Hello! I'm new on the forum. I just rescued a desperate case Sulcata

[AnnieRo]

Hi! I just rescued a Sulcata yearling (I think he's a yearling, he's a little bigger than my 18 month Sulcata), but he is in really bad shape. I've read up on enclosure and diet care and have him in an enclosure with no lower than 80 degree cool spot and a 95-ish hot spot. So far I've been able to keep the humidity up past 80%. I soak my guy morning and night right now, but I can't get him to eat or drink. He is incredibly soft. He's not had any detectable bowel movements since I got him on Wednesday. Apparently the previous owners tried to hibernate the poor guy, but that's as much as I know about his past. I would love more critical care advice. I'm not sure if he can be saved, but I'm willing to do anything (Bumble and Jenga)

 

[mike taylor]

He really need some good sun shine . But if its to cold outside then bump up the temps in the enclosure . I wouldn't let it drop no lower than 85 . Get his basking temps up to 100 . Make sure you have a good uvb lamp and foods high in calcium. Let's give @Tom a heads up .

 

[Tom]

You need a good Mercury Vapor bulb, or an Arcadia 12% HO bulb for UV, as well as calcium supplementation and a good diet. Hydration, humidity and warmth will help too.

 

[Lyn W]

View attachment 158493 View attachment 158492 View attachment 158488 View attachment 158489 View attachment 158490 View attachment 158490 View attachment 158489 Hi! I just rescued a Sulcata yearling (I think he's a yearling, he's a little bigger than my 18 month Sulcata), but he is in really bad shape. I've read up on enclosure and diet care and have him in an enclosure with no lower than 80 degree cool spot and a 95-ish hot spot. So far I've been able to keep the humidity up past 80%. I soak my guy morning and night right now, but I can't get him to eat or drink. He is incredibly soft. He's not had any detectable bowel movements since I got him on Wednesday. Apparently the previous owners tried to hibernate the poor guy, but that's as much as I know about his past. I would love more critical care advice. I'm not sure if he can be saved, but I'm willing to do anything (Bumble and Jenga)View attachment 158488

I do hope you can save the poor little thing, well done for rescuing him and thank you for helping this baby.

 

[MPRC]

Rough looking little guy. What foods have you tried so far? Maybe someone can recommend something you haven't thought of to stimulate his appetite.

 

[Anyfoot]

View attachment 158493 View attachment 158492 View attachment 158488 View attachment 158489 View attachment 158490 View attachment 158490 View attachment 158489 Hi! I just rescued a Sulcata yearling (I think he's a yearling, he's a little bigger than my 18 month Sulcata), but he is in really bad shape. I've read up on enclosure and diet care and have him in an enclosure with no lower than 80 degree cool spot and a 95-ish hot spot. So far I've been able to keep the humidity up past 80%. I soak my guy morning and night right now, but I can't get him to eat or drink. He is incredibly soft. He's not had any detectable bowel movements since I got him on Wednesday. Apparently the previous owners tried to hibernate the poor guy, but that's as much as I know about his past. I would love more critical care advice. I'm not sure if he can be saved, but I'm willing to do anything (Bumble and Jenga)View attachment 158488

This has put me on a downer for the night. So sad. Hope you can help this poor guy.
Good luck.

 

[mike taylor]

The good thing is with the right care now when he is a adult you will never see the pyramids .

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hello Annie
Good luck with your tort child .

 

[Yvonne G]

Oh my goodness, Annie! What a sad-looking little baby. I'd be willing to bet he's older than you think.

He has a bad case of MBD (metabolic bone disease) that needs to be addressed right away. It can only be helped with calcium and either vitamin d3 from the sun or from a good light like Tom referred to. Feeding calcium-rich greens will help too, but only if you can get him eating.

In the meantime, in order to perk him up, at every soak (daily) add a half jar of Gerber strained carrots to the soaking water. I use a bowl with tall sides, but a small footprint so I don't have to add too much water to make it come up to the middle of his sides. A half jar of Gerber strained carrots in warm water and mix it up, then leave the baby in the solution for at least a half hour, and longer is even better. You can position a light over the edge of the bowl to keep it warm, but be sure you don't cook the baby. He should perk up in about 3 days. But please understand, MBD is quite painful, so it's not unusual if he doesn't want to move very much. Exercise right at this time isn't as important as getting him to eat his calcium.

Welcome to the forum! Please be sure to read the pinned threads shown at the top of our Sulcata section. Both your babies will benefit from this.

