Young tortoise with soft plastron

I recently purchased my first tortoise. She 's ~4-5 months old now (from what the breeder told me). I noticed today that her plastron is a little soft in the middle (the outer edges seem hard). I've read that hatchlings tend to still be soft. I wondering if this is normal for her age.

I keep the humidity between 70% to 80%, however it will drop to 60% at times. I give her phospherous free calcium with d3 with every meal. I feed her for 2 days then skip 1 day. She mostly gets mixed greens with some mazuri tortoise food. I run a 100 watt mercury vapor,uva/uvb, bulb 12 hours per day. The hottest spot gets up to ~95 and in the high 80s to low 90s in that area. Temp drops to about 75 at night, but I have a heating pad that stays in the low 80s where she sleeps.

I would appreciate some input, Thanks!

What species?

Jamie

jsheffield said:

What species?

Jamie

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Cherryhead redfoot

I'm still something of a newbie, but that sounds pretty good, and I wouldn't worry if you can help it.

Someone might pipe up, offering that you might have better results with a UV fluorescent bulb setup, although I seem to be doing ok with mvb lighting.

A redfoot's diet can include some fruit and veggies in addition to all the greens, as well as occasional animal protein... increasing variety with these things can only help your tort's growth.

Daily soakings for the first year seem like a smart, easy, and painless way to help him along as well.

Good luck, and don't take my advice as gospel, just my thoughts.

Jamie

jsheffield said:

I'm still something of a newbie, but that sounds pretty good, and I wouldn't worry if you can help it.

Someone might pipe up, offering that you might have better results with a UV fluorescent bulb setup, although I seem to be doing ok with mvb lighting.

A redfoot's diet can include some fruit and veggies in addition to all the greens, as well as occasional animal protein... increasing variety with these things can only help your tort's growth.

Daily soakings for the first year seem like a smart, easy, and painless way to help him along as well.

Good luck, and don't take my advice as gospel, just my thoughts.

Jamie

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Thanks for the advice! This is my first tortoise and I just want to make sure i'm doing everything right. I'll probably pick up some more food for her tomorrow

I don't know if she should be getting the calcium supplement with every meal? Also why should she be a whole day without a meal?

TammyJ said:

I don't know if she should be getting the calcium supplement with every meal? Also why should she be a whole day without a meal?

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How often would you recommend giving her the calcium?

The breeder I got her from recommended feeding her every other day to avoid overfeeding. But she seemed to eat ALOT on the days I fed her, so I figured 2 days with and 1 with out was a good middle ground.

I feed my tortoises, especially babies, every day, and supplement with calcium only two times a week.

Welcome to the forum... prepare to forget everything you've been told in the past.

Yvonne G said:

I feed my tortoises, especially babies, every day, and supplement with calcium only two times a week.

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Thanks for the advice!

method89 said:

Welcome to the forum... prepare to forget everything you've been told in the past.

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That's partly why I posted here. I can't seem to find consistent info on the internet!

Most of the info you will find here will be consistent and filled with knowledge from people who have been keeping tortoises a long time but with anything there is differing opinions on various topics. I've learned early on to listen, learn and then make the changes that you see are working for you and your tortoise.

method89 said:

Most of the info you will find here will be consistent and filled with knowledge from people who have been keeping tortoises a long time but with anything there is differing opinions on various topics. I've learned early on to listen, learn and then make the changes that you see are working for you and your tortoise.

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Thanks!

The only UVB lighting that has given decent shell growth for me is 4' long flourescent tubes presently UVB 5.0 or 10.0. These don't act like a spotlight in one spot but give more overall coverage of the living area. If they have a hood that's best as all the light/UVB is directed downward and not sideways.

Drive yourself made and look at the nutritional value of wild greens and weeds!. Dandelion, Plantain Weed, Zinnia's, Hibiscus are all fairly common and do well witha variety of torts. My Russian will eat the hibiscus bloom leaves, stem, pistel and all---also kills a plantain weed now about every other day!. My leopard loves grass clippings and weeds but will not touch any blooms yet. Also handy to have some mazuri to supplement and for just in case! Good Luck---Torting Ain't Easy!