wtfmorphs
New Member
Hi all, I am relatively new to tortoises and I am looking for some advice from the more experienced tort keepers out there since I will be adding more. Meet Rapid Dave! He has quickly become our baby, and is currently under the care of my exotics vet (I manage a veterinary practice so he gets good care). I'll provide the history, husbandry, and then current treatment. Any other guidance or ideas is more than welcome!
History: Rapid Dave is a 2" Leopard Tortoise Hatchling. I obtained him in May at a reptile expo we were vending (we have many other reptiles). About 4-5 weeks ago we noticed his eyes weren't opening and his plastron was softened. Our vet presumed a viral (herpes) infection, gave an antibiotic injection, and fluids SQ. Since then, his eyes are opened and much improved, but his shell is still softened (plastron and carapace). He is active and eating.
Husbandry: currently kept in a 28 qt tub indoors with 4-8 hours of outdoor time per day depending on our schedule. He has two hides, one with sphagnum moss and one dry. He also has rocks for clambering and primary substrate is currently cypress mulch with 25% coco fiber for moisture. When indoors, he has a 160 watt Powersun bulb for heat and UVB at about 12 inches above. Hot spot at 95 and cool side around 80. Diet consists primarily of kale, romaine, and lettuce grown in our garden. He refuses to eat Mazuri even sweetened with Apple sauce. We sprinkle calcium powder on top and I have recently start blending a mix of greens, Mazuri, and calcium powder to see if that will help and he has eaten small amounts of it.
Treatment: in addition to the changes in diet, we have also started a course of Ceftadiazime (antibiotic) injections at home every 72 hours and calcium soaks daily. I am also really trying to get him outdoors in the sun as much as possible.
Any other suggestions or ideas is incredibly appreciated. I am working on adding several tortoises to the collection and I want to make sure I am doing everything correctly to make this little guy better. Any new tortoises will be quarantined away from Rapid Dave until he is better.
Thanks in advance,
Josh
History: Rapid Dave is a 2" Leopard Tortoise Hatchling. I obtained him in May at a reptile expo we were vending (we have many other reptiles). About 4-5 weeks ago we noticed his eyes weren't opening and his plastron was softened. Our vet presumed a viral (herpes) infection, gave an antibiotic injection, and fluids SQ. Since then, his eyes are opened and much improved, but his shell is still softened (plastron and carapace). He is active and eating.
Husbandry: currently kept in a 28 qt tub indoors with 4-8 hours of outdoor time per day depending on our schedule. He has two hides, one with sphagnum moss and one dry. He also has rocks for clambering and primary substrate is currently cypress mulch with 25% coco fiber for moisture. When indoors, he has a 160 watt Powersun bulb for heat and UVB at about 12 inches above. Hot spot at 95 and cool side around 80. Diet consists primarily of kale, romaine, and lettuce grown in our garden. He refuses to eat Mazuri even sweetened with Apple sauce. We sprinkle calcium powder on top and I have recently start blending a mix of greens, Mazuri, and calcium powder to see if that will help and he has eaten small amounts of it.
Treatment: in addition to the changes in diet, we have also started a course of Ceftadiazime (antibiotic) injections at home every 72 hours and calcium soaks daily. I am also really trying to get him outdoors in the sun as much as possible.
Any other suggestions or ideas is incredibly appreciated. I am working on adding several tortoises to the collection and I want to make sure I am doing everything correctly to make this little guy better. Any new tortoises will be quarantined away from Rapid Dave until he is better.
Thanks in advance,
Josh