Black Mountain Tortoise Question

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nano

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I picked up a hatchling Black Mountain Tortoise a couple of days ago, but am having a bit of trouble finding much info About them on the internet. If anyone has any good websites that would be great!

Also, I haven't seen him eat much, if anything and was wondering what I can do to fix this? (I have tried endive, romaine, red leaf lettuce, and carrot tops, which I was told what he was eating)

I have also noticed that his eyes seem stuck shut when I check on him. They open when I mist him, but was wondering what I can do to prevent this/help this? He has no nasal discharge, eye discharge, or wheezing that I have seen or heard.

I had him in a 2' X 2' terrarium, but moved him to a 15 gallon today, as I thought that the other one might be too large for right now. (He's about 6 weeks old). He is on moistened bark chips, and has two hides (One at each end) a water dish, and a veggie dish. The hot end of the tank is around 85 (I read that they don't like it too hot, but can't seem to find what too hot is) and the cool end is around 70. He has a UV light as well. I spray him a couple of times a day, and have been soaking him once a day for about 10 minutes.

Any help or advise on any of the above would be greatly appreciated!

I know he is new and stressed out, but want to make sure I am doing everything right! I may just be a paranoid new tortoise mommy, but want to make sure it's nothing more!

Thanks

If there are any breeders out there with any other info they would care to share I would greatly appreciate it!
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Nano: Welcome to the forum. Is Nano your screen name or your real name? The Manouria tortoises should be kept a bit like box turtle babies. The reason your baby's eyes are stuck shut might be because it is too dry. Sometimes my Manouria sit in their water all night long. They really do require a lot of water. Also, they eat more fruit than other tortoises. I feed mine fruit one day then greens the next, etc. They will also eat insects or carion, so you can feed it some night crawlers or crickets or something like that. They come from the rain forest, so a very bright light is NOT good for your baby. Because they are black, they absorb the heat and can't take full sun, so provide quite a bit of cover in his habitat...cover from the light. Try to find cypress mulch and change out your substrate. Bark is usually pine, and pine is very harmful to little tortoises' eyes.

I'm surprised you didn't get care instructions from the person you bought the tortoise from. Did you get it from Vic in Florida?

Here's a picture of my 65lb female Black Mountain Tortoise:

65lbfemmanouria6-26-07.jpg


Yvonne
 

nano

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Thanks for the advise. I am from Alberta Canada, and there are very few of these tortoises up here. I had been donig a ton of research, and was told the care was very similar to Sulcatas.....which is not the case from my reading. Anyways, I am very thankful for any advice that is given.

It is a reptile bark that he is on now, I'm pretty sure it's not pine, but will try to find some cyprus mulch. I will at least add some coconut husk tomorrow to help with humidity until I can find the mulch. I have some moss soaking right now that I am going to add to his hides tonight. I will also pick up some more plants and such to help make his home more natural!

What kind of fruit do yours like? I think I have strawberries and blueberries int he fridge, but can pick anything else up tomorrow. Any other suggestions on what's best for their diet? How often and how much do you feed yours?

Do you find that your tortoises prefer to be in groups or alone? I may consider a second after this one is well established. Is there any other kind of tortoise that is a suitable room mate, as I don't think I'll find another one of these any time soon!

Yours is very cute! I can't wait until mine gets big, but am going to enjoy him while he's little!

Thanks again for the advise!

Kristy
 

Itort

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Welcome Kristy. I to have some Black Mountains. They are forest torts and as such need a damp, dim habitat. Mine eat weeds such dandalion, plantain weed, and violets. For fruits I give strawberries, plums, pineapple, and such. They also eat leaves such mulberry and grape. They high humidity and a soaking area large enough to wade in. All in all the care is similar to that of a redfoot though with slightly lower temps. Check out www.defyingdestiny.org
005.jpg
 

nano

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Thanks for the info and the site. I will try some fruits today and see if I can get the little guy to eat. How do you keep the terratium dim and still provide a UV light?

Also, it looks like my litte guy still has an egg tooth...does that mean he is younger than I was told, or fo some of them keep it for longer?
 

Itort

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I don't use uv lights on these guys. They live in the dense rainforest and avoid direct sunlight. When I put mine in outside enclosure, they will follow the shadows avoiding direct sun. Inside the only light is the the ambient room lights. To a large extant, they apparently recieve vit D3 from the protein portion of diet.
 

Madkins007

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Hi Kristy- I am glad you found this place! I hope their advice helps!

Mark from allexperts
 

nano

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Well, think I got the humidity up high enough, as his eyes are not shut all the time anymore! I am soaking him in his water dish twice a day and misting as well.

I am still not sure if he's eating....I have never seen him eat, but I also have left him alone most of the day so I don't stress him out and so he can settle in.

I starting weighing him yesterday, and so far he hasn't dropped, which I guess is a good sign. Anyone know how much this little guy should be gaining in a week? Also, does anyone know how much he will eat at a time... if he is eating it's not a ton, but I guess he's tiny so I may not notice the veggies missing!

Thanks in advance for any advise!
 

