dry tortoise shell?

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

hi everyone, I felt her urates today and they felt gritty (i picked them up out of her soaking water) they felt like fine sand mixed in egg whites (?) is that normal? i read that gritty urates means she needs more water, but how do i make sure she drinks more? thanks!

That’s usually is a sign she isn’t hydrated enough, but there’s not really any way to force them to drink more, my best advice would be increase to daily soaks for now(dw if you have to miss the odd day because of school) and she could soak up to an hour providing you’re staying with her and making sure water is staying warm. Another thing you can do is spray down her feeds with water.
I believe too much D3 can cause it too(though I need to have more of a look into it)but I doubt that’s the case here tbh.
How’s your humidity been doing?

 

[EppsDynasty]

You can also try to put Romaine or other feeds in the water with her. As she tries to eat the feed she will get more water.

 

[Yingg]

That’s usually is a sign she isn’t hydrated enough, but there’s not really any way to force them to drink more, my best advice would be increase to daily soaks for now(dw if you have to miss the odd day because of school) and she could soak up to an hour providing you’re staying with her and making sure water is staying warm. Another thing you can do is spray down her feeds with water.
I believe too much D3 can cause it too(though I need to have more of a look into it)but I doubt that’s the case here tbh.
How’s your humidity been doing?

her humidity is 50%! that's a good idea though, i'll try the soaks.

 

[Yingg]

You can also try to put Romaine or other feeds in the water with her. As she tries to eat the feed she will get more water.

ohhhh okay! i will try.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

her humidity is 50%! that's a good idea though, i'll try the soaks.

Ok that’s fine, yeah try the soaks and see how she gets on

 

[Yingg]

That’s usually is a sign she isn’t hydrated enough, but there’s not really any way to force them to drink more, my best advice would be increase to daily soaks for now(dw if you have to miss the odd day because of school) and she could soak up to an hour providing you’re staying with her and making sure water is staying warm. Another thing you can do is spray down her feeds with water.
I believe too much D3 can cause it too(though I need to have more of a look into it)but I doubt that’s the case here tbh.
How’s your humidity been doing?

as for her feeds, i actually don't spray them down, sometimes i smush them up and then drown them in water so it's essentially.... a pile of wet mush. when she eats it i syringe some extra water into the food!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

as for her feeds, i actually don't spray them down, sometimes i smush them up and then drown them in water so it's essentially.... a pile of wet mush. when she eats it i syringe some extra water into the food!

Fair enough that’s even better

 

[Yingg]

back again, i've noticed that she still drags a bit. she can carry herself with her front legs, but her back legs push her forward instead of holding her up. i wouldn't say it's really really major, but the back of the bottom of her shell (plastron ?) is still on the ground.

that aside she still walks normally and travels rocks and stuff like that with relative ease. she can haul herself up and down from platforms that are about 2-3 inches! is this a concern still?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

back again, i've noticed that she still drags a bit. she can carry herself with her front legs, but her back legs push her forward instead of holding her up. i wouldn't say it's really really major, but the back of the bottom of her shell (plastron ?) is still on the ground.

that aside she still walks normally and travels rocks and stuff like that with relative ease. she can haul herself up and down from platforms that are about 2-3 inches! is this a concern still?

How would you say the overall condition of her shell is these days? Is it still soft in some areas? Honestly it might be from the years she didn’t get enough exercise/uv(not your fault, you were young) and she’s still playing catch up that will improve over time

 

[Yingg]

How would you say the overall condition of her shell is these days? Is it still soft in some areas? Honestly it might be from the years she didn’t get enough exercise/uv(not your fault, you were young) and she’s still playing catch up that will improve over time

it's not soft anymore!! still dry, but i don't see any large soft patches. i'm glad!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

it's not soft anymore!! still dry, but i don't see any large soft patches. i'm glad!

That’s really good to hear!

