Vomiting tortoise.

Tumeera

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Joined
Mar 11, 2020
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13
Location (City and/or State)
Benoni
Hey guys so my baby boy has been vomiting every day for the past two days like clockwise usually around the same time. Temps in his enclosure are as they should be and he does have a uvb light on.
At the pet shop the assistant told me that desert sand was a good substrate because it's more natural for them but I think he may have swollowed some and this is causing him to puke. His poop is normal, he doesn't have any bubbles along the nose, mouth or eyes, his breathing and walking are also normal. It's just the vomiting that's bothering me, there aren't vets anywhere near us so that's not really a option for me. Please help on what I can do to make sure my baby is okay.
 

Tony the Tort42

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Jan 7, 2020
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233
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hey guys so my baby boy has been vomiting every day for the past two days like clockwise usually around the same time. Temps in his enclosure are as they should be and he does have a uvb light on.
At the pet shop the assistant told me that desert sand was a good substrate because it's more natural for them but I think he may have swollowed some and this is causing him to puke. His poop is normal, he doesn't have any bubbles along the nose, mouth or eyes, his breathing and walking are also normal. It's just the vomiting that's bothering me, there aren't vets anywhere near us so that's not really a option for me. Please help on what I can do to make sure my baby is okay.
REMOVE THE SAND!! Dont trust pet shop people! Replace the sand with organic orchard bark asap.
What are you feeding?
What lights are you using?
Can you send a picture of the enclosure?
Whats the humidity?
You have been given awful advice. Read this care sheet for proper care info. https://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
 

Tumeera

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Mar 11, 2020
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Benoni
I removed the sand immediately after he vomited and put him to soak in warm water. I replaced it with coco peat which is what I always used. Additionally there's leaf litter because he likes to burry himself in it and there's also bark. I was worried because he vommited a little today too.

Feeding : when I feed them lettuce I sprinkle exo Terra multivitamin ontop
Usual daily diet is hay grass or timothy hay, hibiscus leaves or flowers, dandelion greens and flowers, sliced carrot and an occasional cucumber.

Lights are also from exo Terra uvb is 5.0. At night he has an infrared light and a normal 50 watt heat lamp.

Humidity is always above 60%.

My baby was always fine with this but this is the first time he's vomited, I'm just really hoping it's because of the sand and that he will be better.

He's still a baby, will only be a year in May.
 

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Tony the Tort42

Active Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2020
Messages
233
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I removed the sand immediately after he vomited and put him to soak in warm water. I replaced it with coco peat which is what I always used. Additionally there's leaf litter because he likes to burry himself in it and there's also bark. I was worried because he vommited a little today too.

Feeding : when I feed them lettuce I sprinkle exo Terra multivitamin ontop
Usual daily diet is hay grass or timothy hay, hibiscus leaves or flowers, dandelion greens and flowers, sliced carrot and an occasional cucumber.

Lights are also from exo Terra uvb is 5.0. At night he has an infrared light and a normal 50 watt heat lamp.

Humidity is always above 60%.

My baby was always fine with this but this is the first time he's vomited, I'm just really hoping it's because of the sand and that he will be better.

He's still a baby, will only be a year in May.
Im glad to hear the sand is gone. Coco is fine, I use it myself. It can be messy though. Humidity should stay around 80. From the picture, the soil looks a bit dry, I would wet it. And have you been soaking regularly?
What is the temp? the whole thing should never drop below 80.
Is there anything im missing @Tom @Yvonne G ?
 

Tumeera

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Mar 11, 2020
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Location (City and/or State)
Benoni
Basking area is usually around 90-95 and the rest is 80 exactly.
Thanks I'll mist the enclosure. He soaks every second or third day.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
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Location (City and/or State)
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I removed the sand immediately after he vomited and put him to soak in warm water. I replaced it with coco peat which is what I always used. Additionally there's leaf litter because he likes to burry himself in it and there's also bark. I was worried because he vommited a little today too.

Feeding : when I feed them lettuce I sprinkle exo Terra multivitamin ontop
Usual daily diet is hay grass or timothy hay, hibiscus leaves or flowers, dandelion greens and flowers, sliced carrot and an occasional cucumber.

Lights are also from exo Terra uvb is 5.0. At night he has an infrared light and a normal 50 watt heat lamp.

Humidity is always above 60%.

My baby was always fine with this but this is the first time he's vomited, I'm just really hoping it's because of the sand and that he will be better.

He's still a baby, will only be a year in May.
Lettuce isn't a good food for tortoises, nor is cucumber or carrot. Babies can't/won't eat hay, and regualr leopards are that into grass at all in most cases. I'll link a food thread for you, but ignore the text and scroll down to the food list.

The 5.0 bulbs produce almost no UV and they are a waste of time and money. What type of bulb? The cfl types are ineffective and sometimes burn their eyes.

They need it dark at night, so no infrared and no lights. Night heat should come from a ceramic heating element or a radiant heat panel controlled by a thermostat.

Here is all the care info for leopards. Read these and then come back with your questions.

No idea why he would vomit. Could be the sand, I suppose. Could also be temps.
 

Carol S

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Location (City and/or State)
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Keep the substrate damp as it is important to have humidity for the tortoise.

I also would soak the tortoise every day in case he has ingested some sand. A few years ago I adopted a Russian tortoise from a neighbor who had kept their tortoise on sand and was not feeding it properly. The poor tortoise popped sand for around a week or so.

Do I see a red light bulb? Do not use a red light bulb as it colors the substrate and the tortoise might eat it. Also at night it needs to be dark. For night time heat get a ceramic heat emitter (which does not give out any light). Get a thermostat so it does not get too hot. I have posted some links below

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DHO6S/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I15S6OM/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20
 

Tumeera

New Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2020
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Benoni
Thank you guys for all the advice. My baby stopped vomiting and is back to his old self now. When I feed them alfafa hay I cut it into small pieces. Also started soaking him daily. I changed the uvb light to a uvb 10 and got ceramic heating bulbs
 

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