Baby sulcata not very active

Oran Agra

New Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2017
Messages
2
Location (City and/or State)
Israel
How all.

I live in Israel and I got a baby solcata about a week ago.

He's 7 months old, and I'm not really sure what to expect.

What worries me is that he is not very alert.
He's constantly sleeping, eyes shut, and even when I pick him up and put him in warm water, it takes long minutes until he bothers to opens them, and he doesn't move a lot.

I try to feed him hybiscus leaves, lettuce, and I also make very fine zukini and carrot salad, I've seen him eat some, but not a lot.

He currently has an exo-terra uvb CFL (in the past week), I read that's risky, but that's the only thing I could get.

Ambient temp is about 80 at night to 90 at day (no Basking light yet).

I've spent most of the day reading care sheets and various posts in the forum.
I'll try to improve with more food variety, and more humid enclosure (already replaced the cardboard bedding with wet fine coconut fiber).

But I'm worried that he might not survive long enough for me to get a closed chamber and a better heating. Something seems wrong with him, and I suppose I have to figure out what rather quickly before it's too late..

I'm attaching some photos of how he looks most of the time (sleeping out of his shell)

And also here's a video of him eating.

Thanks a lot.
Oran.
 

Attachments

  • 1500752610302.jpg
    1500752610302.jpg
    52.2 KB · Views: 96
  • 1500752635416.jpg
    1500752635416.jpg
    58.6 KB · Views: 90

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
Hello and a very warm welcome to the forum.
Your baby tort is a cutie !
But it looks like he is very sick. He needs as soon as possible higher temperatures, a basking spot with 102 F. Can you get a heat bulb for your baby tort ? They can`t digest their food when they are kept too cold.
Do you soak him in constantly warm water for 30 - 40 min every day ? You should add baby carrot food to the soaking water.
Do you know how your baby was started ? When it was started dry he could be already so sick that nothing can heal him.
 

Oran Agra

New Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2017
Messages
2
Location (City and/or State)
Israel
Hi.
Thanks for replying.
I don't think my CFL damaged his eyes, he was looking the same on the day I got him, before I got the light. But I don't know what type of light the guy I got him from used.

I don't think he was kept dry, as far as I remember, the guy said he gives him daily soaking too, and so did I.
But the water gets cold rather quickly, and I think I'm taking him out after some 20 minutes. If that's not enough, I'll start changing the water and keep him there longer.
(Keep in mind that it's ambient temperature in summer here are about 90 degrees, so the water won't get really cold, but not warm)
Btw, he does poop in the water, which I suppose is good.

For now, I replaced the uv CFL with a 60w reflector bulb, I'll check the temperatures later, I'm sure it will reach 100 at noon. (photo from this morning attached).
Are you saying that they can't digest their food at 90 degrees?

Do you mean to mix carrot flavored baby food in the water? Or small carrots?
I do have some exo-terra electrolytes and D3 supplement drops (although expired), and I added it to his drinking water in the last few days.

In addition to the hibiscus leaves, I took a piece of opuntia cactus pad today, and chopped it to very small pieces, but it's so sticky, he has difficulty eating even when I hand heed him.
 

Attachments

  • 1500787771911.jpg
    1500787771911.jpg
    63.3 KB · Views: 45

daniellenc

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2017
Messages
2,084
Location (City and/or State)
Maryland
The ymean put carrot or sweet potato baby food in his warm soak at a 50/50 ratio for 30 minutes a day. Nutrients will be absorbed giving him more energy to eat, it hydrates them, and hopefully he drinks a little.
 

Bee62

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 13, 2016
Messages
11,981
Location (City and/or State)
Germany
Hi.
Thanks for replying.
I don't think my CFL damaged his eyes, he was looking the same on the day I got him, before I got the light. But I don't know what type of light the guy I got him from used.

I don't think he was kept dry, as far as I remember, the guy said he gives him daily soaking too, and so did I.
But the water gets cold rather quickly, and I think I'm taking him out after some 20 minutes. If that's not enough, I'll start changing the water and keep him there longer.
(Keep in mind that it's ambient temperature in summer here are about 90 degrees, so the water won't get really cold, but not warm)
Btw, he does poop in the water, which I suppose is good.

For now, I replaced the uv CFL with a 60w reflector bulb, I'll check the temperatures later, I'm sure it will reach 100 at noon. (photo from this morning attached).
Are you saying that they can't digest their food at 90 degrees?

Do you mean to mix carrot flavored baby food in the water? Or small carrots?
I do have some exo-terra electrolytes and D3 supplement drops (although expired), and I added it to his drinking water in the last few days.

In addition to the hibiscus leaves, I took a piece of opuntia cactus pad today, and chopped it to very small pieces, but it's so sticky, he has difficulty eating even when I hand heed him.

Hello,

the water in which you soak your tort should stay warm every time. Please change the water or place the soaking tube near the heat lamp.
In your room the temp mayby 90 F but that is not the temp of the tort. He needs a place to heat his body up to 100 - 102 F.
90 F is too cold for your tort to digest the food. Without being able to get really warm, he can not digest, have no appetite and is sleepy all the time.
The carrots should be cooked and mashed. This mash you should take into the soaking water. Or you buy this baby carrot food ready manufactured.
With the food you can try what he wants to eat. It is important that he eats anything. Do you have hibiskus blossoms ? Most sulcata torts like them.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hello and welcome.

Most of the care info you find for this species is all wrong and based on 30 year old incorrect assumptions about how they live in the wild. Here is the correct care info:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

Read those three and see what is different about your enclosure.

Then take a look at these two and compare to how your baby was started:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-incubate-eggs-and-start-hatchlings.124266/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/
 
Top