dry tortoise shell?

[Yingg]

How high should a NEW arcadia bulb be above her shell? The old one is currently about 15 inches above her. It's about 13-14 months old now. I might actually have to remake the frame of her enclosure to fit the lamp somehow (when i replace it with a new one and it needs to be raised)

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I have a spider plant. Do you think it would die under this light? I have it potted in a plastic pot with drainage holes and organic soil for raised bed planting. I've had it for months now after buying it from home Depot and switching the soil.

Spider plants are tolerate of light conditions. You might take it out once in a while for "rehab" (when you see leaves turning pale green).

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

How high should a NEW arcadia bulb be above her shell? The old one is currently about 15 inches above her. It's about 13-14 months old now. I might actually have to remake the frame of her enclosure to fit the lamp somehow (when i replace it with a new one and it needs to be raised)

New Arcadia Desert 12% lamps, generally should be at 20" above substrate (18" over shell).

 

[Yingg]

New Arcadia Desert 12% lamps, generally should be at 20" above substrate (18" over shell).

Thanks! I could probably make that adjustment when it's time to switch

 

[Yingg]

hi, can she eat all this? (i won't give her spinach. she doesn't like it anyway)

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

hi, can she eat all this? (i won't give her spinach. she doesn't like it anyway)

Hi! Yes. Leave spinach in the mix, it's a bad source calcium but rich in other nutrients.

 

[Yingg]

Hi! Yes. Leave spinach in the mix, it's a bad source calcium but rich in other nutrients.

oh are you saying maybe i can try a little bit of spinach? a leaf here and there?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

oh are you saying maybe i can try a little bit of spinach? a leaf here and there?

Yes. I guess "a leaf here and there" is exactly this salad mix

 

[Yingg]

Hi everyone, tortoise is doing well and has a vet appt next week! It only cost $150 which is relieving.

The springtails are back. They laid hundreds of eggs below the slate where she eats. I don't have backup substrate, but I was scared that they would all hatch soon so I tried my best to remove all of the substrate which had the eggs.
there were hundreds of bugs!! How can i prevent this?

 

[Yingg]

Hi everyone, tortoise is doing well and has a vet appt next week! It only cost $150 which is relieving.

The springtails are back. They laid hundreds of eggs below the slate where she eats. I don't have backup substrate, but I was scared that they would all hatch soon so I tried my best to remove all of the substrate which had the eggs.
there were hundreds of bugs!! How can i prevent this?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi everyone, tortoise is doing well and has a vet appt next week! It only cost $150 which is relieving.

The springtails are back. They laid hundreds of eggs below the slate where she eats. I don't have backup substrate, but I was scared that they would all hatch soon so I tried my best to remove all of the substrate which had the eggs.
there were hundreds of bugs!! How can i prevent this?

Glad she’s doing well
I don’t think those are eggs but rather small congregations of them, the eggs would be much smaller.
Springtails are nothing to worry about, but if you want to keep population down, best you can do is keep turning the substrate at least once a week

 

[Yingg]

Glad she’s doing well
I don’t think those are eggs but rather small congregations of them, the eggs would be much smaller.
Springtails are nothing to worry about, but if you want to keep population down, best you can do is keep turning the substrate at least once a week

thank you! should i make it less moist too? recently been keeping it at 50-60

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

thank you! should i make it less moist too? recently been keeping it at 50-60

50-60 is pretty good tbh

 

[Yingg]

Hi again! My vet just gave this list of food that I should feed her. Could you guys check it out again?


Updates
1) She's yellow
2) Turns out she's just fat
3) Pale tongue and swollen top of mouth, sign of infection. Recommended bloodwork, also for liver infection
4) She has good muscle mass
5) Vet said her walking actually wasn't too bad and wasn't concerning
6) her diet has too much fiber

If i remember anything else i'll update!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi again! My vet just gave this list of food that I should feed her. Could you guys check it out again?


Updates
1) She's yellow
2) Turns out she's just fat
3) Pale tongue and swollen top of mouth, sign of infection. Recommended bloodwork, also for liver infection
4) She has good muscle mass
5) Vet said her walking actually wasn't too bad and wasn't concerning
6) her diet has too much fiber

If i remember anything else i'll update!

