HELP!!! I'm so worried about my hatchling Sulcata :(

[Kyra Driscoll]

Hello, everyone!

I have a ton of questions as I just became the new mother of a baby sulcata but I'm not sure she's doing very well. I ordered her online from backwater reptiles and they shipped her to me overnight. When she got here, I had her enclosure set up with a heat lamp and a UV lamp. About a 3rd of her enclosure is covered to provide shade and I also have four sponges set up on the edges of the enclosure to provide humidity. Her basking spot is 103, her general enclosure is about 85 and her hideaway is 70.
Okay, so that's what I have for her living arrangements. Right when I got her, I put her under the basking lamp and offered her fresh grass. She just closed her eyes and didn't seem interested so I let her sit for a while and get used to the enclosure. Later in the day she still seemed very lethargic and hardly opened her eyes. I also have tried feeding her the grass, kale, red chard, and romaine but she's not interested in any of it. This has continued for nearly a whole week now.
I read about tortoise dehydration causing some if these symptoms, but I've been bathing her in warm water every morning, and spritzing her with water in intervals. She also has a full water bowl and the sponges I mentioned earlier. If she got dehydrated from her previous owners and that's the problem, how long should I expect until she begins to heal? Is there more I should be doing to keep her hydrated?
In addition, I also read that it could be vitamin A deficiency that is causing her to keep her eyes closed, possibly because they are swollen. If this is the case, what can I do for her and would this also explain the lethargy and absence of eating?
Lastly, I'm really most concerned about just getting her to eat something. Anything. Is there something I can do to tempt her into eating? Should I be force feeding her? I tried blending up a mixture of grass, water, and a tortoise supplement powder and I let her sit in it because I read a post on here that mentioned she might absorb some nutrients through her skin?
Anyway, any advice would be much appreciated! I just want her to be happy here! Thanks everyone!

-Kyra

 

[Gillian M]

A warm welcome to the forum!

Let me tell you one thing I'm sure of: torts do NOT like change and when they are obliged or forced to change environment/home/place etc. it takes them a real lot of time to adapt to the new place. Here, the owner has to be very....patient. I don't know what the weather is like where you are, here it's cold and in Winter torts lose appetite. So, take it easy with that gorgeous tort and good luck.

 

[Jodie]

You could try baby food soaks. Use carrots or squash and warm water. Soak fot half hour. Make sure you keep him warm and hydrated. If the breeder dry started this baby and there is organ damage there may be nothing you can do. Provide the best conditions you can, and i hope for the best for you. I lost both leopard hatchlings i bought from backwater. One made it almost a year without growth. So sorry.

 

[Kyra Driscoll]

You could try baby food soaks. Use carrots or squash and warm water. Soak fot half hour. Make sure you keep him warm and hydrated. If the breeder dry started this baby and there is organ damage there may be nothing you can do. Provide the best conditions you can, and i hope for the best for you. I lost both leopard hatchlings i bought from backwater. One made it almost a year without growth. So sorry.

Hey, Jodie!
Thank you for your reply! I will try the baby food soaks and hopefully that will help her After receiving my baby, I went online and read a ton of reviews for backwater reptiles and I must say, there are some very displeased people out there. I wish I had gone and read those first because I would have gotten her from somewhere else if I had known. I just hope this little baby will pull through. Thank you so much for your encouragement!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Kyra, and welcome to the Forum!!

I'm afraid you have a very sick little baby there. The very first thing you must do before you do anything else is get rid of that sand. When they ingest bits of sand that might be stuck on their food, it builds up inside them and causes impaction. I just took another look at your picture and I guess the sand is only on the covered part? And the tortoise has no access to it? Then that's ok.

Moisten the bark substrate. Not just a spritz, but a whole pitcherfull of water. Mix it up so its all wet. The lights will soon dry out the top layer so he's not sitting on wet bark.

Measure the temperature all over the floor of the habitat. It should not be below 80F degrees anyplace on the floor.

