Just received yesterday 2 baby Sulcatas. Noticed after soaking...one passed urates that were hard. Took some pressure to get the “stone” to crumble. From tortoise forum searches...I’ve seen posts about everything from hydration to diet to calcium overload. But nothing definitive. Since I got them yesterday...I cannot give info about initial husbandry. Any advice would be appreciated.
Urates
- Thread starter Skip K
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He's dehydrated.
Continue the soaks and make drinking water available always.
Are you keeping them warm and humid?
A lot of the older information is wrong.
These are not desert tortoises. They need humidity.
Hopefully you can turn this around. Tortoises that aren't started correctly often don't thrive or recover.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
Continue the soaks and make drinking water available always.
Are you keeping them warm and humid?
A lot of the older information is wrong.
These are not desert tortoises. They need humidity.
Hopefully you can turn this around. Tortoises that aren't started correctly often don't thrive or recover.
Best of luck and keep us posted.
Thank you. I have begun soaking and will cut back on Mazuri. I spray the substrate twice a day. Basking area is about 92 with a gradient to the hide. The hide is 75 degrees. One sulcata baby seems to be fine...the other is a little sluggish...but both are eating. I don’t know which one deposited the “stone”. I’ve only had them 2 days now...but it’s imperative to get them started correctly at such a young age. I have also gone from heavier, drier collard greens to a lighter more water based “spring mix”
Greetings.
Like ZeroPilot said, plenty of daily soaking! Make sure you read up on the care regarding heating, humidity, food, lighting, soaking.... etc. All the best info right here - https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
75 is too cold...minimum ambient all over the enclosure should be 80 F. Low temps not good for Sullys & might be one reason causing sluggish behavior. Also, it’s not good to house two together...lots of info on the “why not” here in the Forum. Basically bullying!
Good luck !
Like ZeroPilot said, plenty of daily soaking! Make sure you read up on the care regarding heating, humidity, food, lighting, soaking.... etc. All the best info right here - https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
75 is too cold...minimum ambient all over the enclosure should be 80 F. Low temps not good for Sullys & might be one reason causing sluggish behavior. Also, it’s not good to house two together...lots of info on the “why not” here in the Forum. Basically bullying!
Good luck !
Are they being housed in the same enclosure? The one (good one) might be nudging & bullying the other sluggish one around. Stressing it out....nudging, pushing it out of good spots to stay warm.
Both from the same breeder I presume?
Upload some pix of your enclosure if you can/want so we can look for other clues.
Hi Skip. Welcome to the forum. You've got a steep learning curve ahead...
Most of the care info for this species is wrong. We've been doing it wrong for 30 years, and most of the tortoise world, including vets, breeders, authors and "experts", have not kept up.
You've made a few common mistakes so far, but hopefully we can help fox everything. Don't feel bad. Almost everyone starts out this way, and the lucky ones find us and get help.
Here is the correct care info. These should tell you most of what you need to know. Read these and then come back and ht us with all your questions:
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...
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
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
Same breeder. No intimidation...actually just the opposite. Some times one animal can stress another with no outward appearance...but I’ve seen that before. I’ve had many torts/turtles over the years..and my son has my two Redfoots and Leopard now...and they are together and get along well. The torts...the one doing well...and the more sluggish one...were like that from the moment I took them out of the shipping container and put them in their enclosure yesterday. Can’t say what they might have gone through during shipping. The only outward difference...which I mentioned in a earlier thread...the active one has a more domed shaped carapace and the less active one...has a slightly flatter carapace. But the less active one has a good appetite
Update...day 2. Sluggish sulcata is more active today. Both hatchlings continue to eat well and both had normal bowel movements when soaking this morning. I’d like to thank everyone for their time and advice. Have had many torts but never Sulcatas. I have implemented the advice given. More soakings and have modified the hide to a gradient of 77 cool side to 82 near the heat source. Will now go about actually building a permanent hide to replicate the temporary build hide. I’ve always custom built hides to the requirements of the species and the enclosure. Also will renovate the outside pen...to accommodate not only the Redfoots and Leopard...but with a separate section designed for baby Sulcatas. Fingers crossed that the dehydrated sulcata has turned a corner. Again...much thanks
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2014
- Messages
- 29,103
- Location (City and/or State)
- South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
One more thing.
77 is a bit cool and 82 is marginal.
Try for 80 on the cool side and into the 90s in a basking area.
Sulcata like a little more heat.
Those temperature are about right for a Redfoot.
77 is a bit cool and 82 is marginal.
Try for 80 on the cool side and into the 90s in a basking area.
Sulcata like a little more heat.
Those temperature are about right for a Redfoot.
77 to 82 on average (but it has reached as much as 85) is the gradient inside the hide itself. In the main part of the enclosure...the basking area is around 95 directly under the light...and goes down to about 80...up to the outside wall of the hide box. One reason I have gone with the temps I have...is because the active tort...moves around a lot and seems like different temps...regulating his temp to suit himself. The less active one doesn’t move around like this as much and I’m concerned he’ll camp in a hotter area...which will compound his dehydration. However...increasing the soakings has had promising results but I cannot tell if there has been any permanent damage. What worries me is I doubt the...shall we call it...the “kidney stone”...could have formed in 34 hours ( from when they shipped him till he passed the mass here. I’m not a vet so I don’t know...but it seems like the dehydration must have started before shipment. I just have no details of its care before we got them.
