Hatchlings eat but don't poop.

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chrisepperson

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I recently posted about my new sulcata and received great advice. I have another question today....I feed them spring mix daily with a mix of mustard & turnip greens, with calcium and hay sprinkled in. They eat it all but have not seen they poop for well over 10 days. I soak them every morning and this would be the time they normally pooped. They have been depositing more urates at this time as well. Does this have anything with supplementing calcium with vit D3?

Also they seem spend all their time basking and rarely ever going into their hide or even on the cool side. Temps are 93-95 under the hot lamp, 89- 91 on the hot side, and 75 on the cool side. Light stays on 14 hours a day. Night drops to 73.

What should I do?
 

Meg90

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The excess urates are from too much protein. Skip the mustard and turnip greens daily, they are too high in oxalates (and feeding like this could cause pyramiding). Do them once a week instead, or rotate one every other week.

Pick up some butternut squash (or yellow zucchini or reg zucchini if you can't get squash) and feed that. The butternut I would boil in unsalted water for a few minutes to soften it up for the babies. That should help them get going again since they are blocked up.
 

Kayti

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Are you soaking them in slightly warm water, just up to the base of their neck?
Also, sulcatas have been known to eat their poop, so if you haven't been watching them 24/7, that's where some of it might have gone :rolleyes:

And my young Sulcata spends 99% of her time on the hot side or directly underneath her basking light too, so I don't think that's related to the poo problem.
 

chrisepperson

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Thanks for the tips. I don't believe they are eating their poop. I watch them too much and have not ever seen any remnants of any either. I will get some butternut squash tonight to try and jump start them back on track.

I soak them religiously in warm water every morning, about 3 hours after their light comes on.

So I really shouldn't worry about them basking all the time? I thought it was because they are too cold...but my temps are what they should be.

Thanks. More thoughts are welcomed.

CHRIS
 

Meg90

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No, they are little, they cannot retain heat like an adult tortoise can. They need to stay where its nice and hot to keep their temp up. As long as they are active, and move around their enclosure, I wouldn't let the constant basking worry you.
 

chrisepperson

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Meg90 said:
No, they are little, they cannot retain heat like an adult tortoise can. They need to stay where its nice and hot to keep their temp up. As long as they are active, and move around their enclosure, I wouldn't let the constant basking worry you.

Thanks Meg. How else can I mix up their diet other than spring mix? I don't want them to keep the urates due to the mustar and turnip greens but I don't want to only feed the spring mix...I throw in some hay but they only eat that by accident. What else do you give yours that is high fiber/low protein? How often should I feed squash & zuchini?
 

Meg90

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I feed spring mix standard weekly. I occasionally feed squash or zucchini or bell pepper, and I also rotate in green leaf lettuce, romaine, etc. I try to stay away from greens that are high in oxalates like mustard, turnip and kale. I don't want my kids to pyramid. In the summer, they eat the broadleaf mix that I grow in the yard as well, and I pick dandelions for them (my moms yard is pesticide free). In the winter though, its spring mix. All do well on it.

I also offer mazuri atleast once weekly.
 

Kayti

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Have you checked your supermarket for dandelion greens? All the markets around my house have them now, but that may just be because I live in a super hippy town. :p

Good luck with your hatchlings, I'd follow all of Meg's advice too!
 

chrisepperson

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What grocery do you go to that has dandelion? I went to a whole food store and asked but they didn't have any.
 

dmmj

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Several people have commented that they are usually in the middle eastern/arabic grocery stores.
 

Yvonne G

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Very early on, I asked the produce manager at my local grocery store (Savemart) if he would please buy dandelion greens. He started out only buying a case and soon found out that I wasn't the only customer to want them. He now stocks them on a regular basis.

Ask your produce manager if he will order them for you.
 

Kayti

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chrisepperson said:
What grocery do you go to that has dandelion? I went to a whole food store and asked but they didn't have any.

I go to Albertsons, and they usually have some, and this grocery called Market of Choice always has some, but I think they're only in Oregon.

The produce manager at my Albertsons is always super helpful too. Asking yours sounds like the best way to go.
 

Annieski

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Hi! I'm new to the forum but have had my Mortimer/Mortisha since May 2008. Chicory is another acceptable green to give sulcatas and it is readily available in most stores.
 
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