Try to find out what Backwater Reptiles was feeding the baby, and offer the same foods...but he's not going to eat until his eyes are open.

The babyfood soaks are a good idea. Buy several jars of Gerber strained carrots. Mix about a half jar with warm water in a small bowl that he can't climb out of, and leave him soaking in there for about a half hour. His eyes should stay open after about three days of this. Then, if he's warm enough, he should start to eat.

 

[katfinlou]

Really hope your baby pulls through!!!

 

[dmmj]

I looked at your tortoise, and I agree with yvonne, your baby does indeed look sick ( the eyes). any food soaks should help with any vitamin problems, you could add a drop or two of liquid bird vitamins.

 

[Kyra Driscoll]

Hello, everyone!
It's been about a month since my last post, and I'm happy to say that my little baby is still alive! I bought new substrate for her enclosure, and a hygrometer so that I can better monitor the humidity levels in there. I also made a roof for her enclosure to keep more of the moisture from escaping as well as a small hide box for her to sit in when she's feeling dry. The enclosure is staying an average of 35% humidity during the day and she seems to really like it! I also bought a new UVB light for her, since mine was older than six months and I was worried it wasn't giving her enough light rays anymore.
Since my last post, I have been giving her carrot baths twice a day every day and hand feeding her carrot food from an eye dropper. Recently, I also bought some tortoise eye drops and I've been giving those to her three times a day for a week. Anyway, I can tell she's still not out of the woods, but she is MUCH more active now and she's starting to open her eyes! They open a little wider every day, and she seems much happier because of it.
Now, my next big problem is how to convince her to eat on her own. It's been over a month since she ate anything by herself and now that her eyes are open, I don't know how to tempt her into eating. I bought the food that the breeders told me she was eating before I adopted her, and I've offered a variety of vegetables and leafy greens, but she is not even remotely interested in any of it. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Thank you!!

-Kyra

 

[Jodie]

I use feeding tubs. I put the food in a small Tupperware container with the tortoise. Leave them there where it is warm enough for 20 minutes or so. Glad to hear he is hanging in there and showing some improvement. What are your temps? Cool side,warm side, basking and night?

 

[Tom]

I missed this the first time around.

It looks like you are using a coil type cfl UV bulb. Am I right? If yes, that is probably the cause of your eye problems.

Next you said you switched substrates. You had the best substrate for baby sulcatas in there, so what did you switch to?

35% humidity? That is bad. If your baby does ever start eating and growing it will pyramiding significantly at that humidity level.

In the original post you said the low temps was 70. Did you get that corrected with some more heat and some night heat?

I think these will help you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

 

[Kyra Driscoll]

I missed this the first time around.

It looks like you are using a coil type cfl UV bulb. Am I right? If yes, that is probably the cause of your eye problems.

Next you said you switched substrates. You had the best substrate for baby sulcatas in there, so what did you switch to?

35% humidity? That is bad. If your baby does ever start eating and growing it will pyramiding significantly at that humidity level.

In the original post you said the low temps was 70. Did you get that corrected with some more heat and some night heat?

I think these will help you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.78361/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

So I actually did not have a coil UVB, but nonetheless, I was also concerned that the UVB was the problem and so I replaced that with a Fluker UVB last week. It is the kind that provides both UVB and heat. I read on this site that it is the preferred kind, which is why I bought it. Anyway, I've had that shining on her for a little over a week now and I think it is helping.

I had cedar chips in there before, and I switched it out for mulled cyprus. I actually did this because of your article: "I recommend coco coir, orchid bark, cypress mulch, plain additive free soil, or yard dirt if yours is suitable. All of these can be purchased in bulk at most hardware or garden center stores at a tremendous savings. I recommend against wood shavings or chips, ground walnut shell, corn cob bedding, rabbit pellets, compressed grass pellet bedding, newspaper pellets, hay, cedar, or any amount of sand."

