Maryalice
Member
After about 3 or so worried posts on the health issues of my dry-started 5-month old sulcata hatchling, I thought I would post good news that he is now thriving. Frankie will be turning 6 months in a week, and I am thrilled to report that he seems to be over the "bump" (of what could have been hatchling failure syndrome) from being started dry. Since I got him almost 3 months ago, Frankie went through a bout of RI for which he was given 6 painful antibiotic injections. Then there were weeks of constipation and one scary day when he expelled a 1-cm rock-hard urate. And he wasn't putting on any significant weight until about 2 months ago. But now he has put on 45 grams in the last 6 weeks, and his carapace grew 2 mm longer.
So what changes were made in the last 2 months that I had him? The major change was in husbandry. For those who remember my posts, Frankie is housed in a 50-gallon glass aquarium, which of course has an open top. Within the first week of Frankie's arrival, i had a wood-framed screen top made. And because of the aquarium's high sides, i put the lamps inside the tank as they hang from the screened top. Now, I fitted the screen top with cardboard wrapped in plastic to seal the top. It is not a perfect seal, as air could still come in and out through the gaps through which the lamps' electric wires run. This however, made a huge difference in keeping humidity in the 80%-95% range all through the day and night, while I misted his substrate only once or twice a day. I also set his thermostat at 35C during the day, and 32C at night. It was only when I did this that I observed his weekly weight gain. Constipation is being addressed by a couple of drops of mineral oil on his food, and the addition of cucumber every 2 or 3 days. He seems thriving now, thanks to all the experienced-based advices I got from long-term tort keepers and experts. So happy to have joined this forum, in time to reverse the ill-effects of Frankie's dry start. Thanks so much.
So what changes were made in the last 2 months that I had him? The major change was in husbandry. For those who remember my posts, Frankie is housed in a 50-gallon glass aquarium, which of course has an open top. Within the first week of Frankie's arrival, i had a wood-framed screen top made. And because of the aquarium's high sides, i put the lamps inside the tank as they hang from the screened top. Now, I fitted the screen top with cardboard wrapped in plastic to seal the top. It is not a perfect seal, as air could still come in and out through the gaps through which the lamps' electric wires run. This however, made a huge difference in keeping humidity in the 80%-95% range all through the day and night, while I misted his substrate only once or twice a day. I also set his thermostat at 35C during the day, and 32C at night. It was only when I did this that I observed his weekly weight gain. Constipation is being addressed by a couple of drops of mineral oil on his food, and the addition of cucumber every 2 or 3 days. He seems thriving now, thanks to all the experienced-based advices I got from long-term tort keepers and experts. So happy to have joined this forum, in time to reverse the ill-effects of Frankie's dry start. Thanks so much.
