I have not experimented with adding protein to Pyxis diets, but I have extremely inconsistent egg production and fertility year to year. So if I were to test it, I don’t have a stable baseline to assess against. I am planning to move my adults this winter to try and improve consistency...
Is the beak growing more too?
I’ve noticed that for some reason that escapes me, tortoises seem to have different levels of keratin growth with different keepers. I’ve personally never had one grow extreme toenails or an overgrown beak, but I have seen both from other keepers who aren’t doing...
After your update I am wondering if he’s caught an infection, and perhaps the swelling just showed up faster than the other more typical symptoms (lethargy and breathing difficulty).
If the new symptoms worsen or last more than a couple days I would try to get antibiotics. In the meantime try...
I don’t see anything that gives me an immediate alarm - no obvious signs of illness or anything.
The swelling looks like edema, which can happen for a lot of reasons and in some cases comes and goes. Given the shedding as well it could be nutritional. Multivite twice a week seems excessive...
The enclosure described (shallow water with wet spagnum) is pretty much the typical / recommended method for these babies.
In general sphagnum moss won’t mold, especially if you can get live sphagnum, but even the dead stuff seems to have a natural mold resistance. The only maintenance really...
My opinion:
If you are not previously experienced with hatchlings, the right age to get one is 3-6 months old. And the key is: At this age you are looking for a lot of growth, and smooth growth. If a breeder is selling babies that are the size of fresh hatchlings, you can’t visually tell if...
I suspect the tortoise is impacted. I see a grainy texture area that appears to be the digestive tract that is pretty big and full looking. But I am not an expert and you need to get this x-ray in front of a veterinarian that is experienced with tortoises.
All good questions and I’m not sure.
I would dispute that these North African graeca don’t brumate either. That is just more misinformation without data or evidence. Pull climate graphs for
Tunisia and you’ll see what I mean. In Tunis near the coast, average highs are in the low to mid 60s...
If this is indeed a Tunisian tortoise, keep in mind that their habitat looks like this:
I would suggest the sources suggesting a dry environment are just plain wrong.
I am keeping some young T.g. cyrenaica (from Libya) in very high humidity and they have done well. They're now outdoors in a...
That baby is very young. The yolk sac is fully absorbed but there is no growth to speak of. So my guess is it’s maybe 3 weeks old? I personally don’t like that breeders ship them this young.
The priority should be:
#1 ensure proper temps/humidity
#2 ensure good hydration (soaking etc)
#3...
I like what you are trying to do. I also think you might be able to treat this like braces and pull / lift over time.
I also think it makes sense to spread the pull force over more contact locations. This could be done by 3D printing a frame to go over the carapace (and would also be...