K9KidsLove

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Hi...Don't know if you have Home Depot in Canada. That is where I get my big bags of cypress mulch.
Good luck
Patsy
 

Itort

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Mine get about 4 to 5 grams a day. Greens day 1, fruit day 2, greens day 3, fruit day 4, greens day 5, fruit day 6, catfood w/calcium powder day 6. How warm is his enclosure ? Mine are most active in mid 70s to mid 80s. They have a shallow plant saucer to wade and soak in at will and a humid hide with sphagum moss to bury themselves in.
 

Itort

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The prefered temperature in the wild per Hoybye-Mortensen 23 C to 27 C with a mean of 26.4 C (73.4 F to 80.6 F mean of 79.52 F) I also noticed in your previous post you asked about a companion for your guy. I would suggest only another MEP or MEE because in addition to the problem with disease, there is the habitat requirements of manouri as opposed to other torts (i.e. lower temps coupled with high humidity).
 

nano

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This is so confusing! Everyone is telling me different things. I had the warm end of his tank at 85 ish, and the cool end at 70 ish, and the guy I got him from told me to bump up the temps, so now it's around 90 in the warm end. I will lower them a bit. He has moist Moss in a couple of spots in his tank, a shallow dish he can wade in and 2 hides.

I still don't think he has eaten. I got him on Saturday evening, and it is now Thursday morning. Any suggestions, as this is what I am most worried about! I have tried dandelion, endive, carrot tops, kale, pumpkin, squash, strawberries, plums, green leaf lettuce & romaine.

I am really worried about him not eating!
 

Itort

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I suggest you drop the temps to Mortesen's observations. This info a from an field study in Borneo on MEEs. I have discussed these finding with Vic Morgan and he says that they agree with what info he has received on research of MEPs in Thailand. My MEPs don't move out of hide or pool when temps are above mid 80's and are most active at upper 70s. Your diet looks good though I would forgo the lettuce.
 

nano

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Yeah I know the lettuce is not the best, but I had some and figured I'd give it a try...better that he eat something than nothing!

I have lowered the temps as well, and am off to the vet for a check up, just to put my mind at ease more than anything, that nothing else is wrong!
 

nano

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I am back from the vet. SHe said everything looked normal. She dewormed him, as a precaution, but said it is most likely stress.

That puts mind to ease a bit.....I just hope he eats soon!
 

tasena

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Nano, I have a yearling Brown mountain he is now gaining between 5 and 7 grams a week or about a gram per day, he eats like a pig but as I recall we got him jump started with a little fruit and mushrooms chopped fine mixed in his greens now he eats everything.



nano said:
Well, think I got the humidity up high enough, as his eyes are not shut all the time anymore! I am soaking him in his water dish twice a day and misting as well.

I am still not sure if he's eating....I have never seen him eat, but I also have left him alone most of the day so I don't stress him out and so he can settle in.

I starting weighing him yesterday, and so far he hasn't dropped, which I guess is a good sign. Anyone know how much this little guy should be gaining in a week? Also, does anyone know how much he will eat at a time... if he is eating it's not a ton, but I guess he's tiny so I may not notice the veggies missing!

Thanks in advance for any advise!
 

nano

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Thanks,

I will try mushrooms....I haven't tried them yet, I wasn't sure if they were safe or not!
 

Itort

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This is for MEEs and MEPs only, if you have another specie don't try this. Their major dietitary plant in the wild is apparently Alocasia and Colocasia (elephant ear and taro plants). I grow these in pots for feeding them and this weekend my babes get their first taste (6 months to clean all chemicals out of plants seeing as how most are sold as houseplants or decorative plantings). The mushrooms they will eat if eatable and ignore/trample ineatable ones ( mine have done just that).
 

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Itort said:
This is for MEEs and MEPs only, if you have another specie don't try this. Their major dietitary plant in the wild is apparently Alocasia and Colocasia (elephant ear and taro plants). I grow these in pots for feeding them and this weekend my babes get their first taste (6 months to clean all chemicals out of plants seeing as how most are sold as houseplants or decorative plantings). The mushrooms they will eat if eatable and ignore/trample ineatable ones ( mine have done just that).

The reason Larry says for other tortoises Alocasia and Colocasia should not be fed is because these plants are toxic. Some tortoises are better adapted to eating the more alkaline plants...I believe RF and YF are also, because one of the main plants they eat, pathos, is also toxic.

I have a friend who works at a Home Depot back east and every year he sends me 20 or 30 Colocasia bulbs that the store was going to toss because they couldn't sell them. This is a boon to me because my tortoises (Manouria species) eat the plant then dig up the bulb and eat it too!

Yvonne
 

nano

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He finally ate!!!

I was watching him tonight and noticed that he was trying to pick up bits of greens off of the ground, usually picking up the mulch instead. I emptied his tank and put paper towel in, and put his greens scattered around the ground, and he started eating!!! I am so excited, and full of relief!!! I was getting really worried about the little guy!

I wonder why he won't take the greens from a dish (It's only 1/4" high, and he walks right over it) Anyways, he had some food and that is what the most important thing was!

My next questions is will the humidity stay high enough with just paper towel in there (I do have some moist moss in the corners and in one of his hides). Is there something better I can use than paper towel for humidty, until I can get him using a dish?

Thanks everyone for all of your advise! It really helps to know that there are knowledgable people out there who are willing to give you a hand!

I hope he continues doing well!
 
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