OKay, so i just got a baby sulcata tortoise whos only about 3 weeks old. I have noticed her shell is soft, mostly at the bottom. Im feeding her grass and weeks im finding outside. I just made a nice big tortoise table for her and i have 3 lights shining on the table. One is the reptisun 10.0ubv desert light, the 2nd one is the basking spot lamp, and the 3rd is just a regular bulb for some warmth at the other end of the table. Im spraying on calcium to her grass every once in a while, but her shells not gettting harder. Do i have the right UVB light or should i go and buy the T-Rex light everyones reccommending? Please Help!
Need help, 1st baby sulcata
- Thread starter abbs
- Start date
- Status
Hi abbs,
I had Marley since he was 3 days old. Your baby sulcata will probably eat better if you feed him greens instead of weeds and grass. Is he eating weeds and grass well? It's rare to have them eat weeds so wilingly at such young age. Also, are the grass and weeds you find outside clean? Are you sure that there aren't any pesticides or chemicals sprayed on them? You should be careful where you pick your food. Your baby's shell will be soft for awhile. Marley's shell was also soft up until 6 months. It gets harder little by little with right supplements and enough heat. What is the temperature where the basking spot lamp is? I don't know what a desert light is.. but I'm sure someone here in tortoiseforum can help you on that art. Marley is 9 months old now, and his shell is finally pretty hard.
Spraying calcium is good. It will help the baby grow a stronger shell.
I had Marley since he was 3 days old. Your baby sulcata will probably eat better if you feed him greens instead of weeds and grass. Is he eating weeds and grass well? It's rare to have them eat weeds so wilingly at such young age. Also, are the grass and weeds you find outside clean? Are you sure that there aren't any pesticides or chemicals sprayed on them? You should be careful where you pick your food. Your baby's shell will be soft for awhile. Marley's shell was also soft up until 6 months. It gets harder little by little with right supplements and enough heat. What is the temperature where the basking spot lamp is? I don't know what a desert light is.. but I'm sure someone here in tortoiseforum can help you on that art. Marley is 9 months old now, and his shell is finally pretty hard.
Spraying calcium is good. It will help the baby grow a stronger shell.
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
Try feeding him Spring Mix and cut it up small for him. Cut some grass and sprinkle that over his food. That should help. Ask his previous keepers what they fed him.
Hi Abbs:
to the forum!!
Babies plastrons are kinda' sorta' soft for the first few months of their lives. But if you think yours is too soft, then calcium plus the UV light should help. How old is your UV light? And how far is it from the floor of the habitat. Also, does it shine straight down, or at an angle?
Babies plastrons are kinda' sorta' soft for the first few months of their lives. But if you think yours is too soft, then calcium plus the UV light should help. How old is your UV light? And how far is it from the floor of the habitat. Also, does it shine straight down, or at an angle?
Hi Mochii,
i think her tems somewhere around 80 to 85 degreees at her basking lamp. and i noticed that the UVb light dosent produce much heat. Is that a problem? The basking light points straight down, while the UVB light is slightly at a angle. i just got the lights when i got her which was about a month ago. She used to eat very well, but not as much as she used to. Im just worried becasue her shell seems softer.
Um , its about 80-85 degrees under her basking lamp, and both the UVb light and basking lamp are about 10in away from the top of her shell when shes under it
i think her tems somewhere around 80 to 85 degreees at her basking lamp. and i noticed that the UVb light dosent produce much heat. Is that a problem? The basking light points straight down, while the UVB light is slightly at a angle. i just got the lights when i got her which was about a month ago. She used to eat very well, but not as much as she used to. Im just worried becasue her shell seems softer.
emysemys said:Hi Abbs:
to the forum!!
Babies plastrons are kinda' sorta' soft for the first few months of their lives. But if you think yours is too soft, then calcium plus the UV light should help. How old is your UV light? And how far is it from the floor of the habitat. Also, does it shine straight down, or at an angle?
Um , its about 80-85 degrees under her basking lamp, and both the UVb light and basking lamp are about 10in away from the top of her shell when shes under it
Welcome to the forum! natural sunshine + calcium = way to get a hard shell
its chiillly outside. i dont want her to freeze. I wanted to keep her inside till im done with school for the day, then have her outside for a while. but idk. the temp ranges from 40-70 degrees outide. wouldnt she be cold and freeze? IM afraid my cats wiill harm her when they race outside. ands other wild creatures may take her.
The optunia cactus is really good for their shell. Also, even though it is indoors, it would do it some good to go outside a short while each day to help harden the shell. Perhaps a small plastic pool with access to shade too.
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2009
- Messages
- 1,601
Dandilions are great weeds to mix in with other fresh grasses, weeds, and leafy greens.
Your basking spot needs to be hotter. What are you using for a basking bulb? You may need to move it closer to get into the mid to upper 90s. If the tort does not have enough heat, it won't be able to digest properly. At the same time, you need to be sure there are areas where it can get out of the heat if it wants to (mid-70s) on the cool end. Adding lots of hides, plants (even fake), and providing digable substrate that holds moisture will help.
Do you have pics of your setup? Do you mist\spray and soak the little tort at all? What are you using for substrate?
How are you measuring the temps?
Oh, and don't forget a shallow wading pool as well - something it can easily climb in and out of - but not so deep that there is risk of drowning...
