Baby Sulcata Only Sleeps And Avoids Food

Henrym1111

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I need help asap! My baby sulcata tortoise wont eat and only sleeps I bought him from a local breeder on August 6th this year and he was doing perfectly fine. I had a white light for him but someone told me that could blind him so i bought an 100 watt Max Heat red light from Exo Terra. I soak him every week in warm water. I really never see him drink water and i have never seen him pee! Please help!
 

TechnoCheese

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Please post pictures of the tortoise and enclosure immediately.

What are your temps? Under the basking spot? Ambient temp?
What is the humidity in the enclosure?
What do you feed?
Red lights are bad because, although labeled as invisible, are still visible by the tortoise and make it hard for them to sleep. They also make non food items look like food to them.

You should be soaking every day for a baby, not once a week.

Please look at these links if you haven't already:
AFRICAN SPURR THIGHED TORTOISE CARE SHEET

https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/AFRICAN-SPURRED-TORTOISE-(SULCATA)-CARE-SHEET.52524/

Beginner Mistakes

https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/
 
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I need help asap! My baby sulcata tortoise wont eat and only sleeps I bought him from a local breeder on August 6th this year and he was doing perfectly fine. I had a white light for him but someone told me that could blind him so i bought an 100 watt Max Heat red light from Exo Terra. I soak him every week in warm water. I really never see him drink water and i have never seen him pee! Please help!
Your problem might be that your light isn't UV because I noticed you didn't mention that the light was UV. Tortoises usually don't eat if they don't have UV light because the UV light helps then digest food properly, so without UV it might not digest or it will take a long time. This has happened to me before they wouldn't eat until I turned on the light.
 

Tom

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I need help asap! My baby sulcata tortoise wont eat and only sleeps I bought him from a local breeder on August 6th this year and he was doing perfectly fine. I had a white light for him but someone told me that could blind him so i bought an 100 watt Max Heat red light from Exo Terra. I soak him every week in warm water. I really never see him drink water and i have never seen him pee! Please help!

Here is the correct care info for a baby sulcata:
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/

Please read these and make the needed adjustments.

You need the correct type of white light and you should not use red lights day or night.

Your baby needs to be soaked every day. Once a week is not enough.
 

Tom

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Your problem might be that your light isn't UV because I noticed you didn't mention that the light was UV. Tortoises usually don't eat if they don't have UV light because the UV light helps then digest food properly, so without UV it might not digest or it will take a long time. This has happened to me before they wouldn't eat until I turned on the light.

This information is not true or correct. Please learn the correct info before offering advice to new members.
 

JoesMum

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Your problem might be that your light isn't UV because I noticed you didn't mention that the light was UV. Tortoises usually don't eat if they don't have UV light because the UV light helps then digest food properly, so without UV it might not digest or it will take a long time. This has happened to me before they wouldn't eat until I turned on the light.

I agree with Tom. This advice is wrong @Merilyn (Tortoise lover). UVB does not aid digestion. Please do not offer advice until you are properly able to offer it.

A tortoise must be able to bask and raise its internal body temperature in order to digest food and be active. Heat, not UVB, can be a key to digestion.

Tortoises must still have UVB light. It plays an important part in the tortoise extracting calcium from the foods it eats and thus is essential to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease.
 

Henrym1111

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I agree with Tom. This advice is wrong @Merilyn (Tortoise lover). UVB does not aid digestion. Please do not offer advice until you are properly able to offer it.

A tortoise must be able to bask and raise its internal body temperature in order to digest food and be active. Heat, not UVB, can be a key to digestion.

Tortoises must still have UVB light. It plays an important part in the tortoise extracting calcium from the foods it eats and thus is essential to prevent Metabolic Bone Disease.
I think he has Metalic Bone Disease because his shell is soft when i touch the sides should i take him to the vet?
 

JoesMum

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I think he has Metalic Bone Disease because his shell is soft when i touch the sides should i take him to the vet?

Your tort urgently needs its lighting and diet sorting out. You need to read those links that Tom gave you and act on them fast.

A baby’s shell might be pliable but it shouldn’t feel soft. When they hatch, they’re all curled up. Gradually they straighten out and it takes a few months to harden completely.

It must have good UVB light and it will also need a tiny pinch of calcium powder sprinkled on food three times a week.

Photos of your enclosure and lighting will help us to help you.

What temperatures do you have in the enclosure? Warm side, cool side, directly under the basking lamp and overnight minimum?

If you do go to see a vet, it must be one that’s experienced with tortoises - a herp (herpetological) vet. Under no circumstances must you allow the vet to give your tortoise a vitamin injection; they cause more harm than good.
 

Henrym1111

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Yes, take him to the vet immediately. Please post pictures of the tortoise and enclosure, and answer the questions.
About 85 degrees under basking spot 60 everywhere else i dont really know how to tell the humidity i feed him kale sometimes spinach sometimes iceberg lettuce for the water
 

JoesMum

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About 85 degrees under basking spot 60 everywhere else i dont really know how to tell the humidity i feed him kale sometimes spinach sometimes iceberg lettuce for the water

Read those links.

This tortoise cannot be active or digest food unless it basks at 95-100F and, for a baby, the temperature shouldn’t drop below 80F anywhere.

Adjust the temperature under the basking lamp by moving it closer to the substrate to increase temperature

To measure temperatures accurately you need a temperature gun like this
D502BB2C-3DDC-4A46-805D-2AAD8854D9CE-6312-000005BCA8429E5E_tmp.jpg

The enclosure needs a roof to maintain ambient temperatures. Tinfoil will do it - make sure it doesn’t touch the lights

Your tort needs a variety of weedy and leafy greens. Lettuce contains few nutrients and little fibre. Write a list of those plants that grow around you and those that you can buy and look them up on The Tortoise Table Plant Database for suitability to feed.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/

If you can’t identify a plant then post of photo in our Plant ID forum and someone will identify it for you.
 

Taylor T.

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That is WAY too cold. It needs to go no below 80 degrees and a basking spot of 90-95 degrees. If you have had him since august in these conditions, he most likely has a fairly advanced case of respiratory infection. In this case he will need to be taken to a reptile specific vet.
 

Henrym1111

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Well this needs rectifying before anything else. Get online or to a hardware store and buy a temperature gun thermometer now. They cost US$10-15

Your baby will die if you cannot get the temperatures right. :(
I just bought one
 

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