J&Vreptifarm

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We have had our Sulcata just over a year. It initially had RI shortly after we acquired him. We treated him with antibiotics and I believe they gave him a shot...calcium? I'm not sure. Well, he stayed sick on and off for months. His skin peeled it was scary. I syringe fed him for a while and now he's been great for about 6 months, eating great and no RI. This morning I noticed him in his water bowl which was strange there was not even an inch of water in the dish. I came home and he was gone. I weighed him the other day and he was 136 grams. Today after he passed 142... could he have fallen asleep and drowned? He never moved as fast as my other torts but he got around. We're at a loss for what happened. He was in a nursery with a uvb and heart mat, hot and cold sides. They go out regularly for sunlight. Eat collards, mazuri, greens, red leaf lettuce etc. Everyone else is fine. Any ideas? We just soaked them 2 days ago. Final pic...?
 

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Lyn W

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Hi and welcome,
Sorry for your loss.
I'm sure someone with more experience of raising sullies will be along soon but this is the caresheet with up to date advice

Now you just have the two they may be better separated so that they each have their own space, Torts are territorial and don't like sharing space/food/basking spots etc . It is very stressful for them.
 

J&Vreptifarm

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Hi and welcome,
Sorry for your loss.
I'm sure someone with more experience of raising sullies will be along soon but this is the caresheet with up to date advice

Now you just have the two they may be better separated so that they each have their own space, Torts are territorial and don't like sharing space/food/basking spots etc . It is very stressful for them.
Thank you... and Yes, we know they can be territorial, however all ate and seemed just fine. This baby just never seemed 100%. My hatchling is more active than this yearling ever was. Hopefully someone has some insight. We have the tort care guide and it's pretty much what we do so we're at a loss. ?
 

wellington

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So sorry. Everything would just be guesses. Only a vet necropsy could answer your question.
My guess is he just never fully recovered and could have had stress from being with other torts.
They are loners and being with others is a stresser.
 

J&Vreptifarm

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So sorry. Everything would just be guesses. Only a vet necropsy could answer your question.
My guess is he just never fully recovered and could have had stress from being with other torts.
They are loners and being with others is a stresser.
They've been together since both were hatched basically as the reptile specialists we got him from kept them this way.
 

wellington

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They've been together since both were hatched basically as the reptile specialists we got him from kept them this way.
If the so called specialist said it's okay to keep them in pairs or even as a trio without further instructions on watching for signs of bullying, stress, quarantine, or housing a hatchling with a yearling, etc., well, I wouldn't call him a specialist.
Btw, a sick tort is stressed and should not be housed with others while recovering.
 

J&Vreptifarm

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We didn't keep the sick tort with the others when he was ill. He did give us tons of instructions. We have them in our main living space and watch them all the time. We even have cameras to check on everyone and again they were all great. The hatchling would be the one we'd be worried about since he was technically the smallest and he was just fine. We have a 2 year old tort we house separately due to its size.
 

wellington

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We didn't keep the sick tort with the others when he was ill. He did give us tons of instructions. We have them in our main living space and watch them all the time. We even have cameras to check on everyone and again they were all great. The hatchling would be the one we'd be worried about since he was technically the smallest and he was just fine. We have a 2 year old tort we house separately due to its size.
That's good, glad you housed him alone. My guess would still be that he never fully recovered. From what I have read over the years, from members that had to treat for RI, it takes a long time to recover and many seem to go backwards in the recovery before completely moving forward again.
 

Yvonne G

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Looks like you have a redfoot tortoise in with the sulcatas. I don't know if that's the reason he died, but I do know it's not a good idea to mix species.

The only way to know for sure is to get him necropsied.
 

Tom

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We have had our Sulcata just over a year. It initially had RI shortly after we acquired him. We treated him with antibiotics and I believe they gave him a shot...calcium? I'm not sure. Well, he stayed sick on and off for months. His skin peeled it was scary. I syringe fed him for a while and now he's been great for about 6 months, eating great and no RI. This morning I noticed him in his water bowl which was strange there was not even an inch of water in the dish. I came home and he was gone. I weighed him the other day and he was 136 grams. Today after he passed 142... could he have fallen asleep and drowned? He never moved as fast as my other torts but he got around. We're at a loss for what happened. He was in a nursery with a uvb and heart mat, hot and cold sides. They go out regularly for sunlight. Eat collards, mazuri, greens, red leaf lettuce etc. Everyone else is fine. Any ideas? We just soaked them 2 days ago. Final pic...?
Sounds like this one was damaged goods from day one. Some of them don't recover.

