Confused newbie.. would love advice please!

[SKF]

I’m sorry for the length of this... would be so grateful for advice.

My family has just agreed to take in a baby sulcata as we have always wanted one, and the other family changed their mind. We got her yesterday. She arrived cold, and has a little runny nose. She’s eating spring mix really well and walking around the constantly, so she doesn’t ‘seem’ sick but the little sniffles worry me. A couple of times I’ve her her squeak almost a stuffy nose type of sound. She doesn’t have a constant runny nose, I’ve just seen clear bubbles a couple of times, and the noises. When I look into her face her little nostrils appear clear.


I would love to hear any opinions on the condition of her shell (looks beautiful to me... but I’m not sure if that means healthy).

All that to say...(being honest) I’m finding myself completely overwhelmed and worried that this is a lot more complicated than I realized. I’m 100% up for this, but I thought I’d head right to the store to get all she needs, only to go online and find a million conflicting instructions on what is best.

Right now, very temporarily, we have her in a plastic storage bin, 18x34 with a layer of soil topped with cypress mulch. Pic shows Timothy hay but I replaced it shortly after this-also removed this little wall as she is quite the climber and I was afraid she turn over while I wasn’t watching. We have been using a cardboard box (bottom removed) as a temporary hide, but I see from looking at pictures it needs to be better closed; ours is wide open in the entry with a full top and sides. I saw something that said to use Sphagnum moss in the enclosure which I’ve wet, squeezed until damp and put inside. I’ve also been lightly misting the tub a few times a day (we’ve had her about 36 hours). However, I’ve now read that the moss is a bad idea... so maybe I should take that out. We have a 150 watt basking lamp hanging over her enclosure and when I check the temp of the basking spot it’s right about 90-100.

Her hide is more cool at around 78-80.. I’m not sure how to warm that up without having an enclosed space for her.

I’m just so confused. On thing says open to enclosure, another no open top, don’t use this bulb, do use this bulb, etc. I just feel like I’m running in circles, and am struggling to find the best instruction.

Should I put her in a glass aquarium, wooden box, table top box?

I know I must sound crazy, but at this point it’s probably bc I am. I’ve spent hours and hours reading and feel like I know nothing. Can anyone please point me in the right direction? I would love for someone to say- buy these things... and off I go. I want to give her all the best, and am committed to buying exactly what I need to, and caring for exactly as she needs, but no idea how to do it.

Thanks so much for any input!!

Shauna

 

[Fish Breath]

View attachment 294430

I’m sorry for the length of this... would be so grateful for advice.

My family has just agreed to take in a baby sulcata as we have always wanted one, and the other family changed their mind. We got her yesterday. She arrived cold, and has a little runny nose. She’s eating spring mix really well and walking around the constantly, so she doesn’t ‘seem’ sick but the little sniffles worry me. A couple of times I’ve her her squeak almost a stuffy nose type of sound. She doesn’t have a constant runny nose, I’ve just seen clear bubbles a couple of times, and the noises. When I look into her face her little nostrils appear clear.


I would love to hear any opinions on the condition of her shell (looks beautiful to me... but I’m not sure if that means healthy).

All that to say...(being honest) I’m finding myself completely overwhelmed and worried that this is a lot more complicated than I realized. I’m 100% up for this, but I thought I’d head right to the store to get all she needs, only to go online and find a million conflicting instructions on what is best.

Right now, very temporarily, we have her in a plastic storage bin, 18x34 with a layer of soil topped with cypress mulch. Pic shows Timothy hay but I replaced it shortly after this-also removed this little wall as she is quite the climber and I was afraid she turn over while I wasn’t watching. We have been using a cardboard box (bottom removed) as a temporary hide, but I see from looking at pictures it needs to be better closed; ours is wide open in the entry with a full top and sides. I saw something that said to use Sphagnum moss in the enclosure which I’ve wet, squeezed until damp and put inside. I’ve also been lightly misting the tub a few times a day (we’ve had her about 36 hours). However, I’ve now read that the moss is a bad idea... so maybe I should take that out. We have a 150 watt basking lamp hanging over her enclosure and when I check the temp of the basking spot it’s right about 90-100.

Her hide is more cool at around 78-80.. I’m not sure how to warm that up without having an enclosed space for her.

