sick sulcata (i think)

[Frankiesauce]

Sulcata Sleeping

Hey guys!

Okay so I'm thinking something bad happened. The light for my tortoise went out. My mom has a broken back so she can't drive, so it took 4 days before I could get a new bulb. Ever since then he hasn't been eating much and he's been sleeping more than usual. Can someone help? I did get a new bulb and I keep it on 12 hours a day.

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Okay guys come on =[

 

[Rhyno47]

RE: Sulcata Sleeping

He is cold. It will make him sluggish and his metabolism will be slow as well. This will promt him to sleep a lot and not eat.

 

[Yvonne G]

It might take a while for him to get his core temperature back up to where he can digest his food. Having a full stomach and then all of a sudden no heat to help digest that food, might have caused him some problems. Try soaking him in warm water for up to a half hour twice a day. If the light problem ever happens again, you can always just temporarily put a regular light over him. Just any kind of light to keep him warm.

NOW I understand your PM to me. Sorry, I read that first before I saw this post about your cold tortoise.

And then again, the light and the sluggishness might just be a coincidence. There might be something else wrong with the tortoise. But the soaks should help. That's the first thing I do when I notice something not quite right with a tortoise. Soak.

Yvonne

 

[Crazy1]

Hi Frankiesauce, I went back over the threads you posted and seems like you have been having difficulty with your Sully since you joined the forum on 07-08-2009 with diet and soft shell and now sleeping a lot. People responded to your other posts yet you did not respond back. Have you changed anything?

What type of bulb are you talking about Heat, UVB, MVB?

Just knowing that his bulb has been out for 4 days does not give us enough information to help you help him.
How is the temps in South Carolina? Could you get him outside for an hour or two a day?
I would say if you are still feeding him lettuce only that it is not just a bulb issue but a nutritional one.

Please give us more information so we can help. We really want to help you help him. We are not here to scold or criticize you. We know you want the help or you would not have asked. So let us help you help him.
Here is some information we need to give you the best information we can.
What type of enclosure do you have him in?
What is the substrate?
Do you soak him and if so how often and for how long?
What are you feeding him exactly?
What type of heat do you provide (infrared bulb, backlight bulb, Ceramic heat emitter, room temp (what is it at night))?
Do you provide UVB and if so what type of bulb and size are you using?
What are the temps you usually keep him at?
Do you know of a Reptile vet near by(just incase of emergencies it is nice to have that information)?

 

[Stazz]

Some great advice here Frankiesauce, I do pray your baby will be okay Robyn and Yvonne are great pro's and know loads about how to try and rectify a sick baby tort, so just help us help you

 

[chadk]

On a related note... I see many people asking about MVB bulbs and waiting days or weeks to get just the right bulb...

This is great - definitely get the right UVB and heat for your tort. But please, feel free to use even a normal 60 watt house hold bulb while you are waiting. It will not offer UVB, but they will be fine for a while. Especially this time of year when you can get them out for a few hours a day for some real sun exposure...

So those 4 days with no heat is really no excuse. Most of us have extra bulbs laying around. 40, 60, 100 watt. Standard house bulbs or flood lights... Just don't use those new 'green' bulbs with the spiral fluorescent tubes in them. Not enough heat and if they broke over your tort table, you'd spill mercury on them... Stick with the old fashioned incandescent bulbs.