Recent content by zovick

Those readings (3.0 at center and 2.4 at the ends) are ideal. i would keep the bulb at the distance where you got those readings.

Yes, you are correct. There is an issue. The tortoise has a severe underbite. This can be corrected by "serial" trimming of both the upper and lower beaks to get them into the proper biting relationship. Serial means that it needs to be done in stages over a period of a number months or more. It...

Do you want to go to Vista to a certified exotics vet that I know? Her name is Laila Proenca and she used to be the head of exotics at Veterinary Clinics of America (VCA) in Los Angeles. Or maybe you could call VCA in LA and get a referral to a good exotics vet in your area. Laila has now...

The eyes look very irritated. Specifically, the third eyelid (nictitating membrane) is very swollen. Not sure what the cause may be, but I would recommend getting some Neo-Poly-Dex Veterinary Ophthalmic Drops and putting a drop in each eye twice a day for about 10 days. I think that should help...

Hi Tom, I have no personal experience with this phenomenon, nor any idea how common it may be. I cannot answer your other questions. I read the iformation found on the link below before coming to the conclusion that spaying the OP's tortoise was most likely a good plan...

Maybe the seller was being dishonest? The flattened backline at the mid-point of the shell is a sure sign of MBD. A tortoise with MBD looks in profile as though someone has stepped on its back and depressed the spine. Hopefully you can get restitution. After that is decided, please name this...

I agree completely with Tom. No tortoise normally grows like the one in your photos. The seller saw you coming and sold you an extremely poor example of the species. Sorry this happened to you. If you can possible get your $$ back, do so, and then buy one from a reptuable breeder instead. Who...

Your tortoise does not have mouth rot. The picture shows a very minor chip in the beak. It will not hurt the tortoise to smooth it off, either with a nail file or some nail clippers.

The spaying is most likely a good idea if you never plan to breed the tortoise. Did your vet indicate that she would cut through the plastron (bottom shell) to do the procedure? If so, perhaps you could get her to consider instead the method decsribed in this article which is much less traumatic...

I would heartily recommend using both Herptivite Vitamins and Rep-Cal Calcium (Ultrafine WITH Vitamin D) on your tortoise's food several times per week. Note: I always used both of those powders on all of my tortoises' foods EVERY DAY and had great success breeding tortoises and experienced no...

Tortoises with MBD have a severe dip in their backline at about the mid-point and often all the way to the rear of the carapace (yours has no sign of that). In profile, it looks as though they have been stepped on. They have difficulty walking up on all four legs, usually having to pull...

Your tortoise does not appear to have MBD. It has a slight amount of pyramiding, but it is not nearly as severe as what we often see on this forum. Is the photo of the head in your first post from before or after the beak trim? I ask because the upper beak as shown in the photo still needs to...

Your tortoise does not have septicemia. It would not be active and eating if it did, plus the plastron would be more red (especially the lighter colored areas of it) from blood pooling at the lowest points in the tortoise. The surgical site looks very nicely healed. I think you can stop...

Springtails are harmless and help keep the substrate clean. Also just FYI, ticks cannot jump. They crawl, and not very quickly.

It looks like some kind of infectious process going on between the scutes. It doesn't appear to full blown shell rot, but it might be in the same category. I would try putting athlete's foot ointment on the areas for a week or ten days. If that doesn't cure it, it may be bacterial in nature. In...