Im new and confused

[roamingbull]

I purchased a (they said) 3.5 or 4 yr old Sulcata on the 1st of the month. He has been in the house now 3 days. Ive read up and am pretty sure I'm providing him with everything he needs, but what has me worried like a new parent is that he has not eaten anything that I can tell since I have had him. So far he has not defecated. He has good steady vents, (I can feel his breath) no bubbles, or foaming, and appears to be in good health. He has been active by moving around the house, and in his quarters. But he also rests a lot. He has a firm shell (a little bumpy but I am confused as to what bumps are normal and what is pyramiding) and he has strength, as he has no problem rearranging some of the items in there. He has made a couple of sounds or chirps, but not in a stressful way, and he was not arching his neck with his mouth open when he did it. so I don't think its respiratory. Last night he was less active, and today Tanya my wife said he has had his eyes closed today. he does crack an eye when picked up but the other stayed closed. when they were or are open they are bright, and clear. So am I just a worry wort and need to give him time to acclimate to his new home, or should I be concerned. Oh, we do keep the room he is in at 75 and his quarters has a 50watt red light warmer for added heat. Plus we keep a small space heater nearby to insure the room stays at a min of 75. Again the three things that concern me is his lack of eating, lack of discharge, and closed eyes. Sorry so much, but I am full of questions.

 

[Coldliz]

Hi, congratulations on your new tort. I know how it feels to worry. I've had mine for three months and I still worry!
Im a newbie to this too but he probably needs time getting used to his new surroundings.
Im sure someone here will be able to help you more. I ask a lot of questions too so don't be sorry. Everyone is very helpful here.

 

[Crazy1]

Roamingbull, what type of substrate do you have him on. What are his day and night temps are they the same 75? What is the temp under his heat lamp? When you said he is roaming where? Where are you located? how long is teh sulcata? measure him in a straight line from front of shell to back of shell. What is its weight? Can you post Pics? If so please post (top) capreace and (bottom) Plastron. Where did you purchase him/her from?
I know this is a lot of questions. But it will help identify potental problems. Do you have a uvb bulb? Torts often stress when moved to a new enviornment. Mine didn't eat for over a week.

 

[tortania]

Welcome Roamingbull . You've come to the right place for answers! I too am a newbie and learn something from here everyday! Does your guy have a spot in his enclosure that is at least in the mid 80s for thermoregulation? 75 is fine at night but during the day he should have an area that is warmer. It will encourage him to eat and to become active. Everyone is right in that he may just be a little stressed from the new environment, but he really needs a warm area, and ideally an area that is cooler in the enclosure so he has a choice of being warmer or cooler. As for defacating torts don't usually do it on daily basis. You can try giving him a warm soak to help encourage it, but more than likely he will go on his own, especially if he has a soaking area he can get to himself. Good luck on your sulcata! Once again welcome

 

[roamingbull]

WOW thank you everyone for the quick replies.

Tanya gave him a soak last night and said that he sparked right up, not sure if he has eaten yet, but he trucked around the room a bunch. We got him at a Red Bluff CA. Pet store that I knew has a history with torts.

I'm at work right now, (I work 48 hour shifts) so I don't have the exact answers to some of Crazy1's questions, but He is in some coconut wood substrate, in a large but soon to be larger 36X15 inch Tupperware container for now. This is a temp set up but gives him lots of room. He is about 6.5 inches. The room actually is hotter in the day due to the convection. Its upstairs so it runs about 78 at night and without the main heater on it is about 75. Not sure of the weight yet, Ill get that later tonight when I get home. I think the heat under the lamp itself is hotter, but we are going to get a temp gage to make sure. Ill post some pics soon.

Thanks again for the replies. Great to feel instantly welcome. Looking forward to learning from everyone here.

-Tony

 

[Crazy1]

Tony, sorry for the barrage of questions. Actually sounds like you've been doing your homework. Good for you. Yes a temp and humidity gage is really important to make microclimates for these guys. suitable temperature ranges during both the day (80 F (27 C) with a basking area (100 F (39C)) and night (72 F (22 C)).. And yes they need an area that is a little humid. In the wild they will burrow to find the humidity.

 

[JustAnja]

You can use Long Strand Sphagnum Moss to create a humid hide area. Even if you just use it in a corner of the cage and keep it misted daily he will probably burrow down in it. A terracotta clay pot with an opening dremeled (Dremel tool) out of it to let him go in and out of it will work, and you can hot glue a sponge to the inside of the pot and keep it moist to create a humid hide area as well.

Are you letting him roam the floors of your home? It could be a little drafty along the floor for him and the temps will be lower down there as well.

