First baby Russian! Where to go from here?

[jUMPSu1t]

Hello, everybody! After a wacky January clutch, we weren’t sure that even the one egg that chalked would make it. But after a way longer time than we thought, one of them hatched! I only found this out after I went to throw the eggs out (I’m a terrible tortoise mom, I know), so I’m not sure how many days they’ve been out of their egg for. Lil’ Cupcake’s been doing well on a terrarium we set up with all the basic necessities; they’re moving around, and we tried to give them a bath but they got water up their nose, so we took them out. What are the next steps from here to make sure Cupcake survives? They’re attempting to eat their first piece of lettuce as we speak; it’s the same thing as we feed our adult Russians, just chopped up smaller. I’m not sure what their yolk sac looks like, since they clawed me when I tried to turn them over.

 

[jUMPSu1t]

Hello, everybody! After a wacky January clutch, we weren’t sure that even the one egg that chalked would make it. But after a way longer time than we thought, one of them hatched! I only found this out after I went to throw the eggs out (I’m a terrible tortoise mom, I know), so I’m not sure how many days they’ve been out of their egg for. Lil’ Cupcake’s been doing well on a terrarium we set up with all the basic necessities; they’re moving around, and we tried to give them a bath but they got water up their nose, so we took them out. What are the next steps from here to make sure Cupcake survives? They’re attempting to eat their first piece of lettuce as we speak; it’s the same thing as we feed our adult Russians, just chopped up smaller. I’m not sure what their yolk sac looks like, since they clawed me when I tried to turn them over.

Update: the little dude’s shell is SUPER soft. I noticed it when I picked them up while transferring them to the terrarium, but I looked at their plastron just now and it’s literally flexing when they breathe. Man’s got a serious calcium deficiency, I believe. How can we solve this? They really want to eat but aren’t sure how; I feel like that’s the key to fixing this. They’re roaming around now.

 

[Tom]

Update: the little dude’s shell is SUPER soft. I noticed it when I picked them up while transferring them to the terrarium, but I looked at their plastron just now and it’s literally flexing when they breathe. Man’s got a serious calcium deficiency, I believe. How can we solve this? They really want to eat but aren’t sure how; I feel like that’s the key to fixing this. They’re roaming around now.

You are housing them in a way that will dehydrate and kill them. I know that sounds harsh, but it is imperative for their survival that you understand the severity of the situation.

Did you skip the week in the brooder box?

All torts are soft when they first hatch. It takes time for the shell to straighten out and then firm up. This is why they need to be in a brooder box for 7-10 days at least. Not a dry enclosure with desiccating substrate.

Please give this a read and come back with any questions:

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