 

[Yingg]

how often can she eat hibiscus flower? i've given her a whole one every day for like, 2-3 weeks now to entice her to eat her food. i notice that she either ONLY eats the full flower or picks it out (if i chop it up). hopefully that's not bad for her...

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hibiscus flowers are have higher protein and lower fiber comparing to leaves and to other greens (e.g. mulberry leaves). I would not offer more than 20-30% of overall food intake (depending on what other items are) or feed them 1-2 times a week. Finely chop greens and hibiscus flowers and mix (you can try food processor to prepare meals). Or just give her a break from flowers for a while.

 

[Yingg]

Hibiscus flowers are have higher protein and lower fiber comparing to leaves and to other greens (e.g. mulberry leaves). I would not offer more than 20-30% of overall food intake (depending on what other items are) or feed them 1-2 times a week. Finely chop greens and hibiscus flowers and mix (you can try food processor to prepare meals). Or just give her a break from flowers for a while.

oh i didn't know that. thank you for telling me! she won't have any issues, seeing that she ate them basically nonstop for a month right or is it too early for any damage?

 

[Yingg]

i assumed that since tortoisetable said it was safe to feed, i could use it as a "staple" food (like rice or bread for humans.) also i just realized that it has the "not for human/animal consumption tag" on it, so... will definitely cut back.

 

[Yingg]

trying out mazuri. how much mazuri LS should i feed her? how often? i don't really understand these instructions, especially the last sentence... (do i need to give her other greens? or is this a complete food?)

i can't even say that i'm a new owner, i'm just very clueless and confused

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

oh i didn't know that. thank you for telling me! she won't have any issues, seeing that she ate them basically nonstop for a month right or is it too early for any damage?

Don't worry. It's not THAT high in protein. I don't think any damage was done.
There are just no "superfoods" for tortoises - you should always offer variety. You can't live for years just on rice or bread, right?

And you don't have to freak out about feeding something for several days in a row. While tortoises consume about 300 different plants in the wild, such variety comes in "waves" - depending on different seasons and locations where tortoise roams. It's not 300 plants species consumed daily. So just rotate the foods you offer.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

trying out mazuri. how much mazuri LS should i feed her? how often? i don't really understand these instructions, especially the last sentence... (do i need to give her other greens? or is this a complete food?)

i can't even say that i'm a new owner, i'm just very clueless and confused

Yes, this sounds confusing. Mazuri LS is positioned as a complete nutrition (no other supplements and foods necessary). However, the better option is to use it as a supplement: add a little daily or several times a week, mixed with other greens. Because of high fiber contents and added nutrients it complements lettuces nicely, for example.

 

[Yingg]

Don't worry. It's not THAT high in protein. I don't think any damage was done.
There are just no "superfoods" for tortoises - you should always offer variety. You can't live for years just on rice or bread, right?

And you don't have to freak out about feeding something for several days in a row. While tortoises consume about 300 different plants in the wild, such variety comes in "waves" - depending on different seasons and locations where tortoise roams. It's not 300 plants species consumed daily. So just rotate the foods you offer.

oh okay thank you that makes sense. i suppose it is "hibiscus season" (i've never seen that many before!) so if she ate it for a month straight in captivity, she would done it anyway if she had access to the plant. i should stop though, because the plant said "not for human/animal consumption".

however, what about all the other plants in my yard? those could also have pesticides from a longtime ago (i'm not sure how long they last) despite them being here for years. i have a begonia that i give her every now and then, along with geraniums.

 

[Yingg]

Yes, this sounds confusing. Mazuri LS is positioned as a complete nutrition (no other supplements and foods necessary). However, the better option is to use it as a supplement: add a little daily or several times a week, mixed with other greens. Because of high fiber contents and added nutrients it complements lettuces nicely, for example.

that makes a lot of sense, thank you! i will feed her some (maybe 1/3 of her full meal) every day. do you know why there are molasses in this tortoise food? i thought that it is too sugary and they cannot process it.