There shouldn't be a "Cold" side for sulcatas. This could be part of the problem. Review this for the current and correct care info:
 

TeamZissou

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The skin peeling is a little weird. What supplements or powders were you giving? Overdose of vitamin A causes severe, raw skin peeling, but I don't know if it would lead to death. If the vet gave a vitamin A shot it likely did nothing to help.
 

TeamZissou

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Can these threads be merged? It's the same OP.

 

J&Vreptifarm

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The skin peeling is a little weird. What supplements or powders were you giving? Overdose of vitamin A causes severe, raw skin peeling, but I don't know if it would lead to death. If the vet gave a vitamin A shot it likely did nothing to help.
Sounds like this one was damaged goods from day one. Some of them don't recover.

There shouldn't be a "Cold" side for sulcatas. This could be part of the problem. Review this for the current and correct care info:
I didn't give him anything but I believe the vet gave vitamin A which caused the peeling. Again he was great after all that. By cool side I mean not under direct heat a place where he could get away from the heat or the sun. I do think he was a sick little guy from day 1.
 

J&Vreptifarm

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Looks like you have a redfoot tortoise in with the sulcatas. I don't know if that's the reason he died, but I do know it's not a good idea to mix species.

The only way to know for sure is to get him necropsied.
Yeah we might. Trying to find information from vet where to send him.
No keeping them together wouldn't cause death and they weren't stressed as we observed them closely every day. He even looked and moved different than my other Sulcata. Thinking he was just a sickly little dude.
 

Tom

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No keeping them together wouldn't cause death and they weren't stressed as we observed them closely every day.
First, experience has taught me that most people don't recognize the subtle signs of torotise territoriality.

Second these two species have very different housing and feeding requirements, and this alone makes them incompatible, even if we ignore the behavioral aspects. Which one is in the wrong housing conditions and being fed the wrong foods?

Third point is that different species from different parts of the world can't handle each other's flora and fauna. Organisms that are commensal with one tortoise species can be deadly to another species. Especially so when one animal already has a compromised immune system, is fighting sickness, and then is mis-treated by an ignorant vet.

A complete necropsy may reveal more, but it is very possible and likely that mixing species did contribute to this death. Species should never be mixed, and tortoises should never be kept in pairs.

Here is a tortoise trust article linked by @Yvonne G previously:
 
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Yvonne G

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Yeah we might. Trying to find information from vet where to send him.
No keeping them together wouldn't cause death and they weren't stressed as we observed them closely every day. He even looked and moved different than my other Sulcata. Thinking he was just a sickly little dude.
You didn't understand what I was telling you: Tortoises that evolved living on different continents from each other have different microorganisms that they've evolved with and live in harmony with. When you put different species together, species that come from different continents, those micro organisms can cause illness and death for the other species.

Snap! Should have read all the posts before I made this post. Sorry Tom.
 

Learning123

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You didn't understand what I was telling you: Tortoises that evolved living on different continents from each other have different microorganisms that they've evolved with and live in harmony with. When you put different species together, species that come from different continents, those micro organisms can cause illness and death for the other species.

Snap! Should have read all the posts before I made this post. Sorry Tom.
It's more believable for some if more than one person says it.
 

J&Vreptifarm

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I've had 4 keepers tell me housing them together was fine as well. They have had their torts from 5 to 20 years. So yes, maybe more than one person telling you is believable. ?
 
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First, experience has taught me that most people don't recognize the subtle signs of torotise territoriality.

Second these two species have very different housing and feeding requirements, and this alone makes them incompatible, even if we ignore the behavioral aspects. Which one is in the wrong housing conditions and being fed the wrong foods?

Third point is that different species from different parts of the world can't handle each other's flora and fauna. Organisms that are commensal with one tortoise species can be deadly to another species. Especially so when one animal already has a compromised immune system, is fighting sickness, and then is mis-treated by an ignorant vet.

A complete necropsy may reveal more, but it is very possible and likely that mixing species did contribute to this death. Species should never be mixed, and tortoises should never be kept in pairs.

Here is a tortoise trust article linked by @Yvonne G previously:
Hey Tom, maybe when you have time can you make a post about the subtle signs of territoriality? If it already exists can someone direct me to it. Thanks!
 

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