Baby Sulcata Tortoise not gaining weight

Maxwell Brashier

New Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2017
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5
Location (City and/or State)
Spring Hill, Tennessee
I have a 10 month old Sulcata Tortoise that is not gaining weight. I have been weighing her weekly and she's gone from 4.9 oz when I got her in February to 3.65 today. I have been taking her outside to eat daily, and staying out there with her until she starts settling in for a nap, which is about an hour. She is currently 4 inches long in shell length. Her enclosure is 3 feet by 2 feet, and has 2 hides, a shallow water bowl, a heat rock she sits next to after eating, and 2 flat rocks I turned into feeding dishes. I soak her daily after she finishes eating for 10 minutes in 90 degree water. So, why is she losing weight?
 

TechnoCheese

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Feb 20, 2016
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Lewisville, Texas
We need more info.
What is your humidity?
What are your basking, warm side, cool side, and night temps?
What do you feed?
Where did you get the tortoise?
Please give these a read, and compare your care-
How To Raise A Healthy Sulcata Or Leopard, Version 2.0 https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php...ealthy-Sulcata-Or-Leopard,-Version-2.0.79895/
For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata... https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/For-Those-Who-Have-a-Young-Sulcata....76744/
Beginner Mistakes https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Beginner-Mistakes.45180/
Turn the heat rock off ASAP. They’re known for burning reptiles, and since tortoises don’t have heat receptors on their plastron, they can easily be burnt.
Can we see pictures of your tortoise and enclosure?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Jan 9, 2010
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Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I have a 10 month old Sulcata Tortoise that is not gaining weight. I have been weighing her weekly and she's gone from 4.9 oz when I got her in February to 3.65 today. I have been taking her outside to eat daily, and staying out there with her until she starts settling in for a nap, which is about an hour. She is currently 4 inches long in shell length. Her enclosure is 3 feet by 2 feet, and has 2 hides, a shallow water bowl, a heat rock she sits next to after eating, and 2 flat rocks I turned into feeding dishes. I soak her daily after she finishes eating for 10 minutes in 90 degree water. So, why is she losing weight?
Is that the only heat source? The hot rock? These tropical tortoises need warm temp round the clock. You need ambient temp to be above 80 day and night and you need a basking area of 95-100 degrees all day long and off at night. This is most easily accomplished in a large closed chamber where you can also maintain the warm humid monsoon conditions that will help your baby thrive.

Also, a 3x2' enclosure is okay for starting a little 35 gram hatchling, but its too small for a 100+ gram 4" tortoise.

Those threads that TechnoCheese linked will help you understand what needs to be done, but also feel free to ask lots of questions.
 

Maxwell Brashier

New Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2017
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
Spring Hill, Tennessee
The humidity is 75%. Day temps on the cool side sit at 82 degrees, night temps 80. Warm side is 94, and basking is 97. She has been eating clovers, strawberry plant leaves, and the leaves of those purple flowers that seem to grow everywhere. We got her from the tortoise supply website. She has a long uvb light and a ceramic heat emitter.
 

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