Trying to hibernate ??

[Tofu]

I've read that sulcata tortoises don't hibernate but I'm just trying to make sure, Tofu is a sulcata tortoise and it seems to be slowing down it walks less usually walks 5 or 6 steps and then stops and lays down I've placed it on grass for it to graze but seems to take only 5-6 bites and then sleeps but when I gave it some cucumber it immediately springs into action and starts slurping the middle part of the cucumber since the outer side is a too hard for it to bite through. It has no problem with opening its eyes just.. not that wide It doesn't have a runny nose its poo looks good (firm moist and has got a bit of green in it but its probably because of the mustard greens I gave it last time). overall it's not as active as it used to be. Should I be worried is it just sleepy or is it trying to hibernate?

And here's a photo of it

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings. Sluggish behavior like you suggest could be caused by many things, particularly keeping your baby at too low of temperatures. Babies do like to hide away to be safe & protected, but not sluggish.

Upload some pix of your enclosure. Describe a few things to include substrate type, lighting, humidity levels, temperatures, feed. Are you soaking daily? For how long? Humid hide? Heat source?

PS - Sulcatas don’t hibernate, so we need to figure out whats wrong!

 

[KarenSoCal]

Eye problems are sometimes caused by the type of UVB bulb you are using.

We need to see pictures of your enclosure, lights, etc. Maybe there are improvements to be made. Is he in a closed chamber, or an open top enclosure?

In the meantime, check your UVB. If it is a cfl type, turn it off. You need to use a tube type UVB.

In case you haven't read these, here are some links to care sheets and other info on sullies. If you got your tort from a pet shop, you have probably been told lots of wrong info. Read these and compare to how you are keeping Tofu. Then come back with questions.

But post the pictures ASAP. Your baby is still so little...what his care is right now will affect him the rest of his life.

Beginner Mistakes

To comment on Tom's article, go here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-split-Beginner-Mistakes#axzz1tG8s05M5 Over the years many of us, myself included, have made many of these mistakes, and we have certainly seen them made many times by others. With springtime upon us and many new...

www.tortoiseforum.org

For Those Who Have a Young Sulcata...

Over and over I type up and answer diet questions and try to get people feeding the right stuff, but I find that the "norm" is grocery store food. Grocery store food is expensive, a hassle to obtain, and very low on the list of what is best for sulcatas. These tortoises are GRASS eaters. From...

tortoiseforum.org

How To Raise A Healthy Sulcata Or Leopard, Version 2.0

It's been three years since the original care sheet, http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-63788.html , and I think its time for a review and an update. A lot of new info has come to light over the last three years and new insight has been gained through numerous experiences. What follows is my...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tofu]

Hi um i was told by Tom to not use the cfl type UVB bulb and so i just stopped using UVB bulbs since i can give tofu 20 mins of sunlight or more daily and this is his current enclosure... Still lookung for a bigger enclosure

 

[Maro2Bear]

How are you heating the “enclosure”? Upload a few more pix of the enclosure, having a hard time envisioning this set up. Looks like a soup bowl.

Ur right, CFL bulbs arent good.

 

[Tofu]

Greetings. Sluggish behavior like you suggest could be caused by many things, particularly keeping your baby at too low of temperatures. Babies do like to hide away to be safe & protected, but not sluggish.

Upload some pix of your enclosure. Describe a few things to include substrate type, lighting, humidity levels, temperatures, feed. Are you soaking daily? For how long? Humid hide? Heat source?

PS - Sulcatas don’t hibernate, so we need to figure out whats wrong!

I keep my sulcata in this enclosure (look at attached file) the substrate is coco peat basking bulb is 40 watts his basking place temp is 33-34°C and at night his temp is around 28-29°C humidity is around 80-90% but sometimes drops below 75% and i usually mist it to get the humidity back up. I soak Tofu daily under the sun with shade for around 20-30mins each time i let it graze in a supervised grass patch for 2 hours with small walls so it wont escape i usually give it some mustard greens with cuttlefish bone sprinkled on it per week and a bit of cucumber per 2 weeks just for a safety measure so it wont get dehydrated

 

[Tofu]

Heres some better pics

 

[Tofu]

This is the photo of the grass patch

 

[Tofu]

Could it be malnutrition or food poisoning? I personally dont think that its food poisoning since Tofu's stool is firm and not watery also when Tofu moves it can pick its shell up (up lifted and not touching the ground) so no signs of muscle weakness.

