Baby sulcata still not eating

[Crowley1103]

Many of you have been helping thru a tough time with my little sulcata. I have gotten all of her temps right, lighting corrected, etc.
She still never started eating. I took her to the vet again. They rechecked her shell, did a fecal exam, gave her fluids, and tube fed her. When I picked her up yesterday she was like a new tortoise! Extremely active and hungry. As soon as I put her back in her enclosure she ran straight to her food and started eating! This morning however, back to not eating, not active, won't stay awake. This is SO stressful. She goes back to the vet tomorrow for more fluids and another tube feeding but I'm starting to think there's no light at the end of the tunnel here! Anyone gone thru anything like this?

 

[Yvonne G]

Many of you have been helping thru a tough time with my little sulcata. I have gotten all of her temps right, lighting corrected, etc.
She still never started eating. I took her to the vet again. They rechecked her shell, did a fecal exam, gave her fluids, and tube fed her. When I picked her up yesterday she was like a new tortoise! Extremely active and hungry. As soon as I put her back in her enclosure she ran straight to her food and started eating! This morning however, back to not eating, not active, won't stay awake. This is SO stressful. She goes back to the vet tomorrow for more fluids and another tube feeding but I'm starting to think there's no light at the end of the tunnel here! Anyone gone thru anything like this?

(Original story can be found here:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/new-sulcata-owner.147842/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/food-ideas.148209/ )

 

[Yvonne G]

It sounds to me like something is wrong with the habitat. You aren't using one of those spiral-shaped bulbs are you?

 

[Crowley1103]

It sounds to me like something is wrong with the habitat. You aren't using one of those spiral-shaped bulbs are you?

No. I'm using a long 10.0 bulb......

 

[Crowley1103]

No. I'm using a long 10.0 bulb......

My temps are 80 (ambient) and 95-97 basking spot. Stays between 70-80% humidity. I did contact the man I got her from and I will say he disagreed with everything I was doing. He said he kept her in an open enclosure temps ranging from 75-85. Basking spot 95. No more than 50% humidity. He raised her on romaine and mazuri tortoise food, adding calcium supplement 1-2 times per week.

 

[Yvonne G]

You should go back to romaine and Mazuri, slowly incorporating different foods until the tortoise gets used to the change. And use the calcium sparingly. Too much and they won't eat.

 

[Crowley1103]

My temps are 80 (ambient) and 95-97 basking spot. Stays between 70-80% humidity. I did contact the man I got her from and I will say he disagreed with everything I was doing. He said he kept her in an open enclosure temps ranging from 75-85. Basking spot 95. No more than 50% humidity. He raised her on romaine and mazuri tortoise food, adding calcium supplement 1-2 times per week.

And her behavior in the enclosure is strange. She won't go in her hide ever. Won't even go down to that end. Stays right around her basking spot. And she never goes in her water dish.

 

[Crowley1103]

You should go back to romaine and Mazuri, slowly incorporating different foods until the tortoise gets used to the change. And use the calcium sparingly. Too much and they won't eat.

I did go back to the romaine. She ate last night after the vet visit but won't eat it today.

 

[dmmj]

I'm not trying to be critical but are you sure of your temperatures? the behavior of avoiding one area it says something's wrong to me

 

[dmmj]

good call going back to the original diet until you can slowly switch it over

 

[saginawhxc]

And her behavior in the enclosure is strange. She won't go in her hide ever. Won't even go down to that end. Stays right around her basking spot. And she never goes in her water dish.

This may be reaching at straws but I read your other thread and saw that you were measuring your temps with a digital thermometer with a probe. Are all your temperature measurements done with that one thermostat? Do you have access to a infared thermostat? What is the chance your temperature readings are off? Sensors can malfunction and thermostats can give off straight up bad readings.

If she is hanging out in the basking area and never leaving it sounds like she just isn't getting warm enough. There is probably more to this than that I'm sure, but that is what jumps out to me.

Like I said it may be grasping at straws, but it's just a thought.

