Problems with sick tortoise and humidity/pyramiding.

[B31415]

After a lot of thought, I decided to purchase a sulcata tortoise online and have it shipped overnight to my house after I had a habitat established and ready for it. The company I purchased my sulcata from sent it in a plastic container with a lid that had holes in it, and the bowl had a cold and damp napkin in it.
From the day I received my sulcata it was making little squeaking noises that I assumed was his way of communicating with me. (I realized after two days of squeaking this was not the case when I noticed that he sounded "sniffly.") I took my sulcata promptly to the vet and I received some antibiotics. I have just finished an entire monthly course of antibiotics and my sulcata is still squeaking. My sulcata is acting healthy other than the squeaking. He is eating, active, and seems happy.
I'm puzzled over why these antibiotics don't seem to have helped my sulcata get better. He has a basking spot during the day that stays around 100, and at night the ambient temp never drops below 80.
When I realized my sulcata was sick, I assumed that he was sick because 1. He was shipped to me cold and damp, and because 2. I had been misting his habitat too much. I read on the forums here that 80% humidity is acceptable and even recommended. So, I have not been giving him a ton of humidity for fear it will make him even sicker than he already is. He is getting regular baths to prevent dehydration, but his habitat humidity is currently around 40-55%.
My questions are: does my sulcata have CURRENT pyramiding? (It looks like the pyramiding growth may be older?) At some angles, it looks like he has pyramiding, while at other angles he looks completely fine. Should I raise the humidity even if my sulcata is sick? And do tortoises ever communicate through squeaking, or is this always a sign that they are sick? And, does anyone have any ideas about why my sulcata may be squeaking even after a full course of antibiotics?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi and welcome!

Be sure the habitat stays at least 80F all over the whole area. All that moisture and cool temperatures is a death sentence. But all that moisture along with very warm temperatures if quite healthy for him.

 

[Big Charlie]

As Yvonne said, the humidity isn't the problem, it's the cold. Cold and wet is bad, but warm and wet is good.

 

[Markw84]

Yes, your tortoise was pyramiding quite badly, however the new growth seems much better.

Dry is bad for a sulcata. The book, The Crying Tortoise is actually named because of the propensity for sulcatas in the wild to be seen with watering eyes and excess salivation. That is from the extreme heat and the dryness and dust. They thrive in warm, humid environments.

The best way to ensure your tortoise has the best chance to recover is to keep the coolest part of the enclosure at 85° until better and get that humidity up. Once better, I never let the enclosure drop below 80°. But that is the coldest part of the enclosure, not the average. Set your probe for your thermostat at the coolest location in the enclosure. Set that for 85°. The adjust your basking light to get the basking area to 95°.

 

[Bee62]

Hello,

your questions about humidity and warmth were already answered, but your question because of the squeking noise not, I think.
This noise is always a sign for a RI. Tortoises are hissing when they are scared but do not communicate with squeeky noises. They are very quiet animals.