Your basking spot needs to be hotter. What are you using for a basking bulb? You may need to move it closer to get into the mid to upper 90s. If the tort does not have enough heat, it won't be able to digest properly. At the same time, you need to be sure there are areas where it can get out of the heat if it wants to (mid-70s) on the cool end. Adding lots of hides, plants (even fake), and providing digable substrate that holds moisture will help.
Do you have pics of your setup? Do you mist\spray and soak the little tort at all? What are you using for substrate?
How are you measuring the temps?
Oh, and don't forget a shallow wading pool as well - something it can easily climb in and out of - but not so deep that there is risk of drowning...
Build something outside that it can be safe in. Add heat if nec, but natural sun is best. bring it inside at night.
chadk said:
Um, okay the basking bulb is a 100watt sun glo. im using a temperatue gauge i got a petco. I do have a saucer at a corner, surounded by rocks so she can climb in and out of. I have provided her with 2 cardboard hiding places along with a wooden log for her to walk under. (Its a prettty big wooden table.)
Im using some carefresh bedding, with newspapers under it. At first when i put her in there she took a bit at it, but never again has she put it in her mouth. i clear a spot where i put her grasses and such.
Every morning, as im doing my hair or brushing my teeth, i soak her in warm water. I watch over her carefully and occasually pour some water over her shell. Then after i finish, (usually about 20 min) i take her out and dry her.
abbs, I did a big ole' reply for you on this thread over here:
http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-14470.html
http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-14470.html
The biggest problem I see right now is the carefresh bedding. That is not a good bedding at all for tortoises. Better choices would be cypress mulch, coconut coir (the kind that comes in a brick, like Bed a Beast or Eco Earth) or organic orchid bark. She needs a substrate that is easy to walk on and will hold some humidity.
The carefresh is pieces that will roll under her feet when she walks, and it can make her legs grow deformed. It also is very absorbent, and will pull the moisture right out of her body.
Welcome to the forum, I hope you stick around!!!
The carefresh is pieces that will roll under her feet when she walks, and it can make her legs grow deformed. It also is very absorbent, and will pull the moisture right out of her body.
Welcome to the forum, I hope you stick around!!!
Thanks guys! this all hass really helped me. Im going to fix everything right away. Starting tomorrow after school. If i have any probleems i hope you all can help. Im still very new to this sulcata caring and i want to keep her around. (=
You've been given good advice--heed it all and do it quickly. Read Tom's link and everything else you can find under the "Sulcata Central" section of the forum.
If you follow the instructions you're given here--all of them--your baby has a chance to survive. Tortoises, especially hatchlings, are very fragile and will die quickly if they do not have all of the right "stuff": light, heat, substrate, food, water for drinking and soaking, hides and plenty of room to roam.
Good luck on beating the odds. Does your chiclet have a name? If you can post some photos of her and her enclosure, you will get even more good advice from the experienced Sulcata keepers on this forum: http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-5245.html
If you follow the instructions you're given here--all of them--your baby has a chance to survive. Tortoises, especially hatchlings, are very fragile and will die quickly if they do not have all of the right "stuff": light, heat, substrate, food, water for drinking and soaking, hides and plenty of room to roam.
Good luck on beating the odds. Does your chiclet have a name? If you can post some photos of her and her enclosure, you will get even more good advice from the experienced Sulcata keepers on this forum: http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-5245.html
thanks a lot(-= Yah, her names Savannah. Ill check it out, and get started asap. if i need anything else i hope you'll all help me out. the advice was great and pretty much what i was hoping for!
How quickly are you saying? I had her like this for about 2 weeks now.. How much longer do i have to hurry up and fix everything? anf how long will it take for her to start eating and behaving like a sulcata should be?
Stephanie Logan said:
How quickly are you saying? I had her like this for about 2 weeks now.. How much longer do i have to hurry up and fix everything? anf how long will it take for her to start eating and behaving like a sulcata should be?
Yvonne? Maggie? Tom?
How long before the "failure-to-thrive" danger is mainly over?
I'm sorry to be depressing, but a lot of tort babies come and go on this forum, and I am sad about every one of them that is lost. The heat factor is especially critical. You must keep that baby warm enough for it to digest and grow.
How long before the "failure-to-thrive" danger is mainly over?
I'm sorry to be depressing, but a lot of tort babies come and go on this forum, and I am sad about every one of them that is lost. The heat factor is especially critical. You must keep that baby warm enough for it to digest and grow.
There is no way to tell how long a young tort will survive unsatisfactory conditions. Especially, over the internet. Just make the improvements as soon as you can. Critical points right now are heat and hydration. Your tortoises biological systems cannot function with out the right temps. This means that there must be a thermal gradient (cool side and a warm side) so they can move around and keep their body temp just right. Equally important for little ones is dehydration. Daily warm soaks, a humid enclosure, humid hide boxes and water sprayed on the food all help prevent this. How wet and humid you keep things is largely dependent on where you live.
I just changed her bedding. It took me soo much longer to get it then i orrigionally planned. (I blame the store, i had trouble finding and getting what i needed....) anways... Her bedding now is topsoil. earthgro natural soil, or something like that. they had NOTHING else i could possibly use.... is that okay? I hope so, i spent like 2 hrs looking around and trying to get the best kind there... YOu can tell that im one DETICATED pet owner... hahaa(=
- Status
