Compost
New Member
Hello, I’ve been lurking on this forum for the last few months and been trying to take everyone’s advice into consideration but now I need some more specific help.
This past fall I adopted/rescued a large Sulcata that had been found walking down the side of the highway. His owners could not be found after several months and animal control would not take him. I have a neighbor down the road that is what I would consider a crazy tortoise lady, I mean that in an endearing manner. She’s been great at providing me information on how to best provide for Compost Hank (the Sulcata’s name as of the last few months. But now it’s gotten to the point where I need more information. And help regarding large Sulcatas.
We do not know the age of Compost Hank. All I can tell you is that he is roughly 24” long and 24” wide. He’s a big fella. To safely handle him it takes two people. He really is a bulldozer.
The first couple months we have had no problem with him. I built him a fairly large 6’x6’x3’ shelter that has been completely weatherproofed. Inside I have a T8 Reptisun light that’s is mounted at what I feel is the perfect distance from the ground as to where he is not able to hit it at all. The shelter also has a kerosene oil radiator heater that is connected to a reptile thermostat so the temperature never drops below 80F. The hardest part has been keeping humidity up. It wants to stay around 30% even with wet sphagnum moss. I’m working on ways to keep humidity up in there for him.
His outside area is at least 1000sq feet, so he has plenty of space to roam around when he is not in his shelter. One day I plan on reinforcing more of my yard so he can have even more space.
His bedding is chipped/shredded pine bark because we have a chipper and recently fell a pine tree. Our friendly crazy tortoise lady neighbor didn’t seem worried that we used pine instead of other mulch, so we went with it.
Now that I have provided some background information I’ll get to where I’m having trouble.
Where I live it does get snow a handful of times out of the year and can get down to freezing or below freezing. We thought that his shelter would be the perfect place for him to be able to ride out the winter, coming out of his shelter when he wants during warm sunny days. However, for the last month he has really really slowed down, not drinking enough water, not eating, not really moving, and I have only found one piece of poop of his in over two weeks.
My neighbor has told me that they do slow down during the winter but that he should still be pooping at least every day to every other day. But that it is possible that he is eating his own poop for nutrition. Now what worries me is that I haven’t seen him eat any of his food so I do not know if he even has anything to poop out. His food usually consists of fresh leafy greens and the occasional mango or watermelon. (I try sticking to the tortoise care sheet when it comes to feeding him).
I have provided warm water soaks to try to keep him hydrated, which I’ll tell you is no easy task hauling him into the house. He barely fits into the bathtub; a few more inches and he will be completely too big to fit in it. Still I have yet to see him poop or eat.
Today at the store I picked up some purée pumpkin and banana, along with some mineral oil in hopes to get him to eat and poop. I have also made a batch of homemade “pedialite” in hopes that it will get him to want to drink and eat more. He is not interested. He just wants to hang in his shell. He is alert and his eyes do not look dark or sunken in, and I’m not noticing flaking/peeling of skin or shell.
Here are my main questions: how often do large Sulcatas really need to eat? Am I worrying over something that is normal with older Sulcatas?
How long can I wait before it’s absolutely necessary to take him to a vet for a radiograph? I want to have him properly taken care of, of course, but I just spent $3k on my dog’s surgery this past month and I know I have to take her again to get a follow up X-ray in a few weeks. Unfortunately radiographs are not that cheap and I would really really like to not have to pay for an extra one if I can help it. If it is absolutely necessary then of course I will do it. It’s just that it falls at a bad time.
Everything is just more complicated with Compost Hank I feel because of his size and how hard it is to handle him. He’s too big and destructive to keep inside the house fully, and it’s really hard to get him in and out of the tub to warm soak him.
If anyone can give me advice on what I should try next with him I would be so greatly appreciative. I want to be able to give him the best living environment I possible can; it’s just been a steep learning curve with the cold.
I have included some pictures of what his shelter is like, him busting out of his shelter one morning, and how I have to transport him.
Please note that there is a board installed in front of the heater so he is not able to touch it at all and get burnt. That picture was taken during the installation process. Hopefully by summer of next year his shelter will be fully overgrown with vegetation and look like a Hobbits home.
