it OFF ASAP!
To start.. get some warm water and a jar of baby food. carrot or yam, and mix it with the water and soak them for at least 30 minutes. dont let the water get cold. if you can get liquid calcium, put that in the water mix too.

 

[EmilyPond]

Ok im really new at this.. lol! What is "the whole carapace" and plastron? and when we bought them at the feed store she said they were African Spurred Tortoises.. I have a picture on my fb but ill add it to this link.. (the picuture was from a while back but its the only one i have until i can go and visit my family.)

we are in The deserty part of Arizona, USA. Should I tell my family to scedule an apt with a vet?? They do not have much money at all but I know if we can find a cheap one they will be able to take her..

 

[Laura]

also. do not handle them too much right now. it can stress them out and make things worse.

---

A good reptile Vet wont be cheap. :-( when you first log in , there is a list of vets. See if one is near you.

 

[Kristina]

You don't need a vet yet, until we have more details. A change in husbandry may fix the problem.

The carapace is the upper shell, the plastron is the bottom.

Do they have a heat source? If they are too cold, they won't eat.

 

[EmilyPond]

they are about 15 months old? both of them?
We need to know much more... diet, temps, calcium, outdoors at all?
Sulcatas need a minimum of 75 ' year round, DO NOT hibernate, and really need good calcuim and real sun to do well.
however, if where you got them from didnt raise them right,, then you were doomed from the start. :-(
Please post more info and pictures. We are here to help. but it doesnt sound good...
also.. if you are using a Coil bulb... turn it OFF ASAP!
To start.. get some warm water and a jar of baby food. carrot or yam, and mix it with the water and soak them for at least 30 minutes. dont let the water get cold. if you can get liquid calcium, put that in the water mix too.

ok.. I dont have MUCH information right now because they are at my parents but i am visiting them in a few days so i can get more details..

The details I DO know are..

DIET: Romain lettuce off the stock
CALCIUM: They have this Mango Pit shaped block of calcium my mom put in there for them to chew on.
OUTDOORS: Not often. They share a Reptile Aquarium indoors and they have a heated lamp (Halogen I believe)
TANK: its a 50 gallon tank i believe, NOT big enough, i know but its the only one my parents could get ahold of..

My parents have this powder calcium I believe and they bought calcium pellets but they dont eat them.. My parents got all the information on how to raise them from the feed store they bought them from.. Does any of that information help? Like i said.. When I go and visit them I will be sure to bring a camera and take as much pictures and info as I can!

---

You don't need a vet yet, until we have more details. A change in husbandry may fix the problem.

The carapace is the upper shell, the plastron is the bottom.

Do they have a heat source? If they are too cold, they won't eat.

sorry.. what is husbandry?

 

[October]

You do need to contact your mom and get started on some treatment for these guys soon though. A baby food soak and some sun could hopefully be helpful until you get there.

What part of AZ? I'm in San Tan Valley.

 

[Laura]

Do your parents have a computer? can they join here? Much easier then to go thru a third party who isnt there...
The diet and very poor..:-(
have your parents check the temps.. or get them outside NOT in the glass aquarium.. but maybe a plastic storage container. have them buy Spring Mix lettuce in a bag from the store.. dark greens. dandilions are sold at some stores to, or go outside and pick some if they are wild and not sprayed.
They can even get a Kiddie pool at walmart.. put some dirt in it and a hiding box, water dish. ( plant saucers work great and are shallow) make sure it isnt too hot to be outside.. so maybe am or later.. shade is fine..
Sounds like you will be busy when you get there in a few days.

 

[EmilyPond]

You do need to contact your mom and get started on some treatment for these guys soon though. A baby food soak and some sun could hopefully be helpful until you get there.

What part of AZ? I'm in San Tan Valley.

ok i will deff tell my mom that! she is the one who takes care of them.

 

[Laura]

The mango pit shaped thing.. is probably a Cuttle bone. that is good. they can scrape it, so it is powdery, over the food. but they have to be eating to benefit.
Husbandry - animal care. feeding, etc.

 

[EmilyPond]

Do your parents have a computer? can they join here? Much easier then to go thru a third party who isnt there...
The diet and very poor..:-(
have your parents check the temps.. or get them outside NOT in the glass aquarium.. but maybe a plastic storage container. have them buy Spring Mix lettuce in a bag from the store.. dark greens. dandilions are sold at some stores to, or go outside and pick some if they are wild and not sprayed.
They can even get a Kiddie pool at walmart.. put some dirt in it and a hiding box, water dish. ( plant saucers work great and are shallow) make sure it isnt too hot to be outside.. so maybe am or later.. shade is fine..
Sounds like you will be busy when you get there in a few days.

my mom doesnt leave them outside because they are so tiny she is afraid the hawks will take them.. and my mom cant build a cage cover on her own.. My dad would but he is an over the road truck driver.. So its up to me!!! How hard is it to build a place for them? Im 6 1/2 months pregnant so i dont want to REALLY over exert myself but i wanna get them outside somewhere safe so nothing can take them.. what did you mean by the diet? i thought romain was good for them.. is it not?

i never thought of a plastic storage container because in AZ where were at its getting up to 100+. Today its about 108 and i thought the heat in the container would WAY over heat them...

