# Baby Desert Toroise



## Mlunaavi (Dec 9, 2009)

Hello everyone this is my first time posting, and I just joined last night. I am feeling like a really crappy toroise parent right now and thought you guys would be able to help me faster than I can find it(although I've been reading most of the night and this morning through posts). 

The reason for my post is that I "rescued" 3 baby toroises from a friend of a friend about 5 months ago and everything has been going great, but last night I discovered one of my bebes has a soft shell and I'm afraid it might be too late. They were all very very active up until about a month ago when the tempatures started dropping here so I figured they were going into hibernation. I have been waking them up to feed and sit in the water bowl and keep active since I had read it wasn't good to have them hibernate the first year since they don't have enough reserves. One of the 3 had not been eating as much as the others and was far less active but would still make his way to the hiding spot. When I picked him up last night I noticed that his shell was very soft and I was/am heartbroken thinking about him suffering. Some rescuer I turned out to be!  I have 3 beardies that I have had for about 3 years now and I thought it wouldn't be TOO big if a challenge to take on these 3 tortoises since the orignal owner had them in a 5 gallon tank with no lighting and the substrate was loose sand that was always wet. 

I have a UVB 5.0 bulb, and a heat lamp that keeps the temp around 91, the tank is a square tank about 3x3 ft. Substrate is carpet from Lowes(normally used for outside patios etc) and isn't strandy. I added some broken pieces of slate tile for climbing and excersize and the floor space is pretty large(for thier size) for roaming. Thier diet has been consistent of mustard greens/turnip greens, yellow and green squash, and an occasional tomato(don't know why but they ravage that stuff).

I read that I should get the baby who's in trouble some UV to get the shell hard again but I live in AZ and although it is the desert as of late it has been cold here and not the ideal time to get the baby some sun. I will put him out there anyway if I have to get him to recover but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I'm sorry for my novel of a post but I'm just torn about this and feel terrible about my baby suffering right now! 

Any and all help is much appreciate and thanks for listening if anything.


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## egyptiandan (Dec 9, 2009)

Hi,
You need to be supplementing with a calcium supplement that has vitamin D3 in it. It may help the one thats already soft and it will definately help your other 2.
Your diet hasn't been the best either. Check out this thread to get an idea of a good diet. http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-5823.html

Danny


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## Mlunaavi (Dec 9, 2009)

Ok thanks a ton for the reply, I will be picking up the D3 sup today! I also printed that thread and will stick to it for thier diet. I hope my baby will pull through this thanks again for your reply.


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## Yvonne G (Dec 9, 2009)

Hi Mlunaavi:







to the forum!!

The link that Danny gave you has a great list of the types of foods we can feed our desert tortoises. Besides those foods, I have found them to be very fond of a product called Spring Mix. You can buy this in the packaged lettuce section of the grocery store. Right now I am caring for 4 desert tortoise hatchlings. I have them under a 100 watt T-Rex UVB/spot light. They have a hiding place where they can get away from the light, a very shallow water dish and a piece of tile to feed them on. I sprinkle the calcium powder on their food every feeding, but only a slight pinch of it because if you use too much they won't eat. I use cypress mulch as a substrate. I don't know if you can readily find it in Arizona, but Lowe's sells it. Otherwise, you can buy it in small packages at the pet store. Called cypress bed or jungle floor. Just read the package and be sure its only cypress not pine.

Good luck with your babies. I think you can turn the soft one around if you can get him to eat the calcium with d3. Keep us posted.


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## dreadyA (Dec 9, 2009)

Welcome to the forum. Hopefully by using the ca supplement will help out.
We like pictures too!


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## Stephanie Logan (Dec 9, 2009)

Good luck with your babies.

It sounds like you are doing the best you can to provide the right care to make them healthy, so keep at it and hopefully good things will result!


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## Madortoise (Dec 9, 2009)

Best of luck with your torties!


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## desertsss (Dec 10, 2009)

I am curious how small your babies are. My gordo and Twitch are over, it must be two years now, and bellies are still a little soft. Depending on how young, it could be perfectly normal and not anything to stress over to where you are pulling your hair out. I was still stressed too, but the advice from the old timers here, (I say old timers as knowledgable, been on the forum for a while, and rescued torts before), with their help, your baby will be fine. Someone posted for me about soaking the torts with a few drops of birds food vitamins. Depending on how old though, this might not be right. Good luck. Keep us posted.


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## Mlunaavi (Dec 10, 2009)

Hey everyone thanks for the warm welcome, great advice, and words of encouragement. Yesterday the weather has the ideal warmth outside but the sun was out and bright and it was about 70 degrees so I decided to take the babies out for an hour. It was actually great because lil mr sicky was active, and it even looked like there was more color to his shell in just the little bit of time out there. I am going to keep trying to take them out every chance I get when it is warm enough. 

They are all about the size of a silver dollar(or a tad bigger) right now, and I'm not exactly sure of thier age. The prior owner had them about 4 months before they came to me and she said that they were hatchlings when she got them. I unfortunately don't have a digi cam right now, but as soon as I can get one or borrow one I will post picks of my lil guys and thier setup. 

I picked up some Trex supplements yesterday that says for tortoises and has D3 but now my problem is the sicky isn't eating. I'm not sure how to get it into his system with him not consuming it. I would love to soak him with a liquid vitamins if that is ok for thier age and size? I found T-Rex Solar drops which is liquid D3, does anyone know about that product? How it is given and wether it works or not?


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## Shelly (Dec 10, 2009)

Have you tried feeding the sick one while he is outdoors in the sub? I bet that helps.


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## Mlunaavi (Dec 10, 2009)

Shelly said:


> Have you tried feeding the sick one while he is outdoors in the sub? I bet that helps.



I did put them in a small Dandelion patch and the others ate pretty well, he took one attempt at a bite that didn't work and I guess he gave up on that. Hopefully with continued sun time he'll pull through and get that appetite back up.


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## Madortoise (Dec 11, 2009)

Would you consider taking them to a herp-vet for a check-up especially the one that's not eating?


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## tortoisenerd (Dec 11, 2009)

I agree it is time for a vet. It is ok that a hatching's shell has a little give, but it should get more hard, never softer, over time. At their age they should have been getting daily calcium so the other 2 also need care immediately. I agree to change the substrate and diet. Hopefully soon you can also upgrade their UVB to a Mercury Vapor Bulb such as 100 Watt T-Rex. Liquid bird vitamins in the soaking water could help, but at this point you really need to get him to an experienced tortoise vet if you want to have a chance at turning him around.


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## Laura (Dec 26, 2009)

Do we have an update? How is the little guy doing?


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