Need Help with Gary the baby Sulcata Tortoise

[GaryTheSulcataTortoise]

Hello- I need some help. Gary our “6-week-old?” Sulcata Tortoise is not eating well and is moving around less and less each day. How much should he be eating for his size/ age? When should I get a vet involved? I am looking for advice or things I should change.


Location: Right outside of St. Louis, MO

Back story to Gary: Three weeks ago, my husband, kids and I went to an exotic pet shop to find a hedgehog to add to our family. While we were there, we saw a very small baby sulcata tortoise flipped over in a 12”x 12” tank. There were three total in the cage, but this guy looked sad. My son was in love and I felt sorry for the little guy. Next thing I knew we were headed home with a planned hedgehog and not so planned 3rd largest tortoise.



The very young man at pet store sold me a 10 gallon tank, a green soft mat for the bottom and a large water bowl and he told me to feed him anything like lettuce. It did not seem right, but I needed to start somewhere. I went home and realized there was a lot more we needed for this guy. ( enter head slap emoji here ) We did more research and now have this enclosure set up for him.



Temps: Basking area: 50w bulb 90F- 100F depending on the time of day.
CHE – 100w Rest of the cage stays around 80F- 85F. This is on a thermostat
UVB- ZooMed T5 About 16 inches up.
Humidity: 60-85% - Using a fogger with Distilled water
Substrate: Reptisoil and Coconut Fiber with some on top Cyprus Mulch



Food: Have tried
Re hydrated Grassland Tortoise food pellets
Timothy Hay
Endive
Collard Greens
Boc Choy
Carrots
Cucumber
Celery
Dandelion Greens


Soaks once a day for 30-45min in warm water. He has been very active during the bath, but yesterday and today he was falling asleep.


Does urinate sometimes in water but not always. I have found that he will have bowl movements outside around his cage and not while in the bath. It doesn’t seem to be very often either.


Thank you for any help or suggestions.

Jennifer

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. We will do our best to help.

Your story is the most common one. I have bad news, but you need to know. This baby was not started correctly and was sold much too soon. This is the case for about 99% of the sulcatas produced annually, unfortunately. All you can do is house it and care for it as well as you can, and then hope for the best. Some make it, and some don't. I don't intend to sound discouraging, just realistic.

Given the info that is out in the world, you've done an excellent job of making an enclosure. Problem is that most of the info out in the world is wrong. Luckily you only have a few things to fix. Here is my list for you:

• Skip the hay. Hay is for adults, not babies. Freshly sprouted soft, tender grass for babies.
• I wouldn't use the soil in the substrate. The other two are fine.
• The 50 watt spot has to go. It will cause pyramiding. Use a flood bulb. Usually a 65 watt works, but adjust as needed depending on what your thermometer tells you.
• No humidifiers. I just don't think breathing in water vapor is god for them. Vapor in the air is not the same as humidity. To keep humidity up, use a closed chamber instead of something with an open top.
• Swap that water bowl out for a terra cotta saucer sunk into the substrate.

Here is the current and correct care info, and questions are welcome:

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

 

[GaryTheSulcataTortoise]

Hello and welcome. We will do our best to help.

Your story is the most common one. I have bad news, but you need to know. This baby was not started correctly and was sold much too soon. This is the case for about 99% of the sulcatas produced annually, unfortunately. All you can do is house it and care for it as well as you can, and then hope for the best. Some make it, and some don't. I don't intend to sound discouraging, just realistic.

Given the info that is out in the world, you've done an excellent job of making an enclosure. Problem is that most of the info out in the world is wrong. Luckily you only have a few things to fix. Here is my list for you:

• Skip the hay. Hay is for adults, not babies. Freshly sprouted soft, tender grass for babies.
• I wouldn't use the soil in the substrate. The other two are fine.
• The 50 watt spot has to go. It will cause pyramiding. Use a flood bulb. Usually a 65 watt works, but adjust as needed depending on what your thermometer tells you.
• No humidifiers. I just don't think breathing in water vapor is god for them. Vapor in the air is not the same as humidity. To keep humidity up, use a closed chamber instead of something with an open top.
• Swap that water bowl out for a terra cotta saucer sunk into the substrate.

