Sulcotta info?

[Mavrick813]

I have a 4-5 year old Sulcotta Toprtoise. And I've noticed something strange for about a month maybe 2. When I refill his water he goes over and takes a drink and within 10-15 minutes the water has a green shade to it. I've examined his face and mouth and everything seems ok. Checked my books and info resources and can't find anything on this. It becoming annoying because unless I change the water 2x a day by day 2 it's disgusting. Called my vet and they said that they haven't heard anything like this before but maybe he's eating his own feces (Common in Sulcottas) and contaminating the water with his first drink?

Any ideas?

Oh. Just in case anyone would want to know. Lights are on a timer, and I use the 250W versions of these. He's in a 6'x6' pen at night that opens up to give him access to a 13'x15' room during the day. Only time he gets Outside roaming is during the summer months in NJ.

His staple diet is

Day lighting 12 hours.

Night lighting 12 hours

 

[coura]

Ok my friend Im able to help you and I know exacly the cause of what your seeing.

 

[coura]

That is bile and your tortoise has a digestive problem. And all of that is from the food your giving him. NO PREPARED FOOD ON THE MARKET TODAY IS MENT TO BE FED AS SINGLE DIET TO SULCATAS, the only food I herd great things about as its use for sulcatas would be mazuri tortoise food and even that is a suplement. Your tortoise clearly is unable to deal with the amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats your giving to him in that diet. Sulcatas are grazzers, they are ment to be able to extract nutrients from very low quality pasture and things such as thorny bushes, they cant handle in the long term neither our normal vegetables or "nutricion" full pellets. They need high fiber and calcium diets. Things such as hibiscus leaves and flowers, spineless Opuntia, mullberry leaves, dandilions, thymoty hay, bermuda grass, plantain and alfafa are the staple diet which in a lower percentage can be complemented with our most calcium rich vegetables such as mustard, turnip and chycory greens, and water cress.
What you need to do is QUIT imediatly that food and I would say that you should give your toiseseveral days with no food, just water to allow him to clean its sistem. Change the water everytime you see it fouled. Also you need to contact a GOOD exotic vet, your toise could very well have some stuff that needs help asap in its sistem. Blood work is defenetly needed. If there is nothing major, your toise will recover and you will feed him exclusively with the foods items Ive presented. Fruit and animal protein based foods are big no no as well.

 

[methos75]

I can tell you first off that his diet is an issue, Sulcata's should only be feed Grasses as that is 75% of their diet in the wild, Things like Dandelions, and Dark Green veggies like Romaine, Kale, Mustard Greens, etc. fruits should be avoided as should ALL PELLETED FOODS. All Pelleted foods are vastly too high in Protein to be a staple tortoise diet, and should only be used as an addition to their normal diet once a week or so. The good ones like Mazuri and Zoomed Grassland Tortoise food even state this on the label. And that is another issue, the one your using isn't even considered a good product and most Tortoise owners shy away from it its use. You really need to change the poor guys diet around, if not its going to cause severe issues with Pyramiding and such and that is only if it hasn't yet which it may of well have already.

 

[methos75]

Coura beat me too it, but yeah, not to be an ass but your killing your poor Tortoise with that diet. Only Tort really able to live off a diet like that is Redfoots and Yellow Foots since they do need small amounts of Proteins, but even they should never be feed a purely pelleted diet.

 

[AnnieC]

That is bile and your tortoise has a digestive problem. And all of that is from the food your giving him. NO PREPARED FOOD ON THE MARKET TODAY IS MENT TO BE FED AS SINGLE DIET TO SULCATAS, the only food I herd great things about as its use for sulcatas would be mazuri tortoise food and even that is a suplement. Your tortoise clearly is unable to deal with the amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats your giving to him in that diet. Sulcatas are grazzers, they are ment to be able to extract nutrients from very low quality pasture and things such as thorny bushes, they cant handle in the long term neither our normal vegetables or "nutricion" full pellets. They need high fiber and calcium diets. Things such as hibiscus leaves and flowers, spineless Opuntia, mullberry leaves, dandilions, thymoty hay, bermuda grass, plantain and alfafa are the staple diet which in a lower percentage can be complemented with our most calcium rich vegetables such as mustard, turnip and chycory greens, and water cress.
What you need to do is QUIT imediatly that food and I would say that you should give your toiseseveral days with no food, just water to allow him to clean its sistem. Change the water everytime you see it fouled. Also you need to contact a GOOD exotic vet, your toise could very well have some stuff that needs help asap in its sistem. Blood work is defenetly needed. If there is nothing major, your toise will recover and you will feed him exclusively with the foods items Ive presented. Fruit and animal protein based foods are big no no as well.

Good post. If you have a herp vet in your area, I would contact him/her. Adding fruits and veggies to the diet should help out a lot. The Muzuri, ZooMed and San Fransisco Bay Brand tortoise diets are the only ones on the market I like at all for any torts. The SFBB one is pretty much just dehydrated veggies, so you would need to add a lot of greens to that one.

 

[methos75]

Another issue I see is that you have no UVB source, which is a needed for Sulcata's. While D3 in food Supplements is nice, it doesn't supplant real Sunlight or even strong UBV light sources such as MVB lights. Too be Honest IMO Sulcata's are not good Tortoises too keep unless you have lots of grass available and can keep them outdoors year round, they simply get vastly too large to keep indoors and too feed unless you have a well planted outdoor area for them.

 

[coura]

Coura beat me too it, but yeah, not to be an ass but your killing your poor Tortoise with that diet. Only Tort really able to live off a diet like that is Redfoots and Yellow Foots since they do need small amounts of Proteins, but even they should never be feed a purely pelleted diet.

Even red and yellow foots, you can feed them the foods I mentioned plus mango, papaya, grapes and banana. And voilá perfect shells

 

[brenttos]

all the answers they gave you are right on we have 3 breeding pairs and we dont feed any of them supplemental food

 

[methos75]

Even red and yellow foots, you can feed them the foods I mentioned plus mango, papaya, grapes and banana. And voilá perfect shells

Yep, my Two get Kale, Raddicho, Red Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Mango, Pine Apple, Papaya, Squash, Peas, and Carrots weekly for Veggies.