This past fall I adopted/rescued a large Sulcata that had been found walking down the side of the highway. His owners could not be found after several months and animal control would not take him. I have a neighbor down the road that is what I would consider a crazy tortoise lady, I mean that in an endearing manner. She’s been great at providing me information on how to best provide for Compost Hank (the Sulcata’s name as of the last few months. But now it’s gotten to the point where I need more information. And help regarding large Sulcatas.
We do not know the age of Compost Hank. All I can tell you is that he is roughly 24” long and 24” wide. He’s a big fella. To safely handle him it takes two people. He really is a bulldozer.
The first couple months we have had no problem with him. I built him a fairly large 6’x6’x3’ shelter that has been completely weatherproofed. Inside I have a T8 Reptisun light that’s is mounted at what I feel is the perfect distance from the ground as to where he is not able to hit it at all. The shelter also has a kerosene oil radiator heater that is connected to a reptile thermostat so the temperature never drops below 80F. The hardest part has been keeping humidity up. It wants to stay around 30% even with wet sphagnum moss. I’m working on ways to keep humidity up in there for him.
His outside area is at least 1000sq feet, so he has plenty of space to roam around when he is not in his shelter. One day I plan on reinforcing more of my yard so he can have even more space.
His bedding is chipped/shredded pine bark because we have a chipper and recently fell a pine tree. Our friendly crazy tortoise lady neighbor didn’t seem worried that we used pine instead of other mulch, so we went with it.
Now that I have provided some background information I’ll get to where I’m having trouble.
Where I live it does get snow a handful of times out of the year and can get down to freezing or below freezing. We thought that his shelter would be the perfect place for him to be able to ride out the winter, coming out of his shelter when he wants during warm sunny days. However, for the last month he has really really slowed down, not drinking enough water, not eating, not really moving, and I have only found one piece of poop of his in over two weeks.
My neighbor has told me that they do slow down during the winter but that he should still be pooping at least every day to every other day. But that it is possible that he is eating his own poop for nutrition. Now what worries me is that I haven’t seen him eat any of his food so I do not know if he even has anything to poop out. His food usually consists of fresh leafy greens and the occasional mango or watermelon. (I try sticking to the tortoise care sheet when it comes to feeding him).
I have provided warm water soaks to try to keep him hydrated, which I’ll tell you is no easy task hauling him into the house. He barely fits into the bathtub; a few more inches and he will be completely too big to fit in it. Still I have yet to see him poop or eat.
Today at the store I picked up some purée pumpkin and banana, along with some mineral oil in hopes to get him to eat and poop. I have also made a batch of homemade “pedialite” in hopes that it will get him to want to drink and eat more. He is not interested. He just wants to hang in his shell. He is alert and his eyes do not look dark or sunken in, and I’m not noticing flaking/peeling of skin or shell.
Here are my main questions: how often do large Sulcatas really need to eat? Am I worrying over something that is normal with older Sulcatas?
How long can I wait before it’s absolutely necessary to take him to a vet for a radiograph? I want to have him properly taken care of, of course, but I just spent $3k on my dog’s surgery this past month and I know I have to take her again to get a follow up X-ray in a few weeks. Unfortunately radiographs are not that cheap and I would really really like to not have to pay for an extra one if I can help it. If it is absolutely necessary then of course I will do it. It’s just that it falls at a bad time.
Everything is just more complicated with Compost Hank I feel because of his size and how hard it is to handle him. He’s too big and destructive to keep inside the house fully, and it’s really hard to get him in and out of the tub to warm soak him.
If anyone can give me advice on what I should try next with him I would be so greatly appreciative. I want to be able to give him the best living environment I possible can; it’s just been a steep learning curve with the cold.
I have included some pictures of what his shelter is like, him busting out of his shelter one morning, and how I have to transport him.
Please note that there is a board installed in front of the heater so he is not able to touch it at all and get burnt. That picture was taken during the installation process. Hopefully by summer of next year his shelter will be fully overgrown with vegetation and look like a Hobbits home.