Sulcata

Tammie23

New Member
Joined
May 12, 2021
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
CLAYTON
After my baby salcatas 1st shed her legs are staying light in color. Is that normal. She also refuses to eat food w calc6on it. The vet game me injects of calcium to give her but her shell is still a little soft. How soft is a babies shell supposed to be?
She lives to sleep with her legs out. Just like my dog...?
 

Attachments

  • 16208334935896836341261013322502.jpg
    16208334935896836341261013322502.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 20

Ink

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jun 10, 2016
Messages
2,455
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
Hopefully an expert can help. @Tom
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,264
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
After my baby salcatas 1st shed her legs are staying light in color. Is that normal. She also refuses to eat food w calc6on it. The vet game me injects of calcium to give her but her shell is still a little soft. How soft is a babies shell supposed to be?
She lives to sleep with her legs out. Just like my dog...?
You are likely putting too much calcium on. Just a tiny tiny pinch is all you need a couple of times per week. There should be so little that its almost unnoticeable. With the right foods and some real sunshine once in a while, calcium supplementation really isn't necessary. What do you normally feed?

Baby plastrons should have some give to them. It should feel like a plastic butter tub lid. It should not feel like a sponge.

The skin does tend to be lighter when the old stained stuff falls away. The new skin will darken up too. It gets tanned by the sun and also stained by the substrate.

Looks like you've gotten some of the wrong care advice. There should not be any hay in your substrate. The substrate needs to be damp, and dampness will cause the hay to mold. Most of the care info given for this species is wrong. Here is the correct care info:

Questions are welcome. :) Where is Clayton?
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
The scaley part of leg skin doesn't shed. If he's lost his scales it was due to something that happened to him. Did the vet give him an A, D, E injection?
 

Tammie23

New Member
Joined
May 12, 2021
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
CLAYTON
You are likely putting too much calcium on. Just a tiny tiny pinch is all you need a couple of times per week. There should be so little that its almost unnoticeable. With the right foods and some real sunshine once in a while, calcium supplementation really isn't necessary. What do you normally feed?

Baby plastrons should have some give to them. It should feel like a plastic butter tub lid. It should not feel like a sponge.

The skin does tend to be lighter when the old stained stuff falls away. The new skin will darken up too. It gets tanned by the sun and also stained by the substrate.

Looks like you've gotten some of the wrong care advice. There should not be any hay in your substrate. The substrate needs to be damp, and dampness will cause the hay to mold. Most of the care info given for this species is wrong. Here is the correct care info:

Questions are welcome. :) Where is Clayton?
I'm in North Carolina!
Tinker's diet consists of leafy green, hockey, cactus, spinach, broccoli are her favorites. She has that everyday along with her Turtle f
You are likely putting too much calcium on. Just a tiny tiny pinch is all you need a couple of times per week. There should be so little that its almost unnoticeable. With the right foods and some real sunshine once in a while, calcium supplementation really isn't necessary. What do you normally feed?

Baby plastrons should have some give to them. It should feel like a plastic butter tub lid. It should not feel like a sponge.

The skin does tend to be lighter when the old stained stuff falls away. The new skin will darken up too. It gets tanned by the sun and also stained by the substrate.

Looks like you've gotten some of the wrong care advice. There should not be any hay in your substrate. The substrate needs to be damp, and dampness will cause the hay to mold. Most of the care info given for this species is wrong. Here is the correct care info:

Questions are welcome. :) Where is Clayton?
 

Attachments

  • 16214391063882456296666495980202.jpg
    16214391063882456296666495980202.jpg
    1.6 MB · Views: 10

ZenHerper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
2,078
Location (City and/or State)
New Jersey
I personally would not add any extra calcium to that diet. Overdosing calcium can unbalance phosphorous and other minerals in the body.
 

Tammie23

New Member
Joined
May 12, 2021
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
CLAYTON
I'm in North Carolina!
Tinker's diet consists of leafy green, hockey, cactus, spinach, broccoli are her favorites. She has that everyday along with her Turtle f
Tinks favorite seem to be cactus, Bochy, broccoli florets, dandelion and hibiscus flowers and leaves. She eats her "turtle food too, Flukers for baby land and salcatas I chop up Timothy hay till it's very fine. I do not have hay in her home. O ly when its chopped as food. I was jiving her dragon fruit and a blueberry from time to time but I did read on here that's bad, so i have no prob6cutting that out. She like her flowers as a treat better.
 

Tammie23

New Member
Joined
May 12, 2021
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
CLAYTON
Tinks favorite seem to be cactus, Bochy, broccoli florets, dandelion and hibiscus flowers and leaves. She eats her "turtle food too, Flukers for baby land and salcatas I chop up Timothy hay till it's very fine. I do not have hay in her home. O ly when its chopped as food. I was jiving her dragon fruit and a blueberry from time to time but I did read on here that's bad, so i have no prob6cutting that out. She like her flowers as a treat better.
 

Attachments

  • 16214403656128163254857161682741.jpg
    16214403656128163254857161682741.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 2

Tammie23

New Member
Joined
May 12, 2021
Messages
5
Location (City and/or State)
CLAYTON
Tom:
I would love to talk with you. I feel like I get so many mixed messages. My cell is 8457213345. I spent so much at the vet and I feel they are not helping me. Especially with the wound on her belly. I need more help. We love our baby Tink. She even has her own facebook page to keep my family updated. Tinkertown.
I've watched endless videos to grasp salcata knowledge, but I cant seem to fine the things I need now....Then I spend 400 a pop at the vet and her bo bo is not healed...
Tammie Sperry
 
Top