I need urgent help my cousin's baby sulcata isn't looking well. When we tried to shine a flashlight on the lil guys shell we could see some light pass through from the plastron. Pls respond as soon as possible and pls give suggestions on how to help and wether we should bring the lil guy to the vet
HELP MBD ORHYPERCALCEMIA
- Thread starter Justincl
- Start date
can you add photos please so we can make a good assessment
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How old is the baby? The plastron is still soft for a while
How often do you soak?
WHat are temps and humidity?
What is substrate?
What is fed?
here is an excellent care guide. https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...se-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/
How often do you soak?
WHat are temps and humidity?
What is substrate?
What is fed?
here is an excellent care guide. https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threa...se-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/
The same thing happens when I shine a light through my thumb or my cheek. That is not a test for anything and does not indicate a lack of calcium.
I see no need for a vet and a vet is most likely to do harm if they follow the same info sources as vets here.
Is there anything else wrong with the baby? Was it started in the typical dry fashion?
We dont actually know the precise date but the seller said abt 3 or 4 months
It is soaked daily 2 times for 30 minutes at least
Temps are 33 day and 31 night humidity 80
Substrate is coco husk
For now some repcal pellets and siomak (chinese veggie) and some kale and mulberry leaves and hibiscus
31-33C is fine for the ambient, but there still needs to be a basking area around 36-37C.
It was by the seller. We've had the baby for a month now and it was doing fine we spot clean the substrate and use a midnight light so that its dark but is still hot and the seller didnt ise substrate at all he just used pvc carpeting and didnt measure humidity the baby has a bit of pyramidding but he was the healthiest among the clutch now we apply shell moisturizer and spray the enclosure
We do in fact let the little guy explore and walk around in the terrace with supervision and in indonesia mornings and afternoons can get pretty hot around 35 or 36 degrees but it is the rainy season so i usually keep the temperature hotter in the room
You don't need the night heat if your temperature is staying above 27 at night. Best to let it drop to that level at night. A thermostat could help with this.
Also best to not use colored bulbs. A CHE will serve this purpose better if night heat is needed.
room walks are bad especially if the floor is concrete. No matter how warm you keep the area the floor will be cooler unles you have heated floors. Cooler=bad for babies
Rijal
New Member
Sorry but it is most likely breeder failure syndrome. This is number one killer and Indonesian use that technique and falsely diagnosed that as MBD. The best thing you can do is provide best warm humid environment and very good hydration. Good luck.
The problem here is che's here aren't the same quality as zoo med and other brands abroad and there are many cases here where the babies die of overheat bc even with thermostats here the che's are just bad. And the reason i use a night light is because its the rainy season here and it gets to 25 or 26
Rijal if i may ask do u live in jaksel jakut or jakbar or jaktim?
By terrace i mean outside my patio as i get direct sunlight there in the morning and afternoon and the floor is heated as well
Rijal
New Member
I live in Bintaro, south west of Jakarta
Ah sad
if u live near sunter jakut i thought u could help me if possible can i add u in instagram if i need help?
Rijal
New Member
Also please try weighing the guy on the kitchen scale and let us know
When controlled by a thermostat, the CHE will not over heat the enclosure. They all work the same. If there was a problem with some off brand cheaply made one, it would simply break or not heat up. They can't over heat extra. A thermostat will shut it off when the desired temperature is reached. As long as you have a warm daytime ambient and a 37C basking area, I think 25-26C at night will be okay. Watch the appetite, activity level and look for any signs of a respiratory infection, but I bet it will be fine.
The basking area is important. It causes problems whenever people skip this step with sulcatas. I've tried to do it several times, and it just doesn't work. A recent buyer of my babies tried this and had the same issues. When she put the basking bulb back, the baby immediately perked back up and all the troubles went away.
The tortoise should never be roaming loose on the terrace. Keep it in an enclosure. If the terrace is a good area with the correct temps and a good mixture of sun and shade, then make an enclosure on the terrace.
