I need advice please :(

Mozu

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Mar 12, 2019
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So, yesterday I managed to make an extremely huge mistake and my 2 year old sulcata ended up spending the night outside in the rain without my noticing. There has been a lot going on and yesterday was particularly bad, but my tortoise ended up paying for it... I've been crying and beating myself up all day and I am not sure what to do at this point. I had an 18 year old Sulcata before that had a habbit of leaving his burrow to sleep in the rain before and he ended up dying to a respiratory disease. I'm terrified that Im going to lose my little nugget to my own stupidity, and am looking for advice on what to do. Should I crank up the heat in her enclosure and keep her inside for a few days? Any help is welcomed, even if I don't deserve it
 

Miscally

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Others will be doing soon @Tom @Yvonne and others [emoji4] but I'd say heat up and keep in an enclosed house. I hope it turns out well. Best wishes
 

Tortoisefanatic88

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A few warm soaks everyday and turn the temperature up in his enclosure a little bit. Watch his behavior and see if anything is out of ordinary . How is he acting now?
 

Mozu

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A few warm soaks everyday and turn the temperature up in his enclosure a little bit. Watch his behavior and see if anything is out of ordinary . How is he acting now?
Right now my little one is just sleeping in it's hideout, temp is 90 ish. Was eating earlier, and I was listening to it's breathing which didnt sound out of the ordinary, but I dunno if a RTI would manifest that quickly
 

Jenncreates

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I'm still learning myself, but my baby sulcata got respiratory infection and I am very glad to have an exotic vet down the road from us. Having access to an exotic vet nearby was a Huge factor in our decision to take on care of a sulcata. Our vet is very experienced as a tortoise lover herself and helped me figure out how to best care for him. Anyway, our baby went from fine to lethargic and not interested in eating within a day or two, the sounds and snot bubbles came a day later and we went to vet right away since he's a baby. We had to do antibiotic shots every 2 days for about 3 months? I already had experience with shots, so I took care of it at home rather than going to the vet every 2 days (but that was an option) We had to weigh him every few weeks, adjust the dose as he grew, and I am really glad we did it this way because we were able to completely get rid of the infection, but they heal slowly, especially during wintertime. That's our experience. He was back to eating everything after the first shot, but every couple of days he had that snot bubble...a single snot bubble. We treated him until he was symptom free for two weeks. We also only take him outside when it's about 70°F at a minimum, though he's eager to be outside at lower temperatures to explore, but he's not very interested in eating when it's cooler, just interested in exploring his boundaries and trying to exceed them.
 

Tom

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So, yesterday I managed to make an extremely huge mistake and my 2 year old sulcata ended up spending the night outside in the rain without my noticing. There has been a lot going on and yesterday was particularly bad, but my tortoise ended up paying for it... I've been crying and beating myself up all day and I am not sure what to do at this point. I had an 18 year old Sulcata before that had a habbit of leaving his burrow to sleep in the rain before and he ended up dying to a respiratory disease. I'm terrified that Im going to lose my little nugget to my own stupidity, and am looking for advice on what to do. Should I crank up the heat in her enclosure and keep her inside for a few days? Any help is welcomed, even if I don't deserve it
What size is your tortoise?
Where is it living now?
The hideout you mentioned, Is this inside or outside?

You found out the hard way that its too cold in CA to let them burrow except in the hotter areas during summer only. Where in CA are you? Different advice for Plam Springs vs. Pine Mountain.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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I'm still learning myself, but my baby sulcata got respiratory infection and I am very glad to have an exotic vet down the road from us. Having access to an exotic vet nearby was a Huge factor in our decision to take on care of a sulcata. Our vet is very experienced as a tortoise lover herself and helped me figure out how to best care for him. Anyway, our baby went from fine to lethargic and not interested in eating within a day or two, the sounds and snot bubbles came a day later and we went to vet right away since he's a baby. We had to do antibiotic shots every 2 days for about 3 months? I already had experience with shots, so I took care of it at home rather than going to the vet every 2 days (but that was an option) We had to weigh him every few weeks, adjust the dose as he grew, and I am really glad we did it this way because we were able to completely get rid of the infection, but they heal slowly, especially during wintertime. That's our experience. He was back to eating everything after the first shot, but every couple of days he had that snot bubble...a single snot bubble. We treated him until he was symptom free for two weeks. We also only take him outside when it's about 70°F at a minimum, though he's eager to be outside at lower temperatures to explore, but he's not very interested in eating when it's cooler, just interested in exploring his boundaries and trying to exceed them.

