I was searching my area for reptile vets. Just to see how many would be available to me, should I need one. The first one I came across is in Skokie Illinois. They have a website with several reptiles listed and care sheets for those reptiles. Lets just say I put in a not too happy phone call into them. The advice they are giving on the site for the care of a leopard and the way a leopard is suppose to look, is what you would expect from a pet store, such as Petco. Just because they are a exotic reptile vet means very little if they don't have a clue about proper housing, diet, care and the way a tort is suppose to look. Please, before you take your tortoise to a vet, be sure you do your research. Research on the web and see if they have a site with care sheets. Call and ask, how they would house your particular species. Ask what your species shell should look like. Ask, what about water and humidity. If they get one answer wrong, I would look some place else, unless they are willing to learn the correct answers. Here are a few of their statements in their care sheet:
(The carapace (top shell) is domed with steep sides with conically domed vertebral scutes or “humps†to assist the tortoise in righting itself if it is knocked over on to its back).
Here is another: (Substrate for young tortoises should be rather simple and easily cleaned. The most recommended substrate for juveniles is reptile carpet or butcher paper with hay on top of it.)
Another: (Hatchlings can be kept in a 10 gallon tank and increased in size from there)
And another: (Relative humidity of 40-60% is ideal during the day and 70-80% at night ( this is with temps 68-86) which can be accomplished by misting the substrate at night)
and yet another: (A burrowing tortoise, the burrows can be 30 feet deep with chambers to turn around in)
Makes me very sad and mad that a reptile vet has so much bad info out there. People will believe their vet and not look any further. Oh, this is just the Leopard. They have a few other tortoises listed that I haven't looked into yet.
PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST
(The carapace (top shell) is domed with steep sides with conically domed vertebral scutes or “humps†to assist the tortoise in righting itself if it is knocked over on to its back).
Here is another: (Substrate for young tortoises should be rather simple and easily cleaned. The most recommended substrate for juveniles is reptile carpet or butcher paper with hay on top of it.)
Another: (Hatchlings can be kept in a 10 gallon tank and increased in size from there)
And another: (Relative humidity of 40-60% is ideal during the day and 70-80% at night ( this is with temps 68-86) which can be accomplished by misting the substrate at night)
and yet another: (A burrowing tortoise, the burrows can be 30 feet deep with chambers to turn around in)
Makes me very sad and mad that a reptile vet has so much bad info out there. People will believe their vet and not look any further. Oh, this is just the Leopard. They have a few other tortoises listed that I haven't looked into yet.
PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH FIRST