 

[saginawhxc]

I'm not trying to be critical but are you sure if your temperatures? the behavior of avoiding one area it says something's wrong to me

You wrote this as I was typing out mine.

 

[Crowley1103]

This may be reaching at straws but I read your other thread and saw that you were measuring your temps with a digital thermometer with a probe. Are all your temperature measurements done with that one thermostat? Do you have access to a infared thermostat? What is the chance your temperature readings are off? Sensors can malfunction and thermostats can give off straight up bad readings.

If she is hanging out in the basking area and never leaving it sounds like she just isn't getting warm enough. There is probably more to this than that I'm sure, but that is what jumps out to me.

Like I said it may be grasping at straws, but it's just a thought.

I do use an infrared thermometer as well. That's actually what I go by because my digital ones and thermostat are off by a few degrees. I'm clueless as to what's going on at this point.

 

[Crowley1103]

I'm not trying to be critical but are you sure of your temperatures? the behavior of avoiding one area it says something's wrong to me

I'm using an infrared thermometer to read the temps. But I guess I could be wrong. I'm kind of clueless as to what I need to do different at this point

 

[saginawhxc]

Like I said I thought it was a reach... but sometimes we all can miss the obvious.

I recently rescued a Redfoot and the girl I got her from said she kept her at 70% humidity. I reached inside her tank and it was bone dry inside, but her digital hygrometer read 70%. Took the whole set up home and threw the meter on the bookshelf for a few hours. Went back and took a look at it and it still read the same exact thing. I don't know how she never noticed that her meter stayed perfectly in the same reading all the time perfectly, or never occurred to her what that meant.

 

[dmmj]

if this was happening to me I'd go a little bit extra expense and get another gun and see if that's possibly the reason

 

[Fredkas]

And her behavior in the enclosure is strange. She won't go in her hide ever. Won't even go down to that end. Stays right around her basking spot. And she never goes in her water dish.

Very usual for me. maybe he is still afraid of his surrounding? i don't know. mine more and more active. but i think that is not really your concern right now. he will checking his surrounding if he feels healthy enough.

Can you post a picture here. i really want to see his enclosure. so curious.

 

[Crowley1103]

 

[Fredkas]

You do closed the top right? i assume you just open it, for me it looks not humid enough, i don't see any condensation in the glass.

Ok.. i just go through your previous thread.
Please at least make all of this right, hopefully it is me not looking at your thread good enough, but i will not leave out any possible mistake i can thought of for you ok?
1. temp probe should place in tortoise level, not higher than that.
2. bask spot temp, you measure the stone surface, put the probe at the basking spot.
3. you should close all the top, maybe you just open the top when you are taking the picture.
4. remember night temp, do not go below 80F, i recommended at least 83F. when he is not eating, he will be weak, he cannot get any cold.
5. i saw the vet say all good with him. don't take him to vet anymore. never. he is good. you make him scare. he is confuse you take him to other giant monster that force him and flip him and do whatever they like to him, he is stress.
6. any children any dog any cat around his enclosure? he is afraid. let him have super quiet super calm environment. let him believe there will be no other trip to vet. all he has is you, and you just get him to soak and you give him food, nothing else. do not look at him, ignore him. he is afraid.
7. close the glass with anything, a tape maybe, so that he can't see out, he will feel more safe.
8. soak him at least 30min twice a day for now. remember the night temp ok? it is crucial. i soak mine for an hour at morning and 30min at night.
9. you previous thread have tom saying 5.0 produce almost none uvb. believe me tom doing his research. i believe when he was researching, he was holding his most reliable uv meter and measure any lamp any sun at any time like crazy. He even know morning and evening sun produce almost none uvb, i do experience this. he did it, you got the information freely, no error, so believe him, change the uvb, pm him to get the right uvb. or at least 30min everyday at 11 a.m sun. but your place is getting cold soon right, just buy a uvb.
10. soak your tort into half baby carrot liquid and half luke warm water for 30 min when you feel necessary. this will add his strength. do not too attach to this.
11. what is the weight of your tort now?
12. ah yes, make him a new hide around his hot side of enclosure, a small one that he feels safe.

