Hatchling sulcata won’t eat

[Aawindom]

I just got a new baby sulcata. Hatchling. It has been a few days and he still hasnt eaten. We are getting worried cause he will walk around his enclosure and even walk on top of his food and won’t even bother eating. We have giving him a mixture of mazuri tortoise diet and collar greens as well as lettuce. Still nothing. We have soaked him in a warm bath but still no interest in eating. He drinks water but we are just worried.
His temps in his inclisure are 95 under neath the mercury bulb we have and cooler is about 80 degrees. He also has something on the bottom of his shell unsure if that’s the yoke sac. If anyone has any information that would be great.

 

[pguinpro]

If you haven't already try letting the mazuri sit in warm water temporarily then mash it up and mix with some finely chopped collards or something. Keep soaking no matter what. Also try some other grasses, hay, or leafy greens like collards and mustard greens not spinach.

 

[Aawindom]

If you haven't already try letting the mazuri sit in warm water temporarily then mash it up and mix with some finely chopped collards or something. Keep soaking no matter what. Also try some other grasses, hay, or leafy greens like collards and mustard greens not spinach.

Yes we have tried different food, we have a Greek tortoise so we have a variety of greens and we keep it wet easy for them to eat. My Greek tortoise though has no interest in the pellet. Thank you for your feed back.

 

[Cheryl Hills]

Ok, to start with, please go to the salcata section and read the sticky’s at the top. How to raise a healthy salcata. You really need to make a lot of changes to what you have. Also read beginners mistakes. You setup needs some improving. Salcata babies should be raised in a humid environment, in a closed chamber. I only see one light. You need a heat source, a basking light and a fluorescent tube uvb light. This is all exspained in these notes. Also, it takes some time when you get a new baby, before they will eat. They are stressed out and need time to settle in. Please give this a read, make your changes and ask many questions.

 

[Aawindom]

Ok, to start with, please go to the salcata section and read the sticky’s at the top. How to raise a healthy salcata. You really need to make a lot of changes to what you have. Also read beginners mistakes. You setup needs some improving. Salcata babies should be raised in a humid environment, in a closed chamber. I only see one light. You need a heat source, a basking light and a fluorescent tube uvb light. This is all exspained in these notes. Also, it takes some time when you get a new baby, before they will eat. They are stressed out and need time to settle in. Please give this a read, make your changes and ask many questions.

Thanks for your feed back. As I said it’s mecury bulb so it’s both uvb and a heat lamp all in one. I spray through out the day to keep it humid. I have 4 other tortoises one Greek and two cherry heads. I have two that are in similar enclosures. I have been reading the other forums. Just thought try to post, I guess my question is, not sure how old my sulcata is, I still think he has his yolk sac which I was wondering could contribute that too not eating ?

 

[rideburton87]

When I brought my baby sulcata home he didnt eat for two weeks. Pretty sure that's normal and just give him time.

 

[JustLivingLife714]

Me sulcata wouldnt eat when I first got it. I made the mistake of not having a correct heat lamp with atleast 95 degrees. I fixed the problem once i bought a 100 watt red bulb. My 8month old sulcatas temperature is always at 110 thru 120 degrees on basking spot.

 

[pguinpro]

Thanks for your feed back. As I said it’s mecury bulb so it’s both uvb and a heat lamp all in one. I spray through out the day to keep it humid. I have 4 other tortoises one Greek and two cherry heads. I have two that are in similar enclosures. I have been reading the other forums. Just thought try to post, I guess my question is, not sure how old my sulcata is, I still think he has his yolk sac which I was wondering could contribute that too not eating ?

Supposedly Mercury vapor bulb causes pyramiding. Indoor Incandescent floods are recommended.

 

[TechnoCheese]

Welcome to the forum!
There are a lot of things that need to be changed that could be your problem.

- You need an entirely enclosed enclosure with humidity never dropping below 80-100%, day and night. Your enclosure is open, and likely much too dry.

- do you have any night heat? Your tortoise needs to be kept 80 degrees or warmer in the coolest part of the enclosure, day and night.

- Mercury vapor bulbs are very desiccating on young tortoises, and can really “cook” them, especially in a dry enclosure. It should be changed to a tube uvb, with a flood bulb for basking and a Ceramic heat emitter for night. Lamps should also be facing straight down, and not clamped to the side.

-the thermometer you’re using is very inaccurate, and not measuring at tortoise level. You could be getting temps that you don’t actually have. Please consider getting a cheap temperature gun(15-20$), or a digital thermometer with a probe, and a digital hygrometer.

- that water bowl is a flipping/drowning hazard. It should be changed to a large terra cotta saucer.

Be sure that you’re soaking him daily for 20-45+ minutes every day. Don’t let the water get cold. You can achieve that by putting the soaking container under or near a heat lamp, but be sure to monitor the temp.

Please give these a read and come back with questions-
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/

 

[Maro2Bear]

Yep, TechnoCheese has it all summed up rather well.

Concentrate on the care sheet - For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata... https://tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/For-Those-Who-Have-a-Young-Sulcata....76744/

And yes, that’s a hatchling and you are seeing the location/remnants of the yolk sac. Proper temperatures, heating (both day and night) lighting and humidity are all very critical at this early stage of development. @Tom can better discuss the yolk sac and it’s “condition” and what it can tell you regarding conditions, soakings, too dry of an environment, etc.

