3 questions

[alita]

number o1: My tortoises were born on the 1st and 2nd of August, so they are still very little. I have noticed that Alby's shell is not as round as Smiley, it is a lot more flat. and Smiley is quite a lot bigger, even tho they are the same age. He seems to eat more as well.

I was wondering if a flat shell is a sympton that something is not going well?


number 2: Smiley's right eye seems a bit swollen and lately when he has a bath he struggles to open it , but then he seems fine.


number 3: should I give them baths daily? or weekly? I have been doing it once a week.

Thanks in advance guys

 

[T Smart]

I'm not an expert but the 2nd problem might be irritation from the substrate.
And I have a baby russian and I soak him usually 3 times a week to keep him hydrated.

 

[Tom]

What species?

How are they being housed? Temps? Humidity? Substrate? Lighting?

The eye thing is serious. Get to a vet and get some terramycin ointment going ASAP.

I think most species should be soaked daily as hatchlings. Less as they gain size.

Most species do not do well in pairs. This may be your problem, or a contributing factor. I would separate them into their own enclosures. Move the healthy one and leave the other one where he is.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, a flat shell MIGHT indicate the tortoise isn't getting the UVB it needs in order to make vitamin d3 in order for the calcium to work. I say "MIGHT." doesn't necessarily mean its so.

Do you provide UVB? calcium?

 

[alita]

What species?

How are they being housed? Temps? Humidity? Substrate? Lighting?

The eye thing is serious. Get to a vet and get some terramycin ointment going ASAP.

I think most species should be soaked daily as hatchlings. Less as they gain size.

Most species do not do well in pairs. This may be your problem, or a contributing factor. I would separate them into their own enclosures. Move the healthy one and leave the other one where he is.

They live in a terrarium, with the UVA/b light, and the heating on at 26 degrees. I didn't know about the daily baths but I am soaking them daily now. The substrate they have is just soil from the countryside. My uncle recommended this. ( I put the soil in the microwave for a couple of minutes as he suggested) What comes as a surprise is the fact that most species don't do well in pairs! Mine are not aggressive to each other or anything, plus I noticed that when one of them sees the other eating , he starts eating too... I don't think I have space to separate them yet. Next year I plan to move out, so I will have more space for them too.

Smiley's eye seems ok now, although he closes it a bit when he is having a bath. I hope he'll be ok. And about Alby's shell, well, he is just smaller and flatter... I hope he'll develop correctly in time.

 

[coreyc]

What species are they do you have any pic's of them ?

 

[Tom]

Okay, I did some detective work and I see that you have two russians, or Horsefeilds, as they are called over there. This is probably the worse species to keep as a pair. They will be much happier with separate enclosures.

Where in the enclosure is it 26 degrees and when? You only listed one temp, but there are four temps to be concerned with. Warm side, cool side, basking spot and night. 26 is not warm enough as an all around temp with no basking spot, and its too warm for night time with this species. Please click on the top link in my signature. I think you will gain some valuable insight from that thread.

What sort of UV are you using? The coil type bulbs can damage their eyes.

Please don't wait. Let us help you get things sorted right away. Once things get to a certain point it is difficult or impossible to bring them back.

 

[laney]

I really didn't want to separate my two Russians, I thought they got on great and like many I thought that dominance with torts was just aggression. Mine used to follow each other around and I thought it was cute until one day months later I caught the tiny one biting the bigger one. I soon realised through here and looking back that there was dominance from day 1 even though they were so young. Eating the food first, hogging basking area, taking the hides all show who is boss.
I separated them, I too don't have much room, but they are my babies and its important to do the best for them. My living room has two enclosures now its not glamorous but they are thriving and that's what counts. You would be surprised what you can do in a small space with what you have it's tough but maybe worth a try to see if their health improves?
Just a thought though, keep us posted x

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Oh forgot,

I bath mine every 1to 2days. I try to bath my little fella every day as he gets a very dry neck as its always giraffing out lol

 

[alita]

Okay, I did some detective work and I see that you have two russians, or Horsefeilds, as they are called over there. This is probably the worse species to keep as a pair. They will be much happier with separate enclosures.