The most important, never force him. be patient. i know it sucks. i tell you my story.
I got a 3 months old sulcata that only 57gram. and yes he is eating but he is not gaining weight at all. all i provide him is quiet environment. no matter how little your tort eat, as long as he eat, you are ok.
My tort not gaining weight for a month, the next month he is gaining 2 gram, next month 10 gram, and now doing ok.
Calm yourself, do not put any stress to the tort anymore. your enclosure is super good. my tort do not have any stress with me. he just learn i am not monster who want to eat him, and he needs a month to starting very slowly gaining the weight. your tort already afraid of you, you should more patience. maybe it takes longer. i attach a picture, maybe this will support and encourage you . remember go through what i told you one by one. make all of it right. don't miss a thing. i am newbie though but i read a lot, i am just trying to help. at least i raise one too.

Sorry for my bad english, i am to lazy to make it better, i don't really good at english.

 

[Crowley1103]

You do closed the top right? i assume you just open it, for me it looks not humid enough, i don't see any condensation in the glass.

Ok.. i just go through your previous thread.
Please at least make all of this right, hopefully it is me not looking at your thread good enough, but i will not leave out any possible mistake i can thought of for you ok?
1. temp probe should place in tortoise level, not higher than that.
2. bask spot temp, you measure the stone surface, put the probe at the basking spot.
3. you should close all the top, maybe you just open the top when you are taking the picture.
4. remember night temp, do not go below 80F, i recommended at least 83F. when he is not eating, he will be weak, he cannot get any cold.
5. i saw the vet say all good with him. don't take him to vet anymore. never. he is good. you make him scare. he is confuse you take him to other giant monster that force him and flip him and do whatever they like to him, he is stress.
6. any children any dog any cat around his enclosure? he is afraid. let him have super quiet super calm environment. let him believe there will be no other trip to vet. all he has is you, and you just get him to soak and you give him food, nothing else. do not look at him, ignore him. he is afraid.
7. close the glass with anything, a tape maybe, so that he can't see out, he will feel more safe.
8. soak him at least 30min twice a day for now. remember the night temp ok? it is crucial. i soak mine for an hour at morning and 30min at night.
9. you previous thread have tom saying 5.0 produce almost none uvb. believe me tom doing his research. i believe when he was researching, he was holding his most reliable uv meter and measure any lamp any sun at any time like crazy. He even know morning and evening sun produce almost none uvb, i do experience this. he did it, you got the information freely, no error, so believe him, change the uvb, pm him to get the right uvb. or at least 30min everyday at 11 a.m sun. but your place is getting cold soon right, just buy a uvb.
10. soak your tort into half baby carrot liquid and half luke warm water for 30 min when you feel necessary. this will add his strength. do not too attach to this.
11. what is the weight of your tort now?
12. ah yes, make him a new hide around his hot side of enclosure, a small one that he feels safe.

The most important, never force him. be patient. i know it sucks. i tell you my story.
I got a 3 months old sulcata that only 57gram. and yes he is eating but he is not gaining weight at all. all i provide him is quiet environment. no matter how little your tort eat, as long as he eat, you are ok.
My tort not gaining weight for a month, the next month he is gaining 2 gram, next month 10 gram, and now doing ok.
Calm yourself, do not put any stress to the tort anymore. your enclosure is super good. my tort do not have any stress with me. he just learn i am not monster who want to eat him, and he needs a month to starting very slowly gaining the weight. your tort already afraid of you, you should more patience. maybe it takes longer. i attach a picture, maybe this will support and encourage you . remember go through what i told you one by one. make all of it right. don't miss a thing. i am newbie though but i read a lot, i am just trying to help. at least i raise one too.

Sorry for my bad english, i am to lazy to make it better, i don't really good at english.

I am starting to think its stress. I do keep the top closed
My temps are in the correct ranges so I will cover the front of cage and see if that helps! Thank you so much for sharing. This makes me feel better!