new here need help I think she's sick

[mattsr6]

Hi there. I just got a sulcata tortoise 3 days ago. I just got her a uvb bulb which she wasn't provided with before. Supposively she's a year old but she's only 3-4inches. My main concern is her eyes barely open and she doesn't move a lot. Shes a little more active when I take her out but she usually stays in one spot all day. I haven't seen her eat which I'm also worried about. I've tried to feed her romain lettuce carrots and hay. It doesn't seem like she's eating any of it. Her basking spot is between 80-85 and night time temp is 75. I'm new to this so I don't know much I just want the best for her. I've been getting mixed advice and it all seems terrible. Any help would be great. Like how to set up their home how long to leave the lights on etc...
My main concerns are her eyes and her eating. I heard u can put human eye drops in their eyes but I'm not trying to test that.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Matt, and welcome to the Forum!

There might be two things going on here. First of all, what kind of UVB light did you buy? If you have the spiral, compact fluorescent bulb, get rid of it faster than fast. Those bulbs cause pain and discomfort similar to snow blindness. Baby tortoises' eyes swell and stick shut in that lighting.

The other thing is temperature. If its too cold for your baby it causes him to not eat. Not eating causes the eyes to eventually swell and stick shut.

I like to keep my baby tortoises in a smallish plastic bin with a day light fixture and a night fixture. There are a couple plants in there just to give a more secure feel to the area. The day light is an MVB (mercury vapor bulb), and it provides heat along with the necessary UVB. The night light is a black bulb that provides a bit of heat during the cool night time.

I don't worry too much about a hot side and a cool side because my plastic bin really isn't big enough for that. The babies' cave is on one end and its pretty much room temperature in the cave. The light is positioned low enough so that most of the area outside the cave is over 85F degrees, but its about 110F directly under the light. I turn the day light on in the morning about 6a, and off at night about 8p. I turn the night light on at 8p and off in the morning.

There's a product you can buy at the pet store called Vetericyn for the baby's eyes:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QWZHOC/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

Can you post a picture of your tortoise's set up?

You can trust the info you find here on the Forum. And if you go to the Sulcata section, we have some "Important Threads" at the top of that section that should answer all your questions.

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome . Ditto what Yvonne said. Also, please read Toms threads below in my post for proper raising and housing a sulcata.

 

[mattsr6]

Thank you for your help um I can't figure out to put pictures up from my phone at the moment. So. I have a zoomed 50w red bulb. I bought a 50w zoomed uvb compact florescent 5.0 reptisun. A screen lid. A small water tray thing fod her to crawl in. I'm lacking substrate because each place tells me something different. Its currently news paper. II've heard they need humidity I've heard they don't that's why I don't know What bedding to get her. And she has a small house on the cool side. Her basking spot won't raise above 80-85 for some reason

 

[wellington]

Get rid on the light. That will cause the eye problems. Coconut coir is my fave. For substrate Holds humdity well and does not mold. You can also use crpypress mulch, orchid bark or plain organic dirt. You need a ceramic heat emitter, the basking spot needs to be higher. Try lowering the bulb you have until you get the proper equipment. The whole enclosure should not be below 80 with the humidity at 80%.

 

[Tom]

As Yvonne said, get rid of the coil bulb right away. Turn it off right now. Then get your temps up.

Read this care sheet. Hundreds, if not thousands, of babies have now been started this way and it works!
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-79895.html

Once your temps are up and the eyes recover, here is a diet sheet for you:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-76744.html

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

Welcome mattsr6, and boy am I glad you found this forum for the sake of your baby. Very knowledgeable experts have already responded and if you follow their guidance your baby can get back on track. Best forum ever for the help any tortoise keeper needs. Again, welcome. Everyone wants your baby to thrive! : )

 

[mattsr6]

thanks for all your help guys. i really appreciate it. so i ditched the bulb and immediately went and got a 100w zoomed powersun uv. it seems to be raising the temp to where it should be. il check out all the links you guys have sent and il put up any more questions along with some pictures when i figure that out.

 

[mattsr6]

Alright. So now I'm running into the issue of everytime I turn off the light the bulb burns out I've returned to petco twice 2 power suns burned out in less than 10 minutes. Any other brands reccomended?