 

[Tom]

Me sulcata wouldnt eat when I first got it. I made the mistake of not having a correct heat lamp with atleast 95 degrees. I fixed the problem once i bought a 100 watt red bulb. My 8month old sulcatas temperature is always at 110 thru 120 degrees on basking spot.

That is way too hot and will contribute to pyramiding. 95-100 is all they need.

 

[Tom]

When I brought my baby sulcata home he didnt eat for two weeks. Pretty sure that's normal and just give him time.

Not normal at all. They should be eating the day you get them if they were well started and the enclosure is set up correctly.

 

[Tom]

Thanks for your feed back. As I said it’s mecury bulb so it’s both uvb and a heat lamp all in one. I spray through out the day to keep it humid. I have 4 other tortoises one Greek and two cherry heads. I have two that are in similar enclosures. I have been reading the other forums. Just thought try to post, I guess my question is, not sure how old my sulcata is, I still think he has his yolk sac which I was wondering could contribute that too not eating ?

Spraying the enclosure does little to keep humidity up. The sprayed water just evaporates, cooling the enclosure as it does, and dissipates into the drier room air.

Most of what you read on other forums is going to be old out-dated info. We've been caring for this species all wrong since they came into the hobby in the late 80s/early 90s. The same wrong info has been parroted for 30 years. We all learned this wrong info back then and along the way. The books all say it, vets, experts and breeders all say it. Only recently have some of us figured this all out. This is why what you read here will be in direct conflict with what you read elsewhere. This is NOT a desert species. Babies hatch at the start of the rainy season. Hot, rainy, and humid, with puddles and marshes forming all over the place. Much like South Florida or New Orleans in summer time. Low sided tubs and MVBs will not allow you to create the necessary conditions.

The scabbed over umbilical scar and yolk sac there is an indication that your baby was: #1. Not started correctly, and #2. Much too young to be sold. You bought from a breeder who starts the babies too dry, and does not take the time to get them up and running and eating good before selling them. This baby should still be in a brooder box for at least a few more days, and then moved into an enclosure for at least 4-6 weeks before being offered for sale. Raising babies and starting them correctly is a lot of work and time. In the case of sulcatas, the low prices mean there is not a lot of financial return on the time investment, so some people just move them out ASAP without spending the time on them. Some of the babies will eventually pull through and survive, and some won't. This is likely the biggest reason for your lack of appetite.

The lack of night heat is also a likely contributing factor. These guys need to be kept warm day and night. At least 80. Room temp at night is too cool.

TechnoCheese spelled it all out very well. Follow that advice and read those threads and your baby will have the best chance at survival and recovery from its rough start.

This info may be a little tough to swallow, but please know that everyone here has the best interest of your tortoise in mind, and we see what you are going through frequently. Questions and conversation are welcome. No one expects you to just take our word for it, so be skeptical. Call us out. Make us explain further if anything doesn't make sense. Ask all your questions. We won't take offense.

 

[Aawindom]

Thank you guys for all your suggestions. I decided to go for getting a uvb and heat lamp instead of the mercury. I changed water bowls as well. I have a fogger for my other torts. That I moved into his inclosure to stay humid. I also took him outside for a hour to get some real sun light. As well as soaked him in warm water for 20 minutes. Hopefully he starts eating soon. I will keep you guys updated. The thermometer that you saw in the pick isn’t the one I’m using I have one where you point and gets the temp. We also have a heating pad as well for night. We keep the house at 75 degrees as well and keep an eye on the temp at night.
Thanks for all the input. We have other torts that are great so just needed some help since he is so young. ( we have a Greek, 3 cherry heads, all babies,3-5months)

 

[drew54]

Thank you guys for all your suggestions. I decided to go for getting a uvb and heat lamp instead of the mercury. I changed water bowls as well. I have a fogger for my other torts. That I moved into his inclosure to stay humid. I also took him outside for a hour to get some real sun light. As well as soaked him in warm water for 20 minutes. Hopefully he starts eating soon. I will keep you guys updated. The thermometer that you saw in the pick isn’t the one I’m using I have one where you point and gets the temp. We also have a heating pad as well for night. We keep the house at 75 degrees as well and keep an eye on the temp at night.
Thanks for all the input. We have other torts that are great so just needed some help since he is so young. ( we have a Greek, 3 cherry heads, all babies,3-5months)

Before you leave we will need to see pics of your other torts for our viewing pleasure. [emoji854]

 

[Aawindom]

Before you leave we will need to see pics of your other torts for our viewing pleasure. [emoji854]

 

[JustLivingLife714]

That is way too hot and will contribute to pyramiding. 95-100 is all they need.

I read a post from 2010 where you said 110-120 degrees for the basking spot is fine. Its not good then?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Aawindom, and welcome to the Forum!

You can't compare the way you take care of your other tortoise with the way you need to care for your baby sulcata. It's further apart than apples and oranges. . . totally different. Please read the most important thread (important for your new baby's health and well-being) https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/ Read it with an open mind, forgetting all you know about caring for your Greek tortoise and starting fresh!

 

[drew54]

I read a post from 2010 where you said 110-120 degrees for the basking spot is fine. Its not good then?

The extreme heat can dessicate the shell and cause pyramiding and potential burns if it doesn't cook your tort first. That's what happened to my first hatchling. There is a lot of old info that ha been updated since then.