---

The mango pit shaped thing.. is probably a Cuttle bone. that is good. they can scrape it, so it is powdery, over the food. but they have to be eating to benefit.
Husbandry - animal care. feeding, etc.

Yeah! i think it IS a cuttle bone or something like that.. she doesnt scrape it, when i saw it i put it in the container just as is. because my mom said they will just knaw on it and it might make their beaks sharper i think.. (that is what the feed store told her..)

---

Do your parents have a computer? can they join here? Much easier then to go thru a third party who isnt there...
The diet and very poor..:-(
have your parents check the temps.. or get them outside NOT in the glass aquarium.. but maybe a plastic storage container. have them buy Spring Mix lettuce in a bag from the store.. dark greens. dandilions are sold at some stores to, or go outside and pick some if they are wild and not sprayed.
They can even get a Kiddie pool at walmart.. put some dirt in it and a hiding box, water dish. ( plant saucers work great and are shallow) make sure it isnt too hot to be outside.. so maybe am or later.. shade is fine..
Sounds like you will be busy when you get there in a few days.

and my mom is VERY computer iliterate.. so she doesnt hardly get on, besides my dad takes the internet when he goes over the road most of the time.. so i would have to call her but she is dealing with a death in the family that happened this morning so i will call her tomorrow......

 

[October]

My tort babies are inside for most of the day. They are in a tank with a basking light, water, hides, etc.

Right now, with the heat, I'll take them out in the morning while I water the garden. They soak for about 15 minutes, in a big food tupperware that is in half sun, half shade. Then I let them roam. If things aren't too hectic in the evening I take them out around 7 and let them roam some more. I stay out there because I'm paranoid about birds, but I never seen any take an interest in the tiny "rocks" in my yard. They will dehydrate easy in this heat, so go for about an hour outisde total, when possible.

Here is a really good post on how to properly house and feed your Sullys. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies#axzz1QL3YwmY2

Romaine is just okay. Variety is key, really. Bags of spring mix or other salad mixes from the grocery are better. Cactus pads, which you can find at the little mexican markets, food city, or some grocery stores, is really really good for them. Weeds from the yard, as long as they haven't been sprayed with bug/weed killer or fertilizer are also good.

 

[EmilyPond]

You do need to contact your mom and get started on some treatment for these guys soon though. A baby food soak and some sun could hopefully be helpful until you get there.

What part of AZ? I'm in San Tan Valley.

My family lives in the Tonopah, AZ area Im not sure where San Tan Valley is.. lol

 

[Laura]

a quick easy cover is chicken wire. It can be folded over the top or make a frame and attach it. Make sure no dogs can get to them tho. the chicken wire will keep birds out.
yes, that is hot.. so only in the AM or later, or just the shade. no sun.
romaine is ok if it is fed with lot of other stuff. Not good on its own. Most pet stores
do not give out the best info.
What kind of substrate is in the tank? sand? Dirt? pellets?
They need humidity. moisture is VERY important to babies. Its something new, that we keepers are just learning about.
What is your FB name? lots of Emily ponds

 

[October]

I'm sorry about the death in the family.

Building an outside enclosure is as easy as you make it. Check this out: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...Enclosure?highlight=kiddie+pool#axzz1QL5M7U1f

The only difference between Tom's setup and one in AZ, is it will get much much too hot. So again, early morning and late evenings. They don't need direct, beating-down sun to get the UVB they need.

Did your mom mention if their shells felt soft, at all?

---

You do need to contact your mom and get started on some treatment for these guys soon though. A baby food soak and some sun could hopefully be helpful until you get there.

What part of AZ? I'm in San Tan Valley.

My family lives in the Tonopah, AZ area Im not sure where San Tan Valley is.. lol

East of Queen Creek. You are way way west of PHX and I'm way way east.

 

[EmilyPond]

My tort babies are inside for most of the day. They are in a tank with a basking light, water, hides, etc.

Right now, with the heat, I'll take them out in the morning while I water the garden. They soak for about 15 minutes, in a big food tupperware that is in half sun, half shade. Then I let them roam. If things aren't too hectic in the evening I take them out around 7 and let them roam some more. I stay out there because I'm paranoid about birds, but I never seen any take an interest in the tiny "rocks" in my yard. They will dehydrate easy in this heat, so go for about an hour outisde total, when possible.

Here is a really good post on how to properly house and feed your Sullys. http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-To-Raise-Sulcata-Hatchlings-and-Babies#axzz1QL3YwmY2

Romaine is just okay. Variety is key, really. Bags of spring mix or other salad mixes from the grocery are better. Cactus pads, which you can find at the little mexican markets, food city, or some grocery stores, is really really good for them. Weeds from the yard, as long as they haven't been sprayed with bug/weed killer or fertilizer are also good.

ok awesome! my mom and i are really scared about the birds too! lol she goes and waters every day too so that might just work! i will talk to her about cactus pads and other variety of lettuce too! and we never spray the weeds so we can try that too.. so about Alvina and her not eating... If we put baby food into her water for about 30 minutes a day will that give her nutrience? Why is she sleeping all day long and why wont she eat?? she only drinks when we wake her up... and WE have to wake her up.. she never comes out of her home unless we take her out..

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Emily:

Welcome to the forum!!