 

[roamingbull]

No problem for asking the questions. Thanks I have plenty. To follow up, he weighs 709 grams so he may be younger than we thought. We took him to the vet yesterday. DVM Dunlap specializes in torts so we lucked out there. He is only 15 min. away. Turns out he is a little underweight, has a good shell, but does look like he has a resp infection as I sort of suspected. He got a Vitamin A shot as he was deficient, and an initial antibiotic shot. He gets another antibiotic every other day till hopefully he gets better. He still has not eaten, been five days now, and has not pooped (of course nothing has gone in).

It was really warm yesterday, so we got him outside for a little bit, and he really liked that. Was very inquisitive and almost took something in. But we did not keep him out too long as we were afraid it would be too much right now.

So that is my update for now. Still need to download some pics but I will do so soon.

 

[Crazy1]

Tony, I am so happy for you that you have a tort vet so close, and thorough and even happier that your little one is going to do just fine. I'm sure as he feels better he will begin to eat and poo. Anja is right watch those cold drafty floors. My foster sulcata (Squirt) I take outside when the weather permits. She moves most when outside and tend to like to find things to chomp on.
I'm not sure I even welcomed you to the forum but Welcome Are you sure it is a HE? and have you named your little Sully yet? Can't wait to see pics of him.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Tony: It's not good enough for you to keep the room he's in at 75 degrees. 75 feels comfortable to you because your body temperature is 98.6. If your tortoise is kept in a room with a temp of 75 then the tortoise's temp is 75 degrees. If YOU are 98.6 degrees wouldn't you think that a tortoise might be more comfy around that temp? They need to be at least 80 degrees for the food to start to digest. A turtle or tortoise realizes that its too cold to digest and won't eat unless he's warm enough. He needs to be in something large enough that you can have a warm side and a cool side. The cool side being the room temp side. So on the warm side you would have your UVB/UVA light or your red warming light, but you need to test the temp under the light to be sure its warm enough. You also mentioned that you let him roam around the house. I know lots of people practice this, but it is strictly against my religion!! You should lay on the floor in the nude and see how long it takes you to get cold in a room that is 75 degrees. Especially on the bare floor of say, the kitchen (and tell your wife it's for research and not to get any ideas!). There are too many things that get a tortoise in trouble on the floor. Cat hair, dust bunnies, small toys...Think of Kevin Costner: If its there, he will eat it!!

About that Vit a injection: If the vet performed a test that showed your tortoise was defficient, then that's perfectly fine, but some vets will give this shot because they think it will improve the tort's appetite. I've seen too many turtles and tortoises with their skin sloughing off due to an overdose of Vit a and I will NEVER allow a vet to use this on my animals. There are many natural foods that you can feed your tortoise to get Vit a into him without an injection.

Good for you that you have made a good home for a sulcata! and good for you that you are researching to try to give him the best home possible!

Keep us informed of his progress.

Yvonne

 

[Redfoot NERD]

I'm glad you said it first Yvonne. I agree.. and can't believe that these so-called "herp" Vets are injecting these little torts with VITAMIN A. How likely is it that he took a blood test and diagnosed it on the spot? I hope we are wrong.

And we NEVER allow our torts to walk around on the floor! Do we ever clean the floor? And do we use any chemicals by chance on the floors.. when we clean them? I actually had someone say they never cleaned the kitchen tile floor where their redfoot roams.. she only sweeps the floor! OHH! That's makes it better...

 

[roamingbull]

Yeah, actually he is in a pen that those temps are there. The cool side being the room temp, and the hot side with the lamp is at 80. Its actually been a little higher (85) as per the temp gage in that area. So I think Im good on the pen temps. But now I have some questions on the roaming. I don't let him have "free range" but he does need to get out for a little while. I have read some threads and stuff regarding outside exercise, but there is (even on a warm day) breezes. So what exactly is OK and what is not. Is he going to keel over if the wind blows on him? I have not had him out recently as he is sick and being treated, but at first I admit we did both inside for a little while, and outside where he seemed very happy.

On more somber note. I take him in today to get another antibiotic shot, but yesterday I think he took a turn for the worse. He had been making more noise, and has not hardly moved at all. He has still not eaten since we have had him 6 days ago. I have heard that soaking him with warm water and non flavored pedio-light mix is good, and maybe trying to force feed him some baby food consistent with his diet needs. Ill ask the vet when I am there, or if anyone has any idea's on that. I think Dr. Dunlap knows his stuff. He is pretty reputable. I had the same thought on the Vitamin A shot, but did not question him. I just want Smeagol to get better. Thanks again for every one's help.

 

[Coldliz]

I think if its possible to get his temp up to 90-100 in his hot spot will help him feel better faster. Mine recently had an RI and I had to give her antibiotic shots at home. Vet told me to up her temps.
I hope he gets better soon.

Also, where did you get him from? I believe that torts can "hide" illness well. Maybe this is something he already had and just wasn't taken care of before you got him. Do you know what kind of care he received before you purchased him? Just a thought.

