Is my tortoise okay?

FrankieBabe11

New Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2016
Messages
4
Got my baby Sulcata tortoise (Frankie) 3 weeks ago. Temperature in the terrarium stays between 85 and 95 and the size of terrarium is quite large. He has a soaking bath, log to hide under, and the bottom is covered in cedar chips. He was very active the first two weeks: eating and constantly walking around. For the last week he has barely eaten, sleeps almost 100% of the time and doesn't move much (even when we take him out to walk around). He does what we like to call "the franklin" when he moves his head back and forth and his arms. We know this is breathing for a tortoise but he has been doing it a lot more than he used to and is constantly 'yawning' when doing so. He also is making a squeaking noise every so often when he breathes. We feed him spring mix lettuce daily. He seems to have gotten this way after we took him on a trip. His mom also tends to pick him up a lot and tried to clean him one time (she no longer does this and feels bad about it :() Please help us! We love the little guy so much and just want the best for him!
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Also what do you mean his mom picks him up and cleans him? They are not like a dog or cat. They don't take care of their babies. They lay them in the ground and they leave, never to return to take care of them. Please read all the caresheets in the sulcata section. Also read the thread beginner mistakes. You also need to get humidity into the enclosure 80% with this high temps. Basking area should be at least 95 the rest no lower then 80 and that's with the 80% humidity. Also you need to add a lot more things to his diet. All the info is on this forum. Read it all, you have a lot to change.
 
Last edited:

GingerLove

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2016
Messages
1,287
Change the UVB light. My tort got real lazy and moved her head like that when the light quit putting out UVB rays. The squeaking and yawning is a little concerning though. Could be due to the cedar chips. I would recommend switching to coconut coir.
 

cmacusa3

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2014
Messages
3,191
Location (City and/or State)
Bixby
Post pictures of the enclosure and tell us more about the lighting, 4 temps in the enclosure. I would disagree about changing the light until we know more about the set up. Definitely get rid of the cedar.
 
M

Maggie Cummings

Guest
First of all, is that light bulb a spiral? If so they do cause the symptoms you describe, and cedar is toxic, yes, toxic, get rid of it immediately, if not sooner. No pine, no cedar. Put him in a small container and soak him in warm Gerber strained carrots twice a day, no cedar, no spiral bulbs. Do what Barb says about the temps. It 'could' be a respiratory infection. That's one or 3 reasons why we need to see the pix of your set up, so we can eliminate choices, for instance, if it's not a spiral bulb, then we can rule that out. I'd close off the top if it's open, even if you just use aluminum foil.....and welcome. We are not criticizing you, we are simply trying to help. I'm fostering 2 Sulcata that I got from one baby and a yearling, I have raised numerous Sulcata babies, so I understand what you're going thru. But get rid of the cedar right now, even if you just put him on a towel....please.
 
Top