Regarding the humidity, what would you suggest to raise the humidity? I close the lid completely overnight and the humidity stays 80-90% in there all night, but I open about a 3rd of the enclosure during the day to let the light in and the humidity then lowers significantly. I knew that she probably needed more humidity during the day, which is why I made her a hide box that stays very humid. I have a sponge attached to the top and very wet substrate inside. She goes in there when it gets dry in her enclosure and I think it's really helping. It's just that it is extremely dry here and I'm having trouble keeping her entire enclosure at the right humidity level.

I raised the heat in the entire enclosure so now she has a basking spot that is staying at about 102, the normal part of her enclosure is 90 and her cold side is now 80. Her night temp is still in the 70's. What would you suggest for raising it while preserving her dark, sleeping environment?

Thank you!

-Kyra

 

[Kyra Driscoll]

I use feeding tubs. I put the food in a small Tupperware container with the tortoise. Leave them there where it is warm enough for 20 minutes or so. Glad to hear he is hanging in there and showing some improvement. What are your temps? Cool side,warm side, basking and night?

Hi, Jodie!

Thanks for your reply! I will definitely try the feeding tubs! I put the temperatures down below in my reply to Tom. Do you think those are adequate, or should I be adjusting them still?

Thank you!

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Kyra: The adjustments you've made are spot on! Good job!! I feel that the high humidity at night is quite ok. And if it lowers during the day, that's quite ok too. I'm pretty sure that will help you grow a smooth baby.

Now to your food problem. Do you have a food processor? Get some endive and escarole and grind it up into mush/juice in the processor and feed your baby this with the dropper. You can also add a tiny (I said TINY) bit of calcium powder and liquid bird vitamins to the juice. Don't try to feed him too much each day. He has a very tiny stomach, and a slow metabolism, so his tummy doesn't empty out daily.

The reason I suggested endive and escarole is because it is quite tasty. Yes, there probably are other greens that are better for the baby, and weeds from the garden fit that bill, but you're trying to get him interested in eating on his own, so you want to use a food that tastes good to him. After you've fed him from the dropper for a bit, then try to get a small piece of the original greens into his mouth. Just a small piece.

It's going to take some work on your part to get this baby eating on his own, but my spidey sense tells me you're up to it.

 

[Kyra Driscoll]

Hi Kyra: The adjustments you've made are spot on! Good job!! I feel that the high humidity at night is quite ok. And if it lowers during the day, that's quite ok too. I'm pretty sure that will help you grow a smooth baby.

Now to your food problem. Do you have a food processor? Get some endive and escarole and grind it up into mush/juice in the processor and feed your baby this with the dropper. You can also add a tiny (I said TINY) bit of calcium powder and liquid bird vitamins to the juice. Don't try to feed him too much each day. He has a very tiny stomach, and a slow metabolism, so his tummy doesn't empty out daily.

The reason I suggested endive and escarole is because it is quite tasty. Yes, there probably are other greens that are better for the baby, and weeds from the garden fit that bill, but you're trying to get him interested in eating on his own, so you want to use a food that tastes good to him. After you've fed him from the dropper for a bit, then try to get a small piece of the original greens into his mouth. Just a small piece.

It's going to take some work on your part to get this baby eating on his own, but my spidey sense tells me you're up to it.

Hi, Yvonne!

Thank you for the encouragement! I definitely will do everything I can to help my baby be healthy and happy as can be! I'll go to the store today and start trying the endive and escarole mash! I feel like that's exactly the advice I needed. Besides that, she's probably getting tired of carrot baby food.

Thank you again for your advice! I'll be sure to give an update soon!

-Kyra

 

[Jodie]

I am concerned with your night temp. The high humidity is great, but at 70F i think you are asking for a sick tortoise. I use a ceramic heat emitter on a thermostat to keep the night temps at 80F or just over.

 

[Tom]

Here is how you keep the humidity up:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/closed-chambers.32333/

For night heat, a ceramic heating element set on a thermostat is a good way to go.