 

[Tofu]

Oh and this might help too with the malnutrition thing uuhm Tofu's weight at 25th of march is 40.5 grams and today 12th of april its 46.5 grams is he growing too fast ? Or is it too slow

 

[KarenSoCal]

I understand you live in a tropical climate, but I am skeptical re' maintaining those temps.

It looks like that is a children's pool? Is it on the floor? If you have those temps in the daytime, how about at night? I don't see anything that provides heat for nighttime, like a CHE. He needs it dark at night, so when the basking bulb goes off, it surely gets cool then. Is this always open top, or do you cover it somehow? If there is no cover, what holds heat and humidity in?

Mustard greens and grass are good, but what else do you feed him? Does he get a varied diet of weeds too? You said he isn't really eating the grass. It would be great if you could get some tortoise pellets, like Mazuri. That can help fill in any deficiencies in his diet, and most torts gobble it up when it has been softened.

Added...you and I were typing at the same time. Just saw your post re' malnutrition..Read the links I provided, and see what you can find. I need to get to sleep. It's 0345 here!

 

[Tofu]

Oh and the enclosure is yes its basically a gigantic soup bowl diameter at the tip is 60cm

 

[Tofu]

Uuhm no i dont have any heating pads or infrared lights to heat the cage up but ive never seen the temp here at night drop below 27° unless theres a freak rainstorm that wont stop but should i buy some heating pads ?

 

[Tofu]

Uum no theres no lid but the humidity here is quite high 70% most of the time and i usually just spray it 2-3 times per day making sure it never drops below 80% and also im planning to place a lid over it

 

[Tofu]

Ive found this unused aquarium with opaque sides length is 60cm and i think its easier to find a lid for it.. should i use this instead ?
Oh and about the diet thats probably all.. i found this mazuri pellet (second attachment) its the regular ones for sulcata.. ive read somewhere that the small LS version are less appetizing for sulcatas and they wont eat it

 

[Yvonne G]

Your tortoise isn't warm enough and he also needs more humidity in his enclosure.

 

[Tofu]

More humidity ? I dont even know how to add more humidity in my enclosure ;-; its usually at 90% ish already and the warmth.. ill add more warmth into its enclosure would adding a second basking bulb in the enclosure work ? Since i cant put my basking lamp closer than 25 cm without drying Tofu's shell il just buy a second basking lamp

 

[Tofu]

Oh aand almost forgot to mention my normal temps for my enclosure.. its 33°Celcius (not Farenheit) under the basking spot and 30°Celcius room temp

At night the whole enclosure with no heat source no heating pad no nothing stays at 28-29°C and only goes down to 26°C if a rainstorm appears

Should the temp be higher ? Cause im planning to make a new enclosure for Tofu and if it needs to be hotter il buy a second heating bulb 1 for the basking spot and the other 1 to rise the ambient temp inside the enclosure

 

[Tofu]

Oh @Yvonne G yeah youre right.. once i put Tofu under the sunlight it immidiately starts to walk around and then devour all of the grass that his tiny mouth can reach thanks for the help!, But his eyes.. theyre still not as "wide" as they used to be... I tried applying water on them to wash any debris yes it works it opens its eyes wider but just for a moment once the water is gone it closes them again and then once it opens them again.. its not as wide and the eye is a bit watery(before applying water).

Should i apply eye medication ?

 

[Tofu]

I think i have found the problem guys its eyes are barely openable so i think its the eyes... Ive applied eye drops and it seems to be getting better it can now open both of its eyes quite easily

I think ants are the culprit... They bit its eyes -,-