The problem I have with so many tortoise vets is that they all want to treat the symptoms, but few of them address and correct the cause of the problem. Those drugs are extremely hard on their little bodies, and many times the problem can be solved by simply keeping them hot for a while.
 

Mozu

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Location (City and/or State)
California
What size is your tortoise?
Where is it living now?
The hideout you mentioned, Is this inside or outside?

You found out the hard way that its too cold in CA to let them burrow except in the hotter areas during summer only. Where in CA are you? Different advice for Plam Springs vs. Pine Mountain.
My little one's plastron is about 8 inches long and just over 4 inches wide. I got him when he was 4 months old and have had him for a year and a half or so. He lives inside with me in an enclosure that is roughly 2 feet wide and 3 feet long. I have a UV bulb, a nightlight, and a heating pad for when it's needed. The hideout is indoor in the aforementioned 2x3 enclosure. I have been trying my hardest to pamper this tortoise with all my heart, but yesterday was a really bad day for me and I had been up for ~50 hours at that point. I put my little one outside to eat like I do everyday, and thought i brought em in, but this morning I opened the enclosure and my tort was nowhere to be found. I immediately ran outside and found my tort in the spot he always likes to be, smiling at me, but cold as a stone. I live in San Diego and it was raining all last night, with the coldest point in the 40's, so I ran inside and turned on the heating pad to accompany the lights. After about an hour of warming up, I put in fresh food and he went to town as per usual, devouring most of it, and then snugged up in the hideout where he's been sleeping comfortably since. I was listening to him breathe immediately after I realized how bad I fucked up, and again after he ate. Both times I didnt hear anything nor did I see any nose running/bubbles, but I'm not sure how long it takes to show signs of an RTI.
The old tortoise I had a habit of leaving his outdoor burrow during a storm and trying to sleep out in the rain. I caught him and stuck him back in a warm spot for the most part, but the one day I didnt catch it, he got sick and ended up dying because I couldnt afford the vet bills. Now I'm terrified that is going to happen again, and while I can afford the vet now, I just feel like an awful sack of ****. Life was kicking my *** and my nugget caught the blowback. I'm trying not to beat myself up and stay positive for my animal's sake, but **** I can't stop tearing up...
For now I'm just keeping him as warm as possible and praying to every known deity for help and forgiveness.
 

Jenncreates

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Joined
Mar 12, 2019
Messages
21
Location (City and/or State)
Watauga, Texas
The problem I have with so many tortoise vets is that they all want to treat the symptoms, but few of them address and correct the cause of the problem. Those drugs are extremely hard on their little bodies, and many times the problem can be solved by simply keeping them hot for a while.
She did address temperature and the importance of warming the tortoise to prevent an infection from coming on in the future. She corrected a lot of misinformation about tortoise care for us, and being only a couple of months old, we chose to use caution because Cass got very sick, very fast. It was not our first choice, and I am glad that in many cases it can be resolved easily with heat.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Southern California
My little one's plastron is about 8 inches long and just over 4 inches wide. I got him when he was 4 months old and have had him for a year and a half or so. He lives inside with me in an enclosure that is roughly 2 feet wide and 3 feet long. I have a UV bulb, a nightlight, and a heating pad for when it's needed. The hideout is indoor in the aforementioned 2x3 enclosure. I have been trying my hardest to pamper this tortoise with all my heart, but yesterday was a really bad day for me and I had been up for ~50 hours at that point. I put my little one outside to eat like I do everyday, and thought i brought em in, but this morning I opened the enclosure and my tort was nowhere to be found. I immediately ran outside and found my tort in the spot he always likes to be, smiling at me, but cold as a stone. I live in San Diego and it was raining all last night, with the coldest point in the 40's, so I ran inside and turned on the heating pad to accompany the lights. After about an hour of warming up, I put in fresh food and he went to town as per usual, devouring most of it, and then snugged up in the hideout where he's been sleeping comfortably since. I was listening to him breathe immediately after I realized how bad I fucked up, and again after he ate. Both times I didnt hear anything nor did I see any nose running/bubbles, but I'm not sure how long it takes to show signs of an RTI.
The old tortoise I had a habit of leaving his outdoor burrow during a storm and trying to sleep out in the rain. I caught him and stuck him back in a warm spot for the most part, but the one day I didnt catch it, he got sick and ended up dying because I couldnt afford the vet bills. Now I'm terrified that is going to happen again, and while I can afford the vet now, I just feel like an awful sack of ****. Life was kicking my *** and my nugget caught the blowback. I'm trying not to beat myself up and stay positive for my animal's sake, but **** I can't stop tearing up...
For now I'm just keeping him as warm as possible and praying to every known deity for help and forgiveness.