Where in the enclosure is it 26 degrees and when? You only listed one temp, but there are four temps to be concerned with. Warm side, cool side, basking spot and night. 26 is not warm enough as an all around temp with no basking spot, and its too warm for night time with this species. Please click on the top link in my signature. I think you will gain some valuable insight from that thread.

What sort of UV are you using? The coil type bulbs can damage their eyes.

Please don't wait. Let us help you get things sorted right away. Once things get to a certain point it is difficult or impossible to bring them back.

thank you so much for your response. I had no idea it was so unconvenient to keep them as a pair. I agree it's also very important to learn about the temperatures. They have a basking spot where is warmer,where I increased the temp at 28, the rest of the terrarium is at 26 degrees, and the light I'm using is repti glo 5.0. My uncle recommended this, since I knew nothing about the proper care for them. I'm going to click on your signature right now. As an update I'd like to say that they have been more active lately, I'm soaking them daily, and Smiley's eye seems better to me. Here are some pics.

 

[furandscales]

Probably 2-4 times a week for the bath. And probably 10-20 minute baths depending on how often you do them. And I'm not sure about the flat shell. But the swollen eye may be something like a respitory (not sure if I spelled that right) problem. My cousins russian had a swollen eye and a nasal breathing sound. She took it to the vet and it was a respitory problem. But there's lots of other things it could be so I'm not for sure! I would love to see pictures of them!

 

[Tom]

The reptiglo bulbs come in coil type and tube type. If you how've the coil type that might be what is wrong with your tortoises eye.

 

[alita]

It is in coil type! damn it! I will have to change it then. His eyes seem okay but when I soak him he closes them...maybe I'm paranoid but Alby doesn't do that.... Thanks Tom, you are so helpful

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Thanks for your advice too Furandscales, here some pic of my babies

 

[lynnedit]

You can swap out the coil bulb with a regular house bulb of the same wattage (or whatever keeps temps correct) until you get a new one.
Maybe soak them daily for a week or so until the eyes clear.

Check a few sites for light sources including Amazon, Light Your Reptiles, Big Apple Pet supply, etc. You can either choose a tube light (Reptisun) with fixture the length of your enclosure for UVB, and you would need a heat source too (like the house bulb). Or you can choose an MVB like a Powersun 100w or 160w for UVB and heat depending on the size of your enclosure.

I am starting to think the first option is better; the enclosure is more brightly but softly lit during the day, but either one is fine for now.

 

[alita]

Okay... I have been soaking them daily. And I'll take into account the lighting information and advice, thank you !
Today they sunbathed in my terrace, and at the beginning Smiley seemed veery sleepy and moody and then, after a good while in the sun, he reacted. First of all , he did a couple of mega huge poos. and then, he weed I think, but some white stuff semi liquid came out. is this normal?? I suddenly realised that I barely ever find poo in their terrarium anymore? again, is this normal? or are they constipated? After pooing he seemed to feel better, or that's the impression he gave me.

I cleaned his eyes, with I product I will post in a second.
He has had a very dry zone around his nostrils for a week or so ( I will post picture of him) and only today there was liquid coming out of his nostrils. is discharging a symtom that he's got a cold? I'm worried. But he ate quite a lot today, which I guess is good news.

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The two products of the picture that I posted above , were recommended to me by a vet when my turtle's eye got inflamed two years ago. The drops for their eyes is "isotonic saline sollution, with vitamin A palmitate in an oil base, cyanocobalamia (vitamin B12) "
the second product is vitamin A to put in their food,(only a drop, it would be) which I haven't dared to use with my tortoises, although it certainly seemed to work when my turtle was sick...

I can't wait to add the Zoomed pellets to their diet... what do you think of the dry area and the discharge? and about the massive poo and the white liquid?

 

[ottosmom18]

Yes, one is considerably larger than the other. He may be intimidated by the other tortoise and not be getting the same amount of food. Separation is your best bet.