Here is the current and correct care info, and questions are welcome:

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

Tom,

Thank you so much for the suggestions.

I have fixed the lighting to a flood bulb 65W and will monitor the temp.
I will change the substrate tonight.
I have changed the water bowl to a terra cotta saucer.

For the closed chamber and humidity : I will stop the fogger. I will work on getting the closed chamber but this sadly is not as easy as the other fixes.

For food: Do you think a baby food soak would help? I have only found a little info about them and would be willing to try anything to get food in him.

Jennifer

 

[Yossarian]

Tom,

Thank you so much for the suggestions.

I have fixed the lighting to a flood bulb 65W and will monitor the temp.
I will change the substrate tonight.
I have changed the water bowl to a terra cotta saucer.

For the closed chamber and humidity : I will stop the fogger. I will work on getting the closed chamber but this sadly is not as easy as the other fixes.

For food: Do you think a baby food soak would help? I have only found a little info about them and would be willing to try anything to get food in him.

Jennifer

If you just get some clear plastic sheeting and wrap it around the plastic shelf unit the habitat sits on, that will enclose it just find for now.

 

[KarenSoCal]

Hi!

I wrote a post not long ago that will help you with a closed chamber. Here's a link.

Hi! New here

Hey! I am looking for the "frequently asked questions" and do not see it. Can someone guide me? Thanks

www.tortoiseforum.org

You could try the baby food soak. Get strained/pureed carrot baby food and a bottle of unflavored Pedialyte.
Mix the Pedialyte and water about 50/50, enough for a soak.
Then add the baby food about 50/50 with the water solution. Warm it up and soak.

 

[Tom]

For food: Do you think a baby food soak would help? I have only found a little info about them and would be willing to try anything to get food in him.

You can try. It won't hurt anything.

 

[GaryTheSulcataTortoise]

Hi!

I wrote a post not long ago that will help you with a closed chamber. Here's a link.

Hi! New here

Hey! I am looking for the "frequently asked questions" and do not see it. Can someone guide me? Thanks

www.tortoiseforum.org

You could try the baby food soak. Get strained/pureed carrot baby food and a bottle of unflavored Pedialyte.
Mix the Pedialyte and water about 50/50, enough for a soak.
Then add the baby food about 50/50 with the water solution. Warm it up and soak.

How many per day would you do? Is there any other type of baby food ?

 

[Srmcclure]

Grow tents are a really good way to get a large cheap/fairly easy closed chamber for your baby. You might take a peek on amazon and see what you could do. No need for name brand either. You could get the 2x2x4 with the window and put it on its side until you can get a pvc enclosure or something like that. That size is good for a baby atleast for a good couple of months

 

[Yvonne G]

How many per day would you do? Is there any other type of baby food ?

Carrots have the highest vitamin A content. That's why you use strained carrots. Once a day for about 45 miutes.

 

[AgataP]

I think you can close it easily.
You have the shelf looks like it is plastic.
I think for the “fast solution” you can go to Home Depot and get the thick painters foil and attach it to the shelf.
I would say get plexiglass but it is super expensive now. Oh also Home Depot sells this plastic sheets that could work too.
You could zip tie right to the shelf.
I can look for the plastic link if you interested. But I think thick foil would help. Kinda like a greenhouse. That gives you time to think what’s next.

 

[GaryTheSulcataTortoise]

Update: I took Gary to the vet today. He has parasites and an upper respiratory infection. We were able to give panacur and will be doing injectable antibiotics. I have changed his substrate, water dish, bulb, and was able to tape up a plastic sheet around his enclosure to help keep it "closed". Thank you everyone for your help!!

 

[Ray--Opo]

Update: I took Gary to the vet today. He has parasites and an upper respiratory infection. We were able to give panacur and will be doing injectable antibiotics. I have changed his substrate, water dish, bulb, and was able to tape up a plastic sheet around his enclosure to help keep it "closed". Thank you everyone for your help!!

Hope Gary recovers soon.