3 year old sulcata tortoise

[Arimama4]

Hi,
We have a 3 year old sulcata that I am worried about ! He’s active when we take him out to run in the sun , he goes to the restroom every time we soak him in warm water for his weekly baths but something just doesn’t seems right . Seems he eats a lot more in the summer months and right now I feel like he’s just on strike . He’s only 3” , he’s still the size of a hatchling ? I don’t know what to do !

He lives outside in a an inclosed area, he has heat lamps and I check in him every morning and he loves basking in the warm sun every morning . Then all day he burrows and hides in his hiding area . The bottom of his habitat is mixed with wood and tank mulch .
He’s a really picky eater and the only think I can seem to get him to eat is spring greens mix .

please let me know what we can do !!!
Thanks !!!

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

3 inches at 3 years old is extremely small. Has he lived outside since a hatchling? At that size i would keep him inside in a temp and humidity controlled closed chamber.

 

[Arimama4]

Yes ! Is that not good ? He’s had heat and I mist the area daily ?
I just bought a cage to bring him inside to see what’s going on ? Anything I can do to stimulate growth and eating ???

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Yes ! Is that not good ? He’s had heat and I mist the area daily ?
I just bought a cage to bring him inside to see what’s going on ? Anything I can do to stimulate growth and eating ???

Have u read through Toms thread? I would follow it as if it was a hatchling. Here it is

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tom]

Hi,
We have a 3 year old sulcata that I am worried about ! He’s active when we take him out to run in the sun , he goes to the restroom every time we soak him in warm water for his weekly baths but something just doesn’t seems right . Seems he eats a lot more in the summer months and right now I feel like he’s just on strike . He’s only 3” , he’s still the size of a hatchling ? I don’t know what to do !

He lives outside in a an inclosed area, he has heat lamps and I check in him every morning and he loves basking in the warm sun every morning . Then all day he burrows and hides in his hiding area . The bottom of his habitat is mixed with wood and tank mulch .
He’s a really picky eater and the only think I can seem to get him to eat is spring greens mix .

please let me know what we can do !!!
Thanks !!! View attachment 313439View attachment 313440

You've been caring for him all wrong. This is the wrong climate for what you attempted for this species, and its much too cold, even in summer for them here at night. Heat lamps outside don't work well, and burrows are fine in the summer months, but not in December. I'm surprised he is still alive.

Get an indoor closed chamber set up with the correct lights, temperatures and humidity, and hopefully you can get this little on back on track. Read that care sheet that Chubbs left for you.

 

[Arimama4]

So is this just because it’s a hatchling ? Because I read they can get as low as 45 degrees and be fine ? I feel so terrible ! I hope I can get him healthy again !!!!

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

So is this just because it’s a hatchling ? Because I read they can get as low as 45 degrees and be fine ? I feel so terrible ! I hope I can get him healthy again !!!!

Old wrong info. 45 is a death sentence for any age

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

Dont feel bad. Just follow the thread and do ur best. Its not ur fault there is so much bad info on the web.

 

[Arimama4]

So where so people get like good healthy diets for them because I think there is such bad info about that too

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

So where so people get like good healthy diets for them because I think there is such bad info about that too

Thats all in the care thread i posted for u

 

[Arimama4]

Would this be good for it to get nice and warmed up and stay for a while while I get him healthy ?

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

What are the dimensions? U could convert a 3x 6 grow tent for the same price probably

 

[Chubbs the tegu]

I paid $86 for mine
Here it is as an example

 

[Tom]

Yes ! Is that not good ? He’s had heat and I mist the area daily ?
I just bought a cage to bring him inside to see what’s going on ? Anything I can do to stimulate growth and eating ???

Hatchlings are what we call them right after they hatch. At 3 years old, yours would be a juvenile. Normally by this age they are 20-30 pounds.

The cage you linked is the right style, but that is much too small. You need something 3x6 feet, or 4x8 feet.

We will help you figure this all out. Just keep asking questions as they occur to you.

 

[Arimama4]

Hatchlings are what we call them right after they hatch. At 3 years old, yours would be a juvenile. Normally by this age they are 20-30 pounds.

The cage you linked is the right style, but that is much too small. You need something 3x6 feet, or 4x8 feet.

We will help you figure this all out. Just keep asking questions as they occur to you.

 

[Arimama4]

I understand but right now he’s only 3”. I also need to stimulate him to eat ! I don’t know why he’s not eating much !? Maybe just too cold ? He was walking everywhere today in the sun !

I have a bigger cage for when he gets bigger already but for right now I am thinking of smaller so I can make sure the heat and humidity is where is needs to be to get strong and healthy ???

 

[Tom]

I understand but right now he’s only 3”. I also need to stimulate him to eat ! I don’t know why he’s not eating much !? Maybe just too cold ? He was walking everywhere today in the sun !

I have a bigger cage for when he gets bigger already but for right now I am thinking of smaller so I can make sure the heat and humidity is where is needs to be to get strong and healthy ???

He's not eating because he's too cold. Small cages aren't good. Torts need lots of room to walk around inside their heated cages. A large heated closed chamber is what is needed to get him healthy and eating. A large closed chamber is just as easy to heat as a small one.

 

[Arimama4]

Ok perfect ! I will do that then ! I just read your info sheet ! Thanks so much ? going to get this little guy healthy !!!

 

[Arimama4]

He's not eating because he's too cold. Small cages aren't good. Torts need lots of room to walk around inside their heated cages. A large heated closed chamber is what is needed to get him healthy and eating. A large closed chamber is just as easy to heat as a small one.

One more question ! Sorry to bug , about how long of if I get him in the right settings will it be to start noticing he’s getting better ???

 

[KarenSoCal]

One more question ! Sorry to bug , about how long of if I get him in the right settings will it be to start noticing he’s getting better ???

Of course that's a hard thing to know for certain. Once he's in the closed chamber with lights and heat correct, he'll need to get used to his new home and feel comfortable. That can take a couple weeks sometimes, but hopefully he'll start eating quickly.

I'm taking a wild guess, but I think you'll start seeing weight gain within a month of living in the chamber.