Behavior Questions

[Lyn W]

Thanks! Some additional heating is being delivered today to raise night temps.

The vet's were seeing has been recommended by a few keepers locally, so I'll see how we get on. We're not actually checked in for the nose thing, just a general check up on weight etc, but I will keep in mind your comments.

Many tort problems are because of the way we keep them and if you make the changes recommended you should see a difference.
Providing night heat will certainly help - a CHE run through a thermostat is ideal.
You could also cover your table with a mini greenhouse which will help you control and contain heat and humidity.

 

[dtlove]

I appreciate all the advice. A heat lamp for night time arrived today, and we'll be moving his table to a warmer spot which will let us have better placement for the current lighting. I like the idea of the greenhouse cover, these are fairly cheap at the moment so I'll look into this!

 

[Lyn W]

I appreciate all the advice. A heat lamp for night time arrived today, and we'll be moving his table to a warmer spot which will let us have better placement for the current lighting. I like the idea of the greenhouse cover, these are fairly cheap at the moment so I'll look into this!

What heat lamp did you get?

 

[907tortoise]

Thanks for the quick reply!

I've moved the lamp so it sits directly above, and closer. This should raise temps on the right side where he chills during the day. I should be able to easily place a lid on the top to raise humidity and temps.

I've read mixed info on 24/7 heating, at the moment we just have the lamp on 8am to 8pm, and he's in the same room I spend most evenings so it's never cold, he takes himself to sleep around 7pm and burrows. I can fit a heat pad into the built in hide for night time if this will likely help.

I use a ceramic heat emitter that does not provide any light so that can be left on day and night. Then I use a timer on the UVB light so they get 12 hours of “sunlight”.I have also placed a fogger in my enclosure to raise the humidity. I am sure that will be an issue where you live. (I have a red footed tortoise which hails from the Amazon and I live in Alaska which actually had desert conditions)

Isn’t it amazing how quickly we get attached to these little creatures?

 

[dtlove]

What heat lamp did you get?

I went for a ceramic heat lamp that doesn’t emit light, it’s plugged into a thermostat.

He’s (or maybe she now) been to a vet about an hour ago. The bubbling stopped yesterday, and they’ve been much more active since.

The vet was great, she said we have a slight calcium deficiency which is why he’s not a confident on the back legs. The shell was also a little softer than expected for their age.

So far we were just using Nurtabol a few times a week, now we’ve got some calcium supplement to use 5 days a week, and Nutrabol 2 days a week.

Thermostat is set to not let temp drop below 20°c at night.

 

[Lyn W]

I went for a ceramic heat lamp that doesn’t emit light, it’s plugged into a thermostat.

He’s (or maybe she now) been to a vet about an hour ago. The bubbling stopped yesterday, and they’ve been much more active since.

The vet was great, she said we have a slight calcium deficiency which is why he’s not a confident on the back legs. The shell was also a little softer than expected for their age.

So far we were just using Nurtabol a few times a week, now we’ve got some calcium supplement to use 5 days a week, and Nutrabol 2 days a week.

Thermostat is set to not let temp drop below 20°c at night.

The CHE/thermostat is a good choice.
Did the vet take blood or do tests to to find the calcium deficiency?

 

[dtlove]

The CHE/thermostat is a good choice.
Did the vet take blood or do tests to to find the calcium deficiency?

No, not today anyway.

We’re giving a sample of his poop, and they advised to up the supplements and see how he gets on. If we’re not seeing improvement they will run further tests, but they weren’t concerned enough to get more samples today.