 

[wellington]

What are you using to house them in? Be sure it's a ceramic socket, it holds the wattage of your bulb. The only time I had that problem was with my Beardie and I was using a three light hood. The power sun is one of the better ones. If you don't want to keep using that kind, get a tube fluorescent and use a regular light bulb ore CHE for additional heat.

 

[Yvonne G]

The MVB's are sort of particular. They should be screwed into a ceramic based receptacle, not a Bakelite (plastic) one. They also need to be in a larger reflector, either 10" or 12". And just a note of explanation, because they have a ballast, they have to cool down before the light will turn back on. So if you turn it off, you will have to wait about 15 minutes before you turn it back on.

 

[mattsr6]

So. I have it in a deep dome zoomed 2 bulb thing. And it says on the box to get the power sun. I noticed if I let it cool off then it will turn back on. I think it was just my mistake. Thanks guys. I appreciate all the help and not having to wait for days for a response lol

 

[wellington]

Woohoo, glad you didn't throw them out. As Yvonne, said, they do have to cool down, before they will light back up. Also, try to move or bump them as little as possible and also hang them straight down, not on an angle. They are the best besides the sun, but very touchy too.

 

[mattsr6]

Okay guys. So. Lights are taken care of. Bedding will be tonight. Got eye drops. Last thing. Its day 3 and she refuses to eat. I've tried hay lettuce. Grass. Carrots..
I know the previous owner only kept her under a red 50w heat lamp and fed her only romaine lettuce. What should I do?

---

Also temperature has been raised to 95 in her hot spot. Wasnt sure where to place her water dish. Under the lamp? I have the heat on the right side and a small house on the left in her cool area.

 

[BeeBee*BeeLeaves]

Try warm soaks with baby food in them, carrot or squash ... the warm water under the lamp, will help a lot. Our experts here recommend it and for me it was magical (got two Greeks that were very hard to acclimate, like two months hard). Use like half a jar in the morning and another in the evening, 20 minutes, or so. Besides the soothing warm, they ingest some of the baby food and at least that is eating something. And getting hydrated, which is vital. After soaking, place food - I would go ahead and do the Romaine for now, since that is what baby knows - and see if you can get the little one eating again. Later you can start mixing in other foods with the Romaine. I use scissors, the 3 to 5 blade ones that chefs use for herbs, because then I can cut and blend the small bits of everything and my tortoises cannot pick and chose. Variety is key. But for now, as your little one adjusts and gets used to its new home with you, start with getting it back on track with what it knows and move on from there. Sounds like this little one is not used to people much, from the previous situation possibly. Give him/her time. Warm and cozy, humidity, soaks ... once the little sulcata feels secure, it will come around. Yay! : )

 

[mattsr6]

Got her some carrot baby food I saw her dip her head twice. So hopefully she's making an improvement! I got her cypress mulch and it looks like she tried to eat that. Cant tell you guys how thankful I am for the help! I thought I was gonna lose her after only a few days. After her soak today she seems to be more active and atleast smelling her food I left for her. Cant figure out how to put up pics of her set up though. She's my avatar now at least.

 

[Dizisdalife]

Welcome to the Forum. I just had to tell you that I made the same mistake with the Power Sun lamps. Thought mine burned out so I went to the store and bought a new one. When I got home the old one was on and shinning bright. I have been told that they lose their UVB in about 6 months and need to be replaced. So you will probable get some use out of the spare if you still have it. Keep the temps up and keep soaking her and your baby will come around.

 

[Laura]

try Spring Mix Salad....
Where did you get it from? its very small for the age they say... I hope it does well... you are doing the best you can... keep it up...

 

[mattsr6]

Okay il try that. I got her from a random add on craigslist. I was wondering how active are they supposed to be? Mine looks like she moves every now and then but not too often. She's usually right under the lamp. Which is at 92 degrees. When I give her her daily soak/drink of water she seems to liven up. I've been feeding her at night with baby food I think she's eating a little bit.

 

[mattsr6]

okay i think i did this right. but she finally came around i made some modifications to her housing today and shes responded very well!! thanks for all the help guys.

another question though. looking at her shell the grooves seem really deep. is that minor pyramiding from her lack of everything from the previous owners?