Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My newborn sulcata, still has eggtooth after a week?!?! Has been scratching the sides of his head with his front legs ever since I got him. He also spends almost all his time in the plastic pipe I gave him as a burrow. His bottom shell is soft in the front and back but the top is only a tiny bit soft in the very very back. When he is out of the burrow he walks around a lot but it takes him a while to open his eyes and get moving. I soak him every night in lukewarm water, and he eats grass that I grow organically and a little bit of greens that I give him. He has a 150 heat light and 20 watt flourescent for UV light. He lives in a 20 gallon plastic tub with a dried organic soil subrate. Please help me if you can. I saw two bubbles from his nose today and he tends to "sneeze" every once in a while. I'm thining small respritory infection but its so hot in his enclosure. He also somtimes makes a barking sound as if he is trying to hiss at me but can't. Thanks again.

Eventhough my expertise are Redfoots I think, that your baby is
in serious trouble. She might have, what is called 'Hatchling
Failure Syndrome'. It is found in Sulcata hatchlings and the
symptoms are: tortoise becoming lethargic and having trouble
opening eyes, signs of respiratory infection, shell softening.
What's happening is severe dehydration. I don't know, at which
room temperature your torts cage is, but a 150 W spot sounds
awfully strong to me, especially for a container that small.
Is there any temperature gradient? What are the temperatures in
the warm and cool end of the container? Is there a cool end WITH
a hiding place, that your sulcata can use to thermoregulate?
Please check out the website: http://www.sulcstatn.addr.com/
hatchfail.html! It gives you detailed description on what's
going on.
Try to get your baby to a vet as soon as possible. The process
might be reversed, if your tort can be rehydrated fast enough,
but you will have to act fast.
I would immediately supply her with a substrate, that can hold
some moisture, like a soil / sand mix, that you spray lightly.
She has to be able to digg in to keep hydrated.
Make sure, that she is kept at the appropriate temperature
range and that she has a temperature gradient. Bath her and
observe, if she is really drinking. She can only be rehydrated,
if she drinks. Bathing alone is not enough. You could try to
get some water into her with gently but firmly opening her yaws
with your thumb and index finger and drop water into her mouth
with the syringe or a dropper, if that is all you have on hand.
If she is still eating, give her iceberg lettice, which is not
a great food in general, but good when hydration is needed.
Please act very quickly (tonight!!!), because this is a very
serious condition!
Good luck and please keep us posted on how it is going,

Gaby