Absolute no to all the fruits, but, if you want to give some on occasion, stick to figs, papaya, watermelon, the zucchini or squash, these should only be fed rarely, if at all.
No to peppers, tomatoes and broccoli, I’m not too sure on asparagus either

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hi again! My vet just gave this list of food that I should feed her. Could you guys check it out again?


Updates
1) She's yellow
2) Turns out she's just fat
3) Pale tongue and swollen top of mouth, sign of infection. Recommended bloodwork, also for liver infection
4) She has good muscle mass
5) Vet said her walking actually wasn't too bad and wasn't concerning
6) her diet has too much fiber

If i remember anything else i'll update!

The list looks a bit odd. Hibiscus is a treat, on par with banana.. Alfalfa, okra and green beans, rather high in proteins are listed as staples. Some widely available wild greens like mallow or clover are not listed at all. I wish there was a list of references to better understand why this or that is put in a certain category.

What is "too much fiber"? Are there any clinical signs or the vet was simply looking at her diet?

Were points 1,2 and 3 just independent observations or they can be related?

 

[Yingg]

The list looks a bit odd. Hibiscus is a treat, on par with banana.. Alfalfa, okra and green beans, rather high in proteins are listed as staples. Some widely available wild greens like mallow or clover are not listed at all. I wish there was a list of references to better understand why this or that is put in a certain category.

What is "too much fiber"? Are there any clinical signs or the vet was simply looking at her diet?

Were points 1,2 and 3 just independent observations or they can be related?

I agree that this list looks a bit odd. That's why I asked here. I don't believe it's a horrible list or incorrect, but i'm assuming it's just a generalized list for all tortoise species... but a russian cant eat the same thing a sulcuta can (i assume)

too much fiber: vet was only looking at her diet

1,2,3 = independent

 

[Yingg]

Absolute no to all the fruits, but, if you want to give some on occasion, stick to figs, papaya, watermelon, the zucchini or squash, these should only be fed rarely, if at all.
No to peppers, tomatoes and broccoli, I’m not too sure on asparagus either

Don't worry, I would never feed her peppers or tomatoes, the sugar content in those feel way too high anyway. I've heard of people feeding broccoli, but she doesn't like it so i don't bother. I feed her only cucumber when it comes to "fruits". This list feels really strange to me.

I don't doubt the capabilities of this vet as she was recommended by someone I knew who was previously a vet. however she was not the vet I originally wanted, just one and the same clinic. The vet I wanted (who owns tortoises) is currently having a medical issue and will be out for 2 months.

 

[Yingg]

The vet said this list was created by the vets at the clinic. After looking it over i'm pretty convinced this is somehow a list for multiple tortoise species combined into one... I'm sure they still know what they're doing- but I'm concerned that if they couldn't come up with a better list, who's to say they could run an accurate general checkup on a tortoise as well... maybe in terms of physical health, all tortoises are kind of generallly the same?

Though they definitely do have bigger tortoise patients like sulcutas (just from reviews and asking around). perhaps this list was meant for those patients, not a russian?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

The vet said this list was created by the vets at the clinic. After looking it over i'm pretty convinced this is somehow a list for multiple tortoise species combined into one... I'm sure they still know what they're doing- but I'm concerned that if they couldn't come up with a better list, who's to say they could run an accurate general checkup on a tortoise as well... maybe in terms of physical health, all tortoises are kind of generallly the same?

Though they definitely do have bigger tortoise patients like sulcutas (just from reviews and asking around). perhaps this list was meant for those patients, not a russian?

This list is not suited for adult sulcatas, as well. This species are grass-eaters and feeding these guys greens from grocery store is expensive and sub-optimal. List could be a compilation from different sources like veterinary manuals and internet sources. Or, what's worse, a list for some other herbivore animal (maybe, rabbits).

When doing a checkup they look at some general indicators like tongue color or ability to keep body off the ground. Every species have their own specifics (e.g. some clicking and whistling is okay for a Redfoot but not so normal for a Russian tortoise) but general assessment is the same. When doing bloodwork they should look for reference values for exact tortoises species.