Is my tortoise sick?

[Thomas tortoise]

Hello everyone I have a one year old sulcata tortoise and I think he is sick. It is about 64. Degrees in his enclosure and I know I need to bump it up to 80 but it is winter and it just hailed and I don't have a spare heat pad or anything that sends off heat so I will have to order something. He is looking very sick and slow so maybe its because its cold? Will he die in the three days that it takes for my heat emitter to come in? Or can he last? I do have a heat and uvb bulb in there for him and the heat bulb is bumped up to 75 watts and the basking spot is 100-90 degrees but everywhere else is 60. F. Btw and I don't know what to do before the heat emitter comes in. He is hanging around the heat bulb but he does not look so great. I would send pictures but this forum hasn't been letting me do that recently. Any help would be very appreciated!

 

[zovick]

Hello everyone I have a one year old sulcata tortoise and I think he is sick. It is about 64. Degrees in his enclosure and I know I need to bump it up to 80 but it is winter and it just hailed and I don't have a spare heat pad or anything that sends off heat so I will have to order something. He is looking very sick and slow so maybe its because its cold? Will he die in the three days that it takes for my heat emitter to come in? Or can he last? I do have a heat and uvb bulb in there for him and the heat bulb is bumped up to 75 watts and the basking spot is 100-90 degrees but everywhere else is 60. F. Btw and I don't know what to do before the heat emitter comes in. He is hanging around the heat bulb but he does not look so great. I would send pictures but this forum hasn't been letting me do that recently. Any help would be very appreciated!

It sounds as though the tortoise is cold. Has it been acting all right up until your weather got cold? How long has it been under 80 degrees in its enclosure?

Tortoises don't die in three days, so if it was all right up until today, you will probably be OK. If it has been kept at 64 degrees all through the winter, though, you probably have a pretty sick sulcata on your hands.

Hint: you can buy chemical hand warmers or heat packs at sporting goods stores and some pet stores and use them to provide heat in a pinch. You can buy 40 hour and even 72 hour ones from reptile supply sources such as Ship Your Reptiles.
Link: https://shipyourreptiles.com/shop/heat_packs/product

I used to keep some of these on hand to use if/when the power went out for a day or two due to snow when I lived in the mountains of CT.

 

[Lyn W]

This is the caresheet that Tom linked for you a month ago in your first thread when you were asking about keeping your tort warm

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Even if you've read it once please read it again it gives a good explanation about the temps needed and heating and lighting.

Don't forget the CHE (ceramic heat emitter) needs to be run through a thermostat so that you don't cook your tort.

Did you change his enclosure or cover it as suggested in your first thread to help retain and control temps and humidity?

 

[Thomas tortoise]

This is the caresheet that Tom linked for you a month ago in your first thread when you were asking about keeping your tort warm

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Even if you've read it once please read it again it gives a good explanation about the temps needed and heating and lighting.

Don't forget the CHE (ceramic heat emitter) needs to be run through a thermostat so that you don't cook your tort.

Did you change his enclosure or cover it as suggested in your first thread to help retain and control temps and humidity?

Yes I got the humidity up to 70-80% and I read the care sheet about 4 times and I printed 3 copies to give to friends/for myself and I have been trying to do everything rignt. I have had the temp up to 77 degrees for a while and recently it went down to 64 degrees F.

 

[Maggie3fan]

Yes I got the humidity up to 70-80% and I read the care sheet about 4 times and I printed 3 copies to give to friends/for myself and I have been trying to do everything rignt. I have had the temp up to 77 degrees for a while and recently it went down to 64 degrees

You must keep him consistently warm or he will die. Fill some jars with hot water, wrap a towel around it so the tort doesn't get burned, put both in a small container next to your heater. Do that until the che comes....2 or 3 days at the most or he's sick...then dead

 

[keepingslim]

Hello everyone I have a one year old sulcata tortoise and I think he is sick. It is about 64. Degrees in his enclosure and I know I need to bump it up to 80 but it is winter and it just hailed and I don't have a spare heat pad or anything that sends off heat so I will have to order something. He is looking very sick and slow so maybe its because its cold? Will he die in the three days that it takes for my heat emitter to come in? Or can he last? I do have a heat and uvb bulb in there for him and the heat bulb is bumped up to 75 watts and the basking spot is 100-90 degrees but everywhere else is 60. F. Btw and I don't know what to do before the heat emitter comes in. He is hanging around the heat bulb but he does not look so great. I would send pictures but this forum hasn't been letting me do that recently. Any help would be very appreciated!

Get him inside and into the heat immediately.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Hello everyone I have a one year old sulcata tortoise and I think he is sick. It is about 64. Degrees in his enclosure and I know I need to bump it up to 80 but it is winter and it just hailed and I don't have a spare heat pad or anything that sends off heat so I will have to order something. He is looking very sick and slow so maybe its because its cold? Will he die in the three days that it takes for my heat emitter to come in? Or can he last? I do have a heat and uvb bulb in there for him and the heat bulb is bumped up to 75 watts and the basking spot is 100-90 degrees but everywhere else is 60. F. Btw and I don't know what to do before the heat emitter comes in. He is hanging around the heat bulb but he does not look so great. I would send pictures but this forum hasn't been letting me do that recently. Any help would be very appreciated!

Your tortoise is slowly dying in those temperatures. Get it inside and setup in a closed chamber before it's too late. You can get a heat emitter at Petsupermarket, Petco, or almost any other pet store today.

 

[Thomas tortoise]

My tortoise is inside and I just got the temperature up and he is perfectly fine and active thank you all! I have a temporary heating system and I will be getting a more effective one tomorrow.

 

[Skunkworks]

My tortoise is inside and I just got the temperature up and he is perfectly fine and active thank you all! I have a temporary heating system and I will be getting a more effective one tomorrow.

Glad to hear that all is well now. Take Care.

 

[Thomas tortoise]

Glad to hear that all is well now. Take Care.

For sure! Thank you all!