hurry need help!
- Thread starter koopakid
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Would help if we would be given more information. Things like type, age, and size are important. Information on how the animal is being kept are also vitial. Stuff like temps and substrate. If he is inside or outside, eating or not, ect..,
The more information given the faster and more accurate we can give help and ideas.
The more information given the faster and more accurate we can give help and ideas.
Jacqui said:
he is a leopard tortoise , i believe he is about 4 months old. about 4 inches. i just got him tuesday. He is indoors as of now. i keep the cage around 90 degrees in the day time. I have been feeding him carrots cabbage and a occasional green lettuce. He is in a 20 gallon tank as of now. i just soaked him in some water for the first time since i have gotten him and he drank drank drank. It seemed to actually help. I took out today to get some sun and i noticed him doing the mouth and neck movements about thirty minutes after we came back in.
he does seem to be doing better after i let him soak.
He needs DAILY soaks, little ones can dehydrate very fast.. He also needs a better diet.
Does he have a cool side to get away form the heat if he wants to? He needs it.
What are the nighttime temps? does he get too cold?
When you had him outside did he eat something he shouldnt have?
I would soak him again tonight in warm water, shallow, about 15 minutes.
GO to the store and Buy a baby spring Mix or something similar.. salad mix in a bag. Dark greens.
What type of calcium are you giving?
And yes Real sun is best.. but not if its scorching hot.. they need shelter as well.
Oh and NEVER put him outside in the sun in a glass tank!
Does he have a cool side to get away form the heat if he wants to? He needs it.
What are the nighttime temps? does he get too cold?
When you had him outside did he eat something he shouldnt have?
I would soak him again tonight in warm water, shallow, about 15 minutes.
GO to the store and Buy a baby spring Mix or something similar.. salad mix in a bag. Dark greens.
What type of calcium are you giving?
And yes Real sun is best.. but not if its scorching hot.. they need shelter as well.
Oh and NEVER put him outside in the sun in a glass tank!
Koopakid, sounds like you are keeping a close eye on your little tort, good for you. Your tort may have been too dry, and or too hot. You live in Riverside CA correct? If you had Koopa kid outside for a while in the direct sun with no shade or water he may have gotten too hot and too dry. I can't diagnose, I am not a Vet. But if you soaked him and he doing better-great. However a 20 Gallon tank for a 4 inch is too small. And 90 degrees throughout the enclosure is not good either Koopa kid needs a cooler side and a warmer side. Carrots and cabbage are not the best things for him to eat all the time. I have given you two sites that talk about your Leo from bringing him home to diet and enclosures. Hope they help and that other Leo owners come on to help too.
http://www.africantortoise.com/
http://www.centralpets.com/php/search/storiesdisplay.php?Story=456
http://www.africantortoise.com/
http://www.centralpets.com/php/search/storiesdisplay.php?Story=456
Glad he seems to be improving. Watch him very closely for further troubles.
A couple of things really jump out. First if he is in a 20 gal aquarium at his size, it really isn't large enough. You have the problem with keep part of the cage warm enough and yet also have a cool side when it's that small. Then there is simply not much room after you add in a hide, the food dish and water dish, ect..,
I would strongly suggest reading the Leopard section for thoughts on diet and all his other basic needs. Pay attention to the temps he needs, caging, and his diet to start with.
Sounds like he was dehydrated perhaps. Does he have an available shallow water dish to soak in? Is this the firsty soaking you did with him?
Was he shipped or did you get him locally? If so, what can you tell us about what his environment was there?
More questions, I know, but needed...what kind of substrate? Humidity levels? UV light?
Is he just bobbing his head, moving legs slightly in and out? Or does he seem to really have trouble breathing? Or even something caught in his throat? Depending on exactly how he is moving it could be something simple and just plain normal for him. It could be stress or even all the way up to the start of respiratory troubles, but I am not thinking that is it. So let's get everything in his environment set up correctly, while closely watching him. Hopefully it's nothing, but environmental issues.
Just to also be on the safe side, do you happen to have a reptile Vet set up to look at your tortoise?
A couple of things really jump out. First if he is in a 20 gal aquarium at his size, it really isn't large enough. You have the problem with keep part of the cage warm enough and yet also have a cool side when it's that small. Then there is simply not much room after you add in a hide, the food dish and water dish, ect..,
I would strongly suggest reading the Leopard section for thoughts on diet and all his other basic needs. Pay attention to the temps he needs, caging, and his diet to start with.
Sounds like he was dehydrated perhaps. Does he have an available shallow water dish to soak in? Is this the firsty soaking you did with him?
Was he shipped or did you get him locally? If so, what can you tell us about what his environment was there?
More questions, I know, but needed...what kind of substrate? Humidity levels? UV light?
Is he just bobbing his head, moving legs slightly in and out? Or does he seem to really have trouble breathing? Or even something caught in his throat? Depending on exactly how he is moving it could be something simple and just plain normal for him. It could be stress or even all the way up to the start of respiratory troubles, but I am not thinking that is it. So let's get everything in his environment set up correctly, while closely watching him. Hopefully it's nothing, but environmental issues.
Just to also be on the safe side, do you happen to have a reptile Vet set up to look at your tortoise?
Jacqui said:
i got him about 70 miles from where i live. the guy met me at a designated place so i didn't get to see its enclosure.
he was doing more of a in his shell out his shell head movement. his tail was also doing a side to side movement, almost as if he had something stuck in his throat. that's why i decided to soak him. He was also doing side to side movement with his tail, i figured that just meant he had to go "poopy" and honestly i havn't seen him go poopy yet. Oh, and yes it was my first time soaking him within the 3 days that i've had him. i figured if anything some water would help him get it down. Also i was told to only soak him once a week because they would derive most of their hydrate from the food that they eat.
im am finding out that this is not true.
oh and no i dont have a vet set up for him yet.
the uv light is completely on one side of the cage and he has his little hiding log on the other side. They say to feed him these different types of grasses more so than the vegetables i am giving him. Where do you find these special grasses for your buddy?
Koopakid, your little one is just that, little, and they seem to do better at a young age on broad leaf greens so Spring mix with little or no spinach would do great for now. There is lots of info out there that is not the best. And if he is dehydrated he won't be able to poo. So soaking him daily for about 15 minutes should help, and having a shallow bowl for water for him will be good when he is in a bigger enviornment.
If you are willing to grow grasses for him you can get seed at http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/ca...1ec120704b520d3b2443b559193cfa0&keyword=seeds
Oh, and what type of uv light are you using a straight florecent or a spiral type?
Here is a list of tort vets
http://www.tortoise.org/general/vetlist.html#RI
However I use (and am very happy with)
Loma Linda Animal Hospital
2605 S. Waterman Ave.
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Tel. 909-825-3144
If you are willing to grow grasses for him you can get seed at http://www.carolinapetsupply.com/ca...1ec120704b520d3b2443b559193cfa0&keyword=seeds
Oh, and what type of uv light are you using a straight florecent or a spiral type?
Here is a list of tort vets
http://www.tortoise.org/general/vetlist.html#RI
However I use (and am very happy with)
Loma Linda Animal Hospital
2605 S. Waterman Ave.
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Tel. 909-825-3144
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