5 Months Old Baby Sulcata Loosing Appetite

[Clodz]

Hello... Greetings from Indonesia.

I am a newbie here that just got a baby sulcata for about 2 weeks ago. I bought my baby sulcata from one of respectable reptiles enthusiast, and my baby is already around 4 months when I first have him, so i guess perhaps i should not worry whether my sulcata was mistreated.
At a couple first day my baby (I named him PinPin) used to have quite a good appetite, but nowadays i found it somehow drop. he eat lesser and lesser than the usual portion he could have, and he sleeps a lot!! I usually give him fumak & hibiscus flower as his regular diet, and add a bit of calcium sprinkle in his meals.. which he is not prefer at all, and eat even lesser when I sprinkled the powder.

I live in an apartment, and always keep his enclosure inside. His enclosure is made of glass tank terrarium 60 cm x 30 cm x 25 cm with no substrate. Because it is quite humid in my country (the humidity on regular basis could reach 60% - 70% on dry seasons and higher in rainy seasons), and learning from some of local reptiles enthusiast that substrate only will make the chance of him getting runny nose higher, so I decided not to put any substrate on his enclosure. Simply just kitchen towel as his base.
His enclosure temperature (without any lighting) usually is around 80 F - 85 F in nighttime and around 90F - 95F in daytime.
Since I have read some of the advice in this forum, I give him infrared lighting to increase his enclosure temperature up to 95F - 105F at nighttime in his hottest area.
I soaked him every morning in lukewarm water, afterwards I feed him with his daily meals. After that I go to work. Frankly speaking, even tho I live in tropical country where the sun shine every day in a year, I find it rather difficult to give him his daily sunlight because I usually leave home before the sun reach my balcony and I dare not take risk to leave PinPin outside when nobody is around. So, sadly, he just get his sunshine during weekend.
I substitute his lack of sunshine with Exoterra UVB Lamp 200 / 13 watt daily on for 12 hrs at minimum.

My question is... do I treat PinPin right? Because he seems not as active as the first time i have him...and also his appetite is seem dropping,, and he sleeps a lot. What should I do to improve?

Please help... and sorry for the long explanation.

Many thanks in advance for your help guys...

 

[Anyfoot]

Hi and welcome. I don't keep sullies, but here's a thread for sulcata care. Someone should be along to help later. Meanwhile have a read through this. Good luck.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome.
Can you post a photo of your Exoterra UVB?
Several lights from that manufacturer have been known to cause eye issues and enough distress to make your little tortoise act strangely.
It would be nice to either identify a problem or rule it out.

 

[JoesMum]

Hello... Greetings from Indonesia.

I am a newbie here that just got a baby sulcata for about 2 weeks ago. I bought my baby sulcata from one of respectable reptiles enthusiast, and my baby is already around 4 months when I first have him, so i guess perhaps i should not worry whether my sulcata was mistreated.
At a couple first day my baby (I named him PinPin) used to have quite a good appetite, but nowadays i found it somehow drop. he eat lesser and lesser than the usual portion he could have, and he sleeps a lot!!

Tortoises don't handle change well, so it's not unusual to see them withdraw when they move to a new home. However, there are things you haven't got right. I will help where I can, but there are others who know more about both Sulcatas and hatchlings than me.

I usually give him fumak & hibiscus flower as his regular diet, and add a bit of calcium sprinkle in his meals.. which he is not prefer at all, and eat even lesser when I sprinkled the powder.

You should only feed calcium a couple of times a week at the most defiantly not every day. A tiny pinch, not too much.

I live in an apartment, and always keep his enclosure inside. His enclosure is made of glass tank terrarium 60 cm x 30 cm x 25 cm with no substrate.

That is tiny. Far too small in my opinion. Do you realise how quickly your tort will grow and to what size. Sulcatas rapidly outgrow apartment living - they're enormous!

Because it is quite humid in my country (the humidity on regular basis could reach 60% - 70% on dry seasons and higher in rainy seasons), and learning from some of local reptiles enthusiast that substrate only will make the chance of him getting runny nose higher, so I decided not to put any substrate on his enclosure. Simply just kitchen towel as his base.

Your tortoise needs proper substrate to be healthy. Orchid bark, coco coir, but definitely not sand.

It's cold temperatures and high humidity that cause RNS. Warm and humid is fine.

His enclosure temperature (without any lighting) usually is around 80 F - 85 F in nighttime and around 90F - 95F in daytime.
Since I have read some of the advice in this forum, I give him infrared lighting to increase his enclosure temperature up to 95F - 105F at nighttime in his hottest area.

1. infrared heat is not what your tort needs.
2. He needs a source of heat where he can bask at 95F. The rest of the enclosure should be warm, but not as hot as under the basking lamp. He will cook otherwise
3. At night the basking lamp is turned off and the enclosure temperature allowed to drop.
4. There are 4 important temperatures in tortoise keeping: Directly under the basking lamp, warm side of enclosure, cool side and overnight minimum. You need to know these. Your enclosure probably isn't big enough to achieve variation in temperature which isn't good.

I soaked him every morning in lukewarm water, afterwards I feed him with his daily meals. After that I go to work.

No problem

Frankly speaking, even tho I live in tropical country where the sun shine every day in a year, I find it rather difficult to give him his daily sunlight because I usually leave home before the sun reach my balcony and I dare not take risk to leave PinPin outside when nobody is around. So, sadly, he just get his sunshine during weekend.
I substitute his lack of sunshine with Exoterra UVB Lamp 200 / 13 watt daily on for 12 hrs at minimum.

Your tort can get all his UVB from a lamp. The sun isn't essential.

A Mercury Vapor Bulb is better as it provides basking heat as well as UVB. Get rid of the infra red.

My question is... do I treat PinPin right? Because he seems not as active as the first time i have him...and also his appetite is seem dropping,, and he sleeps a lot. What should I do to improve?

Please help... and sorry for the long explanation.

Many thanks in advance for your help guys...

There are many issues with what you have described. They need to be fixed quickly before PinPin becomes too sick. Please read the Sulcata care sheet and the Beginner Mistakes threads. I will post links later unless someone beats me to it.

 

[JoesMum]

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

How to raise a healthy Sulcata
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

For those who have a young Sulcata
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/