Ora H
New Member
hi all thanks for welcoming me, been learning a lot.
I’ve adopted a leopard tortoise with some pyramiding and respiratory distress, may have caught it in time to prevent a serious infection. I took her to a vet and did 10 days of a ophthalmic antibiotics. She still breaths heavily and I’m trying to keep her environment optimal. But still so new to this am unsure. How long can I expect it to take her to fully recover? Until I need to stop babying her? We are in Oregon, on the coast so it’s chilly winter right now I expect I will definitely have to take extra care in winter.
Have her set up alright with a couple heat lamps, couple uvb lamps that were given with her, and by a friend who also keeps tortoises and reptiles. I will include pics, later. Thermostat, thermometers, a hygrometer, water dish, plants, coco coir, some Timothy hay pellets and hay itself, which is all she had when she came to me.
But no water, no plants. Very worried about her dehydration as I was told she didn’t need water kept in her pen. I was told to soak every or every other day, and given a rather new plastic bowl, and calcium spray and vitamin spray to put in her bath.
She was in a plastic tote with lights but no thermometer.
The vet also discouraged humidity, saying she was desert species, but admitted to not knowing much about tortoises in particular, she’s the only exotic vet around and specialize in birds.
I also have a box turtle I’ve kept for 20 yrs, although some on this forum would say probably rather poorly I’m just now learning lol
And I was looking to get another when someone offered me this girl.
I also got a Russian off of someone for $25. I had arranged it previously but actually got him afterwards. I saw her and fell in love and said can I come get him... foolishly as I should’ve have learned more.
They actually told me she was a sulcata at first. Luckily I have my tortoise keeper friends on my Facebook who educated me. Too late as she had obviously been too chilly for a few days which led to the respiratory infection starting.
I’m hoping to expand my construction skills to build them some better boxes.
Also I’m a mom of 3 , this was our Christmas so I try to be as resourceful and wise with my resources as I can be.
Have family in Hawaii, have debated if she would be happier there.
Any and all advice or comments welcome. Thank you and congratulations if you read all the way through. Lol.
I’ve adopted a leopard tortoise with some pyramiding and respiratory distress, may have caught it in time to prevent a serious infection. I took her to a vet and did 10 days of a ophthalmic antibiotics. She still breaths heavily and I’m trying to keep her environment optimal. But still so new to this am unsure. How long can I expect it to take her to fully recover? Until I need to stop babying her? We are in Oregon, on the coast so it’s chilly winter right now I expect I will definitely have to take extra care in winter.
Have her set up alright with a couple heat lamps, couple uvb lamps that were given with her, and by a friend who also keeps tortoises and reptiles. I will include pics, later. Thermostat, thermometers, a hygrometer, water dish, plants, coco coir, some Timothy hay pellets and hay itself, which is all she had when she came to me.
But no water, no plants. Very worried about her dehydration as I was told she didn’t need water kept in her pen. I was told to soak every or every other day, and given a rather new plastic bowl, and calcium spray and vitamin spray to put in her bath.
She was in a plastic tote with lights but no thermometer.
The vet also discouraged humidity, saying she was desert species, but admitted to not knowing much about tortoises in particular, she’s the only exotic vet around and specialize in birds.
I also have a box turtle I’ve kept for 20 yrs, although some on this forum would say probably rather poorly I’m just now learning lol
And I was looking to get another when someone offered me this girl.
I also got a Russian off of someone for $25. I had arranged it previously but actually got him afterwards. I saw her and fell in love and said can I come get him... foolishly as I should’ve have learned more.
They actually told me she was a sulcata at first. Luckily I have my tortoise keeper friends on my Facebook who educated me. Too late as she had obviously been too chilly for a few days which led to the respiratory infection starting.
I’m hoping to expand my construction skills to build them some better boxes.
Also I’m a mom of 3 , this was our Christmas so I try to be as resourceful and wise with my resources as I can be.
Have family in Hawaii, have debated if she would be happier there.
Any and all advice or comments welcome. Thank you and congratulations if you read all the way through. Lol.
