Baby Sulcata help... please?

[kvcockrell]

Hello everyone, I have several questions about my baby sulcata (Nelson) and would love any feedback, questions, critiques, or suggestions! I have read Tom's sulcata care thread (about ten times), realized everything the pet store told me was completely wrong, and have attempted to reverse (or halt) any pyramiding by increasing the humidity and providing plenty of calcium and vitamin supplements. Am I off to a decent start?
1. How old do you think he is?
2. Why is his head suddenly dark brown?
3. Is his enclosure appropriate (for now)?
4. I saw bubbles come out of his nose today after eating, should I be worried? It's the first time I've ever seen it happen. He is eating fine, pooing fine, and being active.
Here are his temps and whatnot:
1. Ambient temperature: 80°f
2. Cool side: 74°f
3. Basking spot: 98°f
4. Substrate: cypress mulch
5. Humidity: 60%-80%
6. Food: mostly grass with romaine lettuce and peas and carrots every once and a while as a treat.
7. He also gets misted about once an hour.
8. He has UVB and heat lamps in his "closed chamber" tank.
Here are pictures of Nelson and his enclosure:

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

welcome to the forum! i would say he is around 2-4 months old but he has some pyramiding, so was in a dry environment so that could have stunted his growth. all sulcatas have slightly different colors, nothing to worry about. his enclosure is so small upgrade him in something 4 times that size, but even that new enclosure wont last long. bubbles can be a sign of respiratory infection(ask a more experienced member). his temps should not go below 80 in his enclosure. are you using a coil bulb? when can you upgrade his enclosure? do you soak him daily?

 

[kvcockrell]

Thank you for the reply I have had him since May so I know he has to be at least 9 months old, is his growth severely stunted? Is his pyramiding irreversible? I've only seen the bubbles today, what are other signs of a respiratory infection? And are sulcatas prone to that in such a humid environment?
The UVB bulb is a coil, is that bad? I soak him about three times a day in very shallow warm water for about five minutes each time. I actually just downgraded his tank to this one in an attempt to increase the humidity. His other enclosure is huge, but has far too much ventilation to keep the humidity anywhere near 80%. Is it time for me to build something custom? Or should I just upgrade to my 55 gallon? Thank you again for any replies! I'm trying to be a great parent!
Ready to listen and learn,
Katie and Nelson

Btw, here is a picture of him in May (8 months ago). See the difference in color?

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

yes he is extremely small for his age. the growth he has now will stay the same for the rest of his life but the new growth will be nice and sooth if kept correctly. baby sulcatas hatch in the wet season where there are puddles every where and the air is humid, the other months of the year there is humid burrows feet under the ground. the coil build will make your tortoise have eye damage replace it now. soak him 1 time a day for 30 minutes in warm water. a 55 gallon tank wont last him that long if he is given proper care.

 

[kvcockrell]

Ok, so...
1. I need to get a UVB bulb that is not a coil.
2. Find/build an enclosure that is much larger yet holds the humidity.
3. Only soak him once a day, but for longer.
Sound about right? Anything else I can do? Anyone else have any input?
Willing to do the most,
Katie and Nelson

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Katie, and welcome to the forum!

The set up you have for Nelson is ok for a little while. As he grows, he'll need a bigger space. The darkened head is more than likely from what he's been eating - staining more than darkened pigmentation. I was thinking he's about a year old, maybe a little less. He's not "extremely" small for his age. They grow at different rates. He's doing just fine. Continue to follow Tom's care sheet and soon you'll be upgrading him to a bigger enclosure.

 

[Dizisdalife]

Welcome to the forum, Katie. Relax. You are off to a good start. My sulcata was smaller than yours at 1 year and now at 5 years he is 55 pounds. Continue to follow Tom's care sheet and you will be very happy with Nelson's growth and health. The bubbles you saw may be nothing, but I suggest that you keep the temps at 80° at the coolest point. A ceramic heat emitter (CHE) controlled by a thermostat is one way to assure that the temps don't get to cool or too hot.

 

[kvcockrell]

Thank you all so much. I do need to "relax". Haha, I've just seen so many images of deformed sulcatas and I don't want to harm my little guy by being ignorant, or uninformed. This forum is amazing and I've spent a great deal of time on here collecting information. I am very thankful this resource is here and I hope no one gets tired of me asking too many questions Yvonne, I must admit...I'm a little "star-struck" by you and your wealth of knowledge! Thank y'all for responding!

 

[Tom]

Ok, so...
1. I need to get a UVB bulb that is not a coil.
2. Find/build an enclosure that is much larger yet holds the humidity.
3. Only soak him once a day, but for longer.
Sound about right? Anything else I can do? Anyone else have any input?

You've got it. All three points are correct.

Turn off the coil bulb ASAP. They can go without any UV for a few weeks with no problem.

If he's blowing bubbles, you need to make it warmer now. Keep the whole enclosure no lower than 85 for a week or two, and then if you don't see any more symptoms, you can lower it to 80. A CHE set on a thermostat is the easiest way to accomplish this, and still keep it dark at night.

You've already got the care sheet, but here a re a few others:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

 

[kvcockrell]

Thank you, Tom! I feel like you're world famous! The coil bulb is off. Now to buy a CHE with a thermostat and a new UVB bulb. I'm sure I'll be asking a million questions about his new enclosure soon