Sulcata wont eat

[Laura]

Try butternut squash. The color sometimes stimulates them to eat and you can sprinkle calcium powder on it.
He is small for his age, but his shell looks good. I think most grow too fast in captivty. but yours seems to have something else going on. Real sun is a must when you can.. and you are going to need to plan for the future.. if he grows, he will get big and you cant keep him inside.
Look at building or getting a Loafing Shed. Tuff shed makes them so you can get an idea of what they look like. It has a shed area you can heat with a doggie door for access and a outdoor covered area. You can place a heat lamp outside in the winter. it is covered so even if it snows there is a area to feed and walk around.. good luck with him, keep him warm and lights on a good part of the day. if its too dark, they wont be active or eat either.

 

[Yvonne G]

One thing that really gets them going is having the correct temperature in the habitat. Get a good UV light and make sure the habitat is over 80 degrees. It would be nice for the tortoise to have a warm side and a room temperature side, but I don't know if you can get that with him living in an aquarium.

 

[mom03]

Ok so I do have it set up so one side is 85-95 degrees and the other is room temp. But I am going to go tonight to get a rubbermaid tub for him. I can fix the habitat with the right guidance. no problem. My concern is him eating and stopping MBD. I'm sure that will take some time.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm pretty sure that once the temperature is good and he's getting UV he'll start eating.

 

[mom03]

I hope so... I'm keeping my finger crossed. I have a vet appt set for Thursday if he hasn't eaten anything by then. I'll keep everyone updated ;-)

 

[jlyoncc1]

I agree with Yvonne, right temps make a huge difference. Sometimes if they are not eating proper they need to have "treats" mixed in with their food to get them in the right direction. I would maybe shred some butternut squash and mix it with the spring mix. Most every tort or turtle I have had has responded to this. Even those that have only been fed commercial diets prior to living with me. You may even want to try some Mazuri in with the greens. I have received turtles that people have told me that they would only eat certain things and after offering mixed foods they were eating within the week with no problem. I know it is stressful but hang in there. Lots of people here with good advice.

 

[TortieGal]

The Calci sand needs to go, it can kill your tortiose. you should have him on a substrate that you can keep a moist area. like bed a beast and play sand or cypress mulch. You really need to get him hydrated. The Sping mix is good to feed him it's leafy greens not veggies. Put a cuddle bone in with him like you buy for birds. He needs Calcium. Fruit can be very hard on a young Sulcata so be careful with the fruit. A little squash or pumkin can be good to get him eating you will need to cook it first to make it soft. Mazuri is Great stuff! soak it first and make it soft. Good luck, hope he gets better.

 

[mom03]

OK so I went to walmart and got the biggest rubbermaid container they had. it is 50 gallons and the sides are solid so he wont continue to try to get out. I set up the light and the heat lamp. I put in the spring mix. Right now I just have a soft towel down because the bottom of the container is not flat and has ridges... I didnt want him to have to try to work around all the ridges so I put the towel down just for tonight. Tomorrow I am going to go get the cypress mulch. I say that lowes has it, but it tells me that it is not in stock. Is there anywhere else that I can pick that up or something else that I can put down... also.. should I be putting something else down below that to help fill in the ridges of the bottom of the container?
As far as him eating, I put the spring mix into the container, he walked up to it and touched his nose to it... then walked away I got my hopes up that he would take a bite since that is what he usually does after he touches his nose to it... but he just wandered off... I am the most impatient person and knowing that he wont eat makes me anxious... but I know that I am on the right track. Thanks so much!

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Yvonne always recommends a plastic shower curtain liner for the bottom of an enclosure because they are cheap enough that you can replace it as needed.

Cypress mulch can also be found at Petco; it's called Forest Floor. Petsmart may also have it. It will be more expensive since you won't get as big a bag, but I don't remember it costing a whole lot even there. There's a discount if you order it online. I use a mix of that coconut fiber and the cypress; I also bought some aspen, which some TFO keepers prefer, but I haven't used it yet.

Most keepers here use a slate tile or a flat rock (I have a piece of flagstone which I dig in so it's flush with the substrate surface), because chasing the food around on that hard surface helps keep their beak trimmed. I don't remember if anyone suggested mushrooms yet; try chopping those and mixing them in with the spring mix, or soften some Mazuri in warm water and pull it apart into small pieces and mix it in. Hopefully he'll then eat the greens while he goes for the "treats".

Good luck. I sure hope it all works out!

By the way, I live in Centennial. Are you in the metro area or out on the Western Slope?

 

[mom03]

That is great, I am actually in Thornton! I will go to petsmart tomorrow and pick that up. He has definitly become more active... All day yesterday he just stayed in the same spot of the tank...under the heat lamp but today I could see in the sand that he had actually dipped into his water dish on the other side I soaked him for about 15 minutes tonight while I got the new container ready... I have been noticing that when i take him out of the water and put him in his cage.. he has "spit" bubbles coming out of his mouth. I dont ever remember him doing that before? Is that normal? Anways, I put him in front of his food again and he just turned around into a corner and went to sleep. I suppose I will see what happens tomorrow.

 

[mom03]

Ok so I just got back from the store and I bought the cypress mulch, I got a new fluorescent bulb coil that is for desert reptiles 20 watt. I also got the calicium with D3. he didnt eat anything lastnight and still hanst eaten anything today Hopefully a new bigger home will make him feel a little better.. ill try to put up pics once that it is all put together and you can let me know what you think.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I hate to say this but the coil bulbs have been known to cause eye problems in tortoises and they don't provide heat. We recommended the Trex bulb because it provides heat and UVB. So now what are you using for a basking bulb?

 

[mom03]

I have two different bulbs, one that is the uvb and then a seperate for the basking on each side of the cage

 

[mom03]

Here is the new cage


http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q279/MHC212/DSCN1117.jpg
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q279/MHC212/DSCN1115.jpg
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q279/MHC212/DSCN1116.jpg

 

[Maggotlyfe]

I was just wondering what is it about the pix of her little guy makes everyone think it is MBD? Is it bacause of how high the shell is?

 

[mom03]

No, it is because he wont eat, he doenst want to move around and if he does, he drags himself. I havent been feeding him the right diet, he just wants to sleep all the time, his shell is too small for his body, and he is 5 years old and WAY too small!!! I researched it and he has almost all of the signs of MBD

 

[Stephanie Logan]

Those photos show a nice starter cage for your little Sulcata until he starts to grow again. I sure hope he shows signs of improvement soon (like eating!).

I hope you got rid of the coil bulb; I am pretty sure you can use a regular incandescent bulb till you can get your hands onto an MVB. So far my TRex has lasted 5 months with no problems...and it keeps Taco's basking spot at a nice toasty 95-100 degrees (about 14 inches above her shell).

Keep us informed, please!

 

[mom03]

Im not using the coil bulb for heat. I am using a basking bulb for the heat, the coil was for the uvb. He has a basking spot of 85-90 right now. But I still havent beenable to get him to eat anything.. at what point should i consider force feeding?

 

[Stephanie Logan]

That's a good question; there was a thread on here awhile back talking about feeding a tortoise through a syringe type of thing. I would think that might be necessary soon so your Tortoise doesn't get too weak, and to give you some peace of mind.

Hopefully someone will see this and enlighten you on the method and necessity!

 

[mom03]

Well thank you everyone for all your help and support. I will do everything I can for my little guy and he has a vet appt on Thursday if he hasn't eaten anything by then. I am sorry if I upset anyone by asking too many questions or "arguing" with suggestions given. I defiantly didn't mean it and was only looking for some guidance and wanting to learn the process. Good luck to all of you and yours.