My leopard tortoise will eat either of the mazuri pellets. He’s on the LS now. I haven’t tried any other brands to date as I just order the big bags straight from mazuri and store it. It keeps well for me. Guess I got lucky on the pellet front but he‘s definitely picky when it comes to eating...
The reason I opted to put a uvb bulb in my tort house (on a timer) was because we have predators of the sky around. (Hawks) I worry about locking him out of his house with them flying around and nesting so close to our place.
This should really help. When my tort was young I kept it on hand.
Welcome to the forum. You've come to the right place. Lots of great help and support here. :)
Keep us posted
Red ear sliders are a very invasive species here in CA. They are a dime a dozen at most pet shops. They are cute and small for a few months then unfortunately are often released because they are hard to find permanent homes for. They grow so fast.
Yours is more than likely either a wild born...
Here is a rescue we just trapped. Been over 2 months of trying to save her. She's super smart and super fast. But started getting weak. We were unsuccessful with the one running loose before her. :( Disadvantage of a bad part of town my better half works in. We save many critters, of all shapes...
When Sherman was younger his enclosure, lights on timers etc all went to my sisters. They LOVE spoiling him rotten. All according to his approved schedule and diet of course.
Now that he's bigger they will be caring for him here on the ranch. They already come 1-2x daily to check the cows...
I would try all that Yvonne has said. I would also do some warm water soaks. That will help hydrate. Especially around the mass. Has worked for us in the past on several different animals including our tort when he was younger. It really helps.
Good luck! Keep us posted!