Re: SULCATA EMERGENCY!!!!!!!!

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Posted by Marissa-Turtle Homes on November 06, 2001 at 12:59:35:

In Reply to: Re: SULCATA EMERGENCY!!!!!!!! posted by danya on November 06, 2001 at 11:44:35:

Okay that helps. The wooden cage sounds like it may be high-sided..is that so? It may not be low enough to allow cross-ventilation and dispersement of heat. I would go with 1' high sides myself..and NO cover.

Usually if your room temps are stable and over 72F or so, heat lamps at night are not the best idea. YOu want to allow a cool down period at night, so I would not use a nightime heat source.

Also bone-aid sand sucks IMHO. Even though it's supposedly "digestible" it's still sand and creates a very dehydrating environment, and the tortoises can get sand in their eyes creating irritations and ulcerations. That may be part of your problem. I'd recommend changing your substrate immediately to something like CareFresh bedding or rabbit pellets and see if that helps.

Your diet needs work. Commercial tortoise chow is not the best thing for sulcata, especially when there are fresh foods readily available both in the grocery store and to grow on your own. See www.turtlecafe.net and www.turtlestuff.com for info and products. Alfalfa is very high in protein, I don't recommend making it a staple in the diet. You want to shoot for a fresh, varied diet made up of foods that are safe and good for tortoises.

I would also soak more often than twice a week, at least for now until you can maintain hydration and get rid of the eye problems.

Our website has a sulcata section inside the Care & Information link area...check it out

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: Okay that helps. The wooden cage sounds like it may be high-sided..is that so? It may not be low enough to allow cross-ventilation and dispersement of heat. I would go with 1' high sides myself..and NO cover. : Usually if your room temps are stable and over 72F or so, heat lamps at night are not the best idea. YOu want to allow a cool down period at night, so I would not use a nightime heat source. : Also bone-aid sand sucks IMHO. Even though it's supposedly "digestible" it's still sand and creates a very dehydrating environment, and the tortoises can get sand in their eyes creating irritations and ulcerations. That may be part of your problem. I'd recommend changing your substrate immediately to something like CareFresh bedding or rabbit pellets and see if that helps. : Your diet needs work. Commercial tortoise chow is not the best thing for sulcata, especially when there are fresh foods readily available both in the grocery store and to grow on your own. See www.turtlecafe.net and www.turtlestuff.com for info and products. Alfalfa is very high in protein, I don't recommend making it a staple in the diet. You want to shoot for a fresh, varied diet made up of foods that are safe and good for tortoises. : I would also soak more often than twice a week, at least for now until you can maintain hydration and get rid of the eye problems. : Our website has a sulcata section inside the Care & Information link area...check it out

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