 

[roamingbull]

I got him at a pet store in Red Bluff CA. My bet is he was sick then. They said he was eating, but I wonder to be honest. My vet said he was underweight, and it looked as if that was not a new thing. We also think he is younger than what they said, maybe two years, they said four. He is about 6.5 inches. The pet store said he was a "Trade in" I wish we had asked more questions but was a bit ignorant then. Still we got him and we are attached to him, so we are in it for the long haul. I am going to the store to see about a higher wattage red light warmer to get those temps up a bit till he gets better. Also, I wonder if I need to add a little more humidity in to the mix. Maybe that may help his respiration's. Some of the posts have said a damp sponge or maybe some misted moss? What do you think about the feeding. We had the option of doing the shots at home too, but decided to go ahead and pay the tech fee and have them do it. That way he would be seen and could be monitored by them a bit more. We are learning for sure with all the help received here and all the research.

Im going to be in contact with the pet store. No intention of returning him as he is now a member of our family, but maybe they will do the right thing and help a little with the vet bill. Cant hurt to ask anyway.

-Tony

 

[Coldliz]

I'm sorry, you did mention already where you got him. Maybe he was eating there, but the better question is WHAT was he eating?
I understand he is part of your family and I'm sure with the vet care and your care he will get better. The feeding, actually I'm not sure. I worry about that myself with mine. She eats but has lost weight. I would just keep offering it to him, maybe add a little something to encourage him. Like a raspberry or something sweet. I know that has been mentioned by Robyn (Crazy1) that she did this with hers to get hers to eat. A damp sponge or misted moss is a good idea. That way he has the option to move to the humidity if he feels like it.
I agree it doesn't hurt to ask the pet store for help with the vet bill. Also its never to late to ask them more questions about how they cared for him. Good Luck!

-Melissa

 

[roamingbull]

Well I got the go a head to do the feeding. So we will see. If we cant get him to eat on his own by Tuesday, then we may have to tube him. Not looking forward to that as it will be a bit costly as well as risky. He did perk up again at the vet, and other than his RI, and lack of feeding he is doing OK, so I am hopeful. We did the goodies thing, Nada unfortunately. The Vet gave me some nasal medication to help clear him up as well as the antibiotics. Ill ask those questions at the pet store when I call the guy in charge Monday.

Well I guess I can look at it this way, our introduction to this is has been a crash course to say the least. So one positive way to look at it is that when we get through all of it, we will be a step ahead in knowing how to handle future issues.

 

[Coldliz]

Well I hope he eats before Tuesday. It will be stressful for him and you to do the tube feeding.

I am wishing the best for you.

 

[K9KidsLove]

I would suggest that you go to the pet store & face the manager when you ask for reimbursement for vet bills. It is much easier for them to say no over the phone!
I would suggest returning the red bulb, and getting a "basking" bulb with a higher wattage. They like the brite lite. It usually makes them more active.
Ask your vet if he thinks your baby needs to be nebulized. We did that for nearly all tort RI's. He may let you rent a nebulizer to bring home. We nebulized sometimes twice daily if it was a bad infection.
I don't remember if you ever said what you have for a UVB bulb. Just so you know, it isn't painful for the tort to be tube fed. The just don't like being held still to get the tube down their throat.
I agree with not putting your tort on the floor, especially when it is cool, but they can find things to put in their mouth that you can't even see, worse than a human baby. Bye the way , WELCOME to the forum. Keep coming with questions when you need to.
Good Luck
Patsy

 

[roamingbull]

Hi, sorry I have been away for a bit, and double sorry I still have not produced a pic. But I will. Smeagol started eating on his own on Monday so the tube was not necessary. We fed him liquid spinach Saturday and Sunday which he did not like at all, but got just enough in to wet his appetite. It was so cool to see him eat that first weed and some grass. Since then he has eaten a bit more each day, and yesterday he ate a bunch. Still no poop, but I'm sure that will come now that he has something in him. We actually used a nasal spray on our finger and then dobbed his nose twice a day, that helped a lot. He had his last antibiotic shot yesterday and looks to be well out of the woods. Very active and eating a lot. I do have a UVB Bulb, and the red bulb in his current en closer keeps the temp at about 80 in his hot spot and between 75 and 78 in the cooler spot. Right now we alternate the bulbs but will soon have a set up where both will be utilized. We have been getting him outside more, and he loves that. Ill be posting another thread soon to ask a couple more direct questions about drafts and some other stuff, but have to go for now. I just wanted to say thanks again for everyone who helped with their advice and experience. It made all the difference and we very much appreciate it.

 

[JustAnja]

So glad to hear Smeagol seems to be on the road to recovery. You guys did a great job, keeping on top of the problem.