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On May 24, 2026, we spotted a sloth resting unusually low in a palm tree in Tulemar. Sloths spend almost their entire lives high in the canopy, so a sloth hanging out close to the ground always gets our attention. At first, we planned a simple fix: move her to a safer, higher spot and let her carry on with her day.
That plan changed the moment we picked her up. During the relocation, we noticed she had diarrhea, and we knew something more was going on. Instead of a quick move, Etta came back to our clinic for a full health check.
What the health check revealed
Etta was in much worse shape than she looked from the ground.
Our team found that she was:
- Severely dehydrated
- Very underweight, with a super low body condition score that left her skinny and weak
- Struggling with damaged skin, which we investigated with skin scrapes
- Fighting serious anemia
The lab results from her skin scrapes confirmed scabies, a parasitic skin infection that can make life miserable for a wild animal. Combined with dehydration, weight loss, and anemia, Etta was running on empty.
There was no quick fix for Etta. Her recovery has taken months of patient, hands-on care from our veterinary team, including:
- Medicated baths and selamectin to treat her scabies and help her skin heal
- Pepto-Bismol, BeneBac, and stool-fix clay to settle her digestive system and stop the diarrhea
- Regular blood work to track her anemia and make sure every treatment was moving her in the right direction
- Plenty of fluids and good nutrition to rebuild her strength and body weight
Every blood draw, every bath, and every carefully chosen meal added up. Slowly, Etta started to turn the corner.
We are so happy to share that Etta is doing beautifully. Her latest blood work shows her anemia has improved; she has put on healthy weight, and her skin is almost back to normal. Her diarrhea is long gone, and (we say this with love) her poop has been perfect for ages now.
In sloth rehab, that is a very big deal!
Etta will stay with us a little while longer so we can be sure she is truly ready. But if she keeps up this progress, her release back to the wild is just around the corner.
Etta knows exactly what she likes. She is a very particular eater, and she expects the yummiest beach almond leaves on hand at all times. If the leaves are not up to her standards, she will let us know. She is also a true Pedialyte addict, which makes our job of keeping her hydrated a lot easier.
We would not have it any other way. A picky, opinionated sloth is a healthy sloth with plenty of wild spirit left in her.
This year’s Slothtoberfest theme is Born to Be Protected, and Etta’s story is the perfect example. She was born wild, and she is going back to the wild. In between, she needed people who noticed something was wrong and a team ready to do the slow, careful work of helping her heal.
That protection does not happen by accident. It happens because of supporters like you.
Throughout October, we are raising funds for rescue, rehabilitation, and release, building up to International Sloth Day on Tuesday, October 20.
DO YOU WANT TO MEET ETTA THIS SLOTHTOBER?!
Join us for Meet Etta: Adopt-a-Sloth Live Virtual Meet and Greet on Tuesday, October 20 at 2:00 PM CST. Get an up-close look at Etta, hear more about her recovery from our team, and ask your own questions.
This is a ticketed virtual event ($25), and it is included with the Slothtoberfest Season Pass ($99). Grab the Early Bird Season Pass for just $75 with code PROTECTED26 before October 10.
When you adopt Etta, you help cover the vet care, lab work, medicine, and fresh leaves that sloths like her need on the road back to the wild. Choose the level that feels right for you!
Etta’s rescue started because someone noticed a sloth sitting too low.
If you are in Costa Rica and see a sloth that is on the ground, very low in a tree, or acting unusual, please do not try to help on your own. Call our sloth emergency hotline at +506 8775 6847 (#87-SLOTHS) so our team can assess the situation safely.
Thank you for protecting sloths like Etta. Wild by nature, protected by you!
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