 

[Pearly]

Hello Annie and welcome from Texas. Thank God for people like you who try to do THE RIGHT THING! My torties are Redfoots and I know little about sully diet tricks to get them to eat. I can tell you that one of my babies was not eating for few weeks after we got him and what had finally worked was greens blended with Mazuri mash and mango. I used one of those small electric choppers, threw some dandelion greens, soaked tortoise pellets, piece of fruit and to blend it smoother added tiny drop of apple juice. He jumped on it like crazy. I was blending his food for first few months, everyday different stuff (cactus, high calcium greens, fruit, tort pellets, protein). Once he got a hang of it I ditched the electric chopper and started just chopping up everything, but again, very very finely. Now, 6 months later, I still chop, but into little larger pieces (maybe 1.5-2mm) and by now I know what my picky eater will always eat. He looooves his protein! Cooked shrimp, hardboiled egg are his favorites, Mazuri and other commercial tortoise pellets are next (soaked in warm water), then come radicchio, romain and flat leaf parsley, those I usually put out throughout the enclosure as whole leaves for grazing with other greens but those get ignored. I know sulcata diet is different than redfoot, just wanted to tell you: don't get discouraged! Be persistent and keep trying until you get your answers! Wishing you best of luck and please keep us posted.

 

[Yvonne G]

This last post reminded me - Can you ask the previous owner what the tortoise is used to eating? You may have to go back to his old diet to get him started eating in your care.

 

[W Shaw]

Good luck with the little guy! I rescued a Russian in really bad shape in October, but 2 months later he's WAY stronger and eating well, and stomping around on all four feet, so I know they can be turned around.

 

[popeye tortoise]

Horrible for such a small tortoise to suffer. Thank you Yvonne and Tom for be the Keepers that your. I am so lucky to be a part of this forum
Anniero you and your tortoise is in my thoughts.

Thanks, Roy

 

[AnnieRo]

Thank you so much for all the input! I have increased the warm zone in his enclosure about 5 degrees and I've been monitoring it throughout the day. He has Mercury vapor lights on for 14 hours a day and a night heat lamp. (Thanks @Tom) I am in Idaho, so no chance for outdoor sun right now, unfortunately.
I have been giving him prescription calcium drops from my vet, but she's admittedly not very familiar with Sulcata torts. I unfortunately have to carefully open his mouth to get the drops in because he is not eating anything. (The vet showed me how.) I also squirt a little bit of moistened ground critical care supplement mixed with wheat grass juice with a tiny plastic syringe every morning and night, but he doesn't keep most of it in. I'm giving him carrot juice soaks (thanks @Yvonne G) morning and night. He hardly moves and his head never comes out past the bottom of his shell.
I don't know his previous owners or his previous diet. I walked into my local pet store for crickets for my son's lizard and the owner remembered that I had another baby Sulcata and he asked if I would take this little guy that had been dumped off to him, because he couldn't give him the energy it takes to rehabilitate him. At the pet store, they had been offering him what looked like a light colored broadleaf lettuce and cut up summer squash and carrots, but he said that Jenga never ate that he could see.
@Pearly, those were great ideas about getting him to eat when he has the strength to eat.
Thanks again, everyone, for all your help! This is an awesome forum!

 

[mike taylor]

It takes time but I think he will be OK .

 

[AnnieRo]

This is the supplement that the vet gave me for Jenga. Does anyone have any experience with it?

 

[mike taylor]

I've used it on a iguana . Just mix with water and use a tube feeder . With iguanas we used apple juice with it . With sulcatas I would only use water . It did make the iguanas perk up quickly .

 

[MPRC]

I have used the heck out of the carnivore formula - I had a string of animals come to me on deaths doorstep. I also have my own recipe that I make now, but I don't have an herbivore version of it.

The issue is going to be getting it into him - force feeding a tortoise is difficult, stressful and can be dangerous for the animal so hopefully you can find a way to get him eating on his own.

 

[Jodie]

Welcome to the forum. Poor baby. Wishing you the best luck in rehabbing this baby.

 

[Alaskamike]

Good for you !
This baby has a chance now. My experience with rescues in really bad shape makes me a strong believer in warm water soaks. 2x / day if you can manage it. You might also want to carefully monitor how much time he spends directly under the UVB. So times I've found the sick ones don't move much and can get overheated in one spot.

I too puréed food , a good mix of mazuri & greens.