I’m just so confused. On thing says open to enclosure, another no open top, don’t use this bulb, do use this bulb, etc. I just feel like I’m running in circles, and am struggling to find the best instruction.

Should I put her in a glass aquarium, wooden box, table top box?

I know I must sound crazy, but at this point it’s probably bc I am. I’ve spent hours and hours reading and feel like I know nothing. Can anyone please point me in the right direction? I would love for someone to say- buy these things... and off I go. I want to give her all the best, and am committed to buying exactly what I need to, and caring for exactly as she needs, but no idea how to do it.

Thanks so much for any input!!

Shauna

Not that long a note; but I could help with the shell and all. Get a heat and UV lamp 2in1 on Amazon for your tortoise and that’s pretty much all I can say. Absence of UV could be solved with natural sunlight though, try that. As for the sneeze, that’s either a small cold OR something related to no UV OR how much moisture is in your enclosure...?

 

[SKF]

Not that long a note; but I could help with the shell and all. Get a heat and UV lamp 2in1 on Amazon for your tortoise and that’s pretty much all I can say. Absence of UV could be solved with natural sunlight though, try that. As for the sneeze, that’s either a small cold OR something related to no UV OR how much moisture is in your enclosure...?

Thank you!

 

[Tom]

Not that long a note; but I could help with the shell and all. Get a heat and UV lamp 2in1 on Amazon for your tortoise and that’s pretty much all I can say. Absence of UV could be solved with natural sunlight though, try that. As for the sneeze, that’s either a small cold OR something related to no UV OR how much moisture is in your enclosure...?

Almost everything you've said here is wrong. Why are you offering advice?

 

[Tom]

View attachment 294430

I’m sorry for the length of this... would be so grateful for advice.

My family has just agreed to take in a baby sulcata as we have always wanted one, and the other family changed their mind. We got her yesterday. She arrived cold, and has a little runny nose. She’s eating spring mix really well and walking around the constantly, so she doesn’t ‘seem’ sick but the little sniffles worry me. A couple of times I’ve her her squeak almost a stuffy nose type of sound. She doesn’t have a constant runny nose, I’ve just seen clear bubbles a couple of times, and the noises. When I look into her face her little nostrils appear clear.


I would love to hear any opinions on the condition of her shell (looks beautiful to me... but I’m not sure if that means healthy).

All that to say...(being honest) I’m finding myself completely overwhelmed and worried that this is a lot more complicated than I realized. I’m 100% up for this, but I thought I’d head right to the store to get all she needs, only to go online and find a million conflicting instructions on what is best.

Right now, very temporarily, we have her in a plastic storage bin, 18x34 with a layer of soil topped with cypress mulch. Pic shows Timothy hay but I replaced it shortly after this-also removed this little wall as she is quite the climber and I was afraid she turn over while I wasn’t watching. We have been using a cardboard box (bottom removed) as a temporary hide, but I see from looking at pictures it needs to be better closed; ours is wide open in the entry with a full top and sides. I saw something that said to use Sphagnum moss in the enclosure which I’ve wet, squeezed until damp and put inside. I’ve also been lightly misting the tub a few times a day (we’ve had her about 36 hours). However, I’ve now read that the moss is a bad idea... so maybe I should take that out. We have a 150 watt basking lamp hanging over her enclosure and when I check the temp of the basking spot it’s right about 90-100.

Her hide is more cool at around 78-80.. I’m not sure how to warm that up without having an enclosed space for her.

I’m just so confused. On thing says open to enclosure, another no open top, don’t use this bulb, do use this bulb, etc. I just feel like I’m running in circles, and am struggling to find the best instruction.

Should I put her in a glass aquarium, wooden box, table top box?

I know I must sound crazy, but at this point it’s probably bc I am. I’ve spent hours and hours reading and feel like I know nothing. Can anyone please point me in the right direction? I would love for someone to say- buy these things... and off I go. I want to give her all the best, and am committed to buying exactly what I need to, and caring for exactly as she needs, but no idea how to do it.

Thanks so much for any input!!