I'm sorry you are having a rough time. It is clear that you care tremendously for your tortoise. The good news is that one cold night shouldn't be a big deal as long as the tortoise is plenty warm the next few days and nights.

However, just about everything else you are doing is based on bad advice. I don't say this to be mean or hurtful, I say it to help explain what is wrong and how to fix it. I'll list the things I see.

  • 3x2 is on the small side for a tiny hatchling. Its way too small for a two year old 6" sulcata. Your tortoise needs much more room to move. 4x8' is a good size until your tortoise grows another couple of inches and can live outside with a heated shelter full time.
  • What type of UV bulb have you got. If the tortoise is spending time outside a couple of times a week, you really don't need indoor UV.
  • Night light? They need it dark at night, but still warm. This is best accomplished with ceramic heating elements, aka CHEs, or radiant heat panels, RHPs. You'll need a thermostat to control either.
  • Heat pads should not be used for tortoises. The exception being the large plastic farrowing mats made for outdoor use. Those can be used for larger sulcatas living in outdoor night boxes.
  • It is normal for them to come out in the rain. Where they come from, its always a warm rain and its never too cold. Here in our temperate climate it rains during out cold winters and that is no good for them. They can't live in burrows during our winters. They need a heated night box with a door that can be latched shut at night. I let mine burrow and live underground in summer, but I block the burrow entrances in Fall and make them sleep topside in their heated boxes. This tropical species needs warm temps, day and night all year long. The best way to accomplish this indoors is with a closed chamber. Open topped enclosures make it impossible to maintain the correct temperatures and humidity. Out doors you need a night box.

Here is a bunch of care info for sulcatas and two different night box designs and heating strategies. Please come back with all your questions after reading these and taking all this info in.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/
 

Mozu

New Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2019
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
California
I'm sorry you are having a rough time. It is clear that you care tremendously for your tortoise. The good news is that one cold night shouldn't be a big deal as long as the tortoise is plenty warm the next few days and nights.

However, just about everything else you are doing is based on bad advice. I don't say this to be mean or hurtful, I say it to help explain what is wrong and how to fix it. I'll list the things I see.

  • 3x2 is on the small side for a tiny hatchling. Its way too small for a two year old 6" sulcata. Your tortoise needs much more room to move. 4x8' is a good size until your tortoise grows another couple of inches and can live outside with a heated shelter full time.
  • What type of UV bulb have you got. If the tortoise is spending time outside a couple of times a week, you really don't need indoor UV.
  • Night light? They need it dark at night, but still warm. This is best accomplished with ceramic heating elements, aka CHEs, or radiant heat panels, RHPs. You'll need a thermostat to control either.
  • Heat pads should not be used for tortoises. The exception being the large plastic farrowing mats made for outdoor use. Those can be used for larger sulcatas living in outdoor night boxes.
  • It is normal for them to come out in the rain. Where they come from, its always a warm rain and its never too cold. Here in our temperate climate it rains during out cold winters and that is no good for them. They can't live in burrows during our winters. They need a heated night box with a door that can be latched shut at night. I let mine burrow and live underground in summer, but I block the burrow entrances in Fall and make them sleep topside in their heated boxes. This tropical species needs warm temps, day and night all year long. The best way to accomplish this indoors is with a closed chamber. Open topped enclosures make it impossible to maintain the correct temperatures and humidity. Out doors you need a night box.

Here is a bunch of care info for sulcatas and two different night box designs and heating strategies. Please come back with all your questions after reading these and taking all this info in.
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/
Thank you very much, this was extremely helpful and I will post updates as I take the steps to correct my mistakes, starting with that enclosure and the heating element. Again, thank you, the help is greatly appreciated.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
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Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Thank you very much, this was extremely helpful and I will post updates as I take the steps to correct my mistakes, starting with that enclosure and the heating element. Again, thank you, the help is greatly appreciated.
Its my pleasure to be able to help someone who cares so much about their tortoises well being. You are very welcome.
 
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