Help me with "rescued" Sulcata issues

[Quantum]

My friend and I both received baby tortoises almost 2 years ago. In that time, my red footed tortoise has thrived, and is now ~6 inches in length, however his sulcata (unless we mistook the identity) seems like it hasn't grown more than maybe 1/2 of an inch in length. I went over and his cage was large, but it was just warm (not hot), and I think the water pool was too big for him to get in and out of. Also, apparently the vet they went to said that sulcatas only need to eat alfalfa hay, so all they did was make that the bedding, and then assume he would eat that. There was a big UV lamp, nothing else really.

Anyways, I finally convinced him to let me take care of his tortoise for a few weeks to see if I could get him more active, and eat some real food. Now that he is with me, I notice how bad he seems to be. He has almost no energy, he will walk for ~5 minutes, then just stop in his tracks and close his eyes to sleep for hours. I finally got him to fully open his eyes with bath soakings and heat baths. He only eats a little, (feeding some leafy greens at this point). Also, the underside of his shell isn't near as hard/tough as my red footed.

I thought I would post a few pictures to see what you think. Again, this guy is at least 2 years ago, we believe it is a sulcata, but he is absolutely tiny and has very minimal energy to do anything. I don't know if I should take him into a herp vet, or keep on trying to take care of him and see if his energy/appetite approves.

If I posted in the wrong forum thread, let me know, I can move it.

 

[Peytons torts]

It's a sulcata it looks like he has some pyramiding also but that can be stopped by a high humidity enclosure and higher heat I use the zoo med bulb with uv built in I get the 100 watt but it depends where u live if it's colder get the 160 watt he also looks a little shriveled up on the top of his shell make sure your friend gives him daily soaks and puts a calcium supplement on the top of his food I feed my babies spring mix and some kale and every once in awhile I mix in some mazuri diet I use the original one just because I've heard that it is better than the tortoise diet.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm very sorry to say it, but that tortoise is dying. You can tell by his beak that he hasn't eaten in a very long time. I'm surprised there is any growth at all on the shell. I don't know how you're going to turn him around, unless you can afford to have a vet put in a feeding tube. They cut a hole in the throat and insert a tube into the stomach, then tape the tube to the top shell. You feed the tortoise through that tube. He's so weak, I really doubt he's going to be able to eat on his own.

You are to be commended for being able to talk your friend out of the tortoise and for trying to offer it a better life. I hope you are successful.

 

[tortdad]

Your Redfoot looks great, we can't say the same for that sulcata. His shell looks horrible to me, possibly the beginnings of MBD???
@Tom

I'm still waiting for the rest of your pics to open (so far I can only see the first one). Your not housing them together are you?

While your waiting for better advice I would soak him with some baby food added to his warm water. Carrot for the vitamin A.


0.0.1 Redfoot (Spike)
0.0.1 Cherryhead Redfoot (Bruce Wayne)
1.0 Sulcata (Hal Jordan)

 

[Quantum]

They are not being housed together. My red footed has been isolated for the ~2 years, so he isn't really sure what to do with another tortoise... he just thinks he is food. When I first got the little guy, he wouldn't move or open his eyes. So far I've gotten him to fully open his eyes a lot, and he does move around every now and then when I get him going. I'm hoping this may be some small sign of improvement, but I'm fearing the worst.

 

[lismar79]

Good God, I hope you keep him!
Here is what I would do:
Get him to a vet & get that beak trimmed! This will help him eat better.
I would get some Mazuri Diet (old formula: http://www.mazuri.com/mazuritortoisediet-1.aspx
Moisten it up so that its soft it will be easier to eat & it will fill in the diet which is sorely needed. Plus Mazuri is good to help add weight. Use it a couple-few times a week.
Get him on a leafy green & grass diet asap.
Get a good vitamin supplement & calcium source to use regularly. I like: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00COPHKO8/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Continue with the warm & humid and soaks. I second the opinion to add some baby food to the soaks. Carrot or squash. It will help get something in him.

He is worth the effort to try! Please update us on his progress.

 

[Jodie]

That poor baby. Best wishes to you. You definitely did the right thing taking him. Hope it's not too late. Good luck!

 

[ShadowRancher]

Wow his legs are grotesquely skinny, I wish you the best but you have a difficult job ahead of you. Definitely go to a reptile vet....you need to get him eating yesterday.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

I agree, he looks terrible! That's a sad, sad thing, but unless something happens soon, he won't recover!
Add baby food to his soaks, as suggested, might bring his appetite up. He need to get in a high humidity, 80' hospital tank ASAP! Tat means no substrate, and warm and humid conditions. He needs to eat. Try even some lettuce, just to get him eating! I concur with the Mazuri, it'll help him pack on at least a little weight!!
I wish the best for this little guy, and I hope you can bring him around

 

[turtlelady80]

Yes. Please. Warm baby food soaks immediately.
Ugghhhhhhhh.....I can't even look at the pics

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

How's he doing?

 

[Quantum]

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to give an update... the little guy has been doing really well since I got him. Daily soaks and baby food was a great first step, it gave him some much needed energy, and he began trying to eat on his own. I've been giving him a lot of leafy greens and now wheat grass, and I also took your advice and got the Mazuri pellets (this guys LOVES them, and so does my red footed). He now has a ton of energy (loves running around the place), eats all the time, and finally is starting to do more climbing. I've attached some pictures if you're interested in seeing how he looks now.



I do have one worry, something I noticed last night. On his bottom shell (plastron), one the bottom right hand side of the following picture, there is a noticeable lump/bulge, that you can feel if you run your finger along his plastron. I want to say that I don't think I noticed it until last night, so I'm not sure if this has recently formed as a result of his new diet. Have any of you experienced this type of thing before?


I want to say thank you to everyone for the advice, it looks to be paying off. This little guy is one heck of a survivor.

 

[ShadowRancher]

Hi Everyone!

I want to say thank you to everyone for the advice, it looks to be paying off. This little guy is one heck of a survivor.

So glad he's doing better! I couldn't really see anything in the picture, is it a hard lump? like just part of his shell? He's been very stunted so a couple of shell malformations are not out of the ordinary. I think as long as its hard he should be fine, if its soft there might be other issues

 

[Quantum]

The bulge is pretty hard. His whole plastron when I first got him was relatively soft, and now everything feels much harder.

 

[Quantum]

Also, I guess in the third pictures (where he is facing the left), you can see the small bulging next to my thumb. I think you are correct though, that it is just abnormal shell growth.

 

[AmRoKo]

Wow, I hope he keeps improving and gets to be a big fatty fat healthy sulcata!

 

[Yvonne G]

Don't worry about that bump. It's nothing. But, my oh my! What a difference. That doesn't even look like the same little tortoise. I was sure he wouldn't make it. Good job for sticking with it. He looks great.

 

[leopard777]

great improvement ,

 

[Peytons torts]

You did a really good job

 

[tortdad]

It's coming around nicely