Shauna

The reason you are getting conflicting info is because you are looking at too many sources, and tortoise knowledge is always evolving and improving. For nearly 30 years we did it all wrong. Only in the last 10 years have some of us figured out what was wrong and been working tirelessly to figure out answers to all these question, and the best way to care for these animals. The internet is full of all sorts of bad info. Its the same bad info you'll get from pet stores, breeders, vets and books. 30 year old incorrect assumptions about how they live in the wild and what they need.

This tortoise needs warm humid conditions. Because it is already sick, it needs warmer than normal temps for a while. This is simple physics. Imagine your tortoise enclosure is a frosty margarita. Imagine the room your enclosure sits in is a hot tub. If you submerge your margarita in the hot tub, what happens? This is the same thing happening with the warm humid air you are trying to generate and the cooler drier room air. Now "close" your margarita in an insulated thermos and submerge it. No problem right? Your ice cold margarita is protected from the hot water because its in a "closed chamber". You need a closed chamber to contain your tortoise's warm humid air and prevent it from mixing with the cool room air.

The minimum ambient needs to be 85 day and night due to the sickness. 78 is too cold, and I didn't see you mention anything about night heat. This tortoise MUST be kept warm tonight. Put the whole enclosure in a bathroom and run a space heater if need be. Get it put to 85-90 and keep it that way all night and all day. This extra heat will help it kick the respiratory infection. The RI was caused by cold. Heat is the cure.

Get rid of the moss. It does nothing and its an impaction risk. They all try to eat it.

Like wise, get rid of the cardboard, and remove the soil.

Here is the correct care info. This is the product of 20 years of doing it wrong, followed by 10 years of doing it right(er). We still have much to learn, but this is where we are right now:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

This tortoise looks like it has been kept dry, and not grown much. This is not necessarily bad.

Your questions are welcome. Happy to explain in more detail where needed.

 

[SKF]

The reason you are getting conflicting info is because you are looking at too many sources, and tortoise knowledge is always evolving and improving. For nearly 30 years we did it all wrong. Only in the last 10 years have some of us figured out what was wrong and been working tirelessly to figure out answers to all these question, and the best way to care for these animals. The internet is full of all sorts of bad info. Its the same bad info you'll get from pet stores, breeders, vets and books. 30 year old incorrect assumptions about how they live in the wild and what they need.

This tortoise needs warm humid conditions. Because it is already sick, it needs warmer than normal temps for a while. This is simple physics. Imagine your tortoise enclosure is a frosty margarita. Imagine the room your enclosure sits in is a hot tub. If you submerge your margarita in the hot tub, what happens? This is the same thing happening with the warm humid air you are trying to generate and the cooler drier room air. Now "close" your margarita in an insulated thermos and submerge it. No problem right? Your ice cold margarita is protected from the hot water because its in a "closed chamber". You need a closed chamber to contain your tortoise's warm humid air and prevent it from mixing with the cool room air.

The minimum ambient needs to be 85 day and night due to the sickness. 78 is too cold, and I didn't see you mention anything about night heat. This tortoise MUST be kept warm tonight. Put the whole enclosure in a bathroom and run a space heater if need be. Get it put to 85-90 and keep it that way all night and all day. This extra heat will help it kick the respiratory infection. The RI was caused by cold. Heat is the cure.

Get rid of the moss. It does nothing and its an impaction risk. They all try to eat it.

Like wise, get rid of the cardboard, and remove the soil.

Here is the correct care info. This is the product of 20 years of doing it wrong, followed by 10 years of doing it right(er). We still have much to learn, but this is where we are right now:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

This tortoise looks like it has been kept dry, and not grown much. This is not necessarily bad.

Your questions are welcome. Happy to explain in more detail where needed.

Incredibly thankful for this!! Starting on these things now.

 

[EllieMay]

You are way ahead of most newbies in your research. What Tom said is solid advice. I have 3 Sulcatas and I have raised all according to the guidelines here on this forum. They are doing great. I have been in contact with many others who have different beliefs and I can easily say ( without predjudice) that mine look better and are growing better. . Good luck!

 

[Tom]

Incredibly thankful for this!! Starting on these things now.

Glad to hear it. There will probably be many questions along the way. Please feel free to ask. None of them are stupid or too trivial. The more you ask the more you learn, and other people reading will learn too. We are all here to talk about tortoises, so please don't feel inhibited about asking all of your questions.