I got him but can I SAVE him?

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LuckysGirl007

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greyshirt said:
If he was an adult I would agree with Dennis. Babies die much quicker just like human babies do. He needs emergency care, and gavage(force feeding) and vitamin injections get the nutrients in the body much faster. Some low fat canned dog food sprinkled with calcium would be good in the beginning. As others have said warm soaks, lots of sunshine. Wax worms etc. don't have a lot of calcium, so feeding calcium soaked greens to the worms is also a good idea. With proper care he should pull out of it, although it may take some time and patience. :(

Thanks for the encouragement! Meal worms are eating their last meal..hopefully. All good and calcium powdered. How long should they be in there eating it? Should I just put a few in there that I plan on feeding that day or put them all on it and take them out of that packing stuff?


yagyujubei said:
Dog food is fine too. I feed my babies dog or cat food about once a week. I think all you have to do is get this guy eating regularly, and I'll bet his shell will get back to pretty much how it should look. Right now, I would offer food (different types) several times a day. See what he'll eat. Keep him warm, Sunlight or UVB light. He probably won't bast, but even a little would be of benefit. Water, enough that he can soak. If he wants to sleep, get him up and feed him.

Won't bast? Bask? So don't let him sleep?
 

yagyujubei

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Just don't let him sleep all day. Wake him for food and water. Mealworms are great.I will usually drop them in one at a time right in front of him. At his size, if he ate a half dozen a day, that would be greaT.
 

LuckysGirl007

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Ok. I'm getting him warmed up right now and then it's carrot baby food soak in the sun shine. Thanks.
 

LuckysGirl007

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Baby food carrot soak = success!!!! He's been in there 45 minutes and hasn't stopped drinking yet!!!!!!! He had to have drank his own weight worth by now! Next time I am going to weigh him before any after! Does the baby food soak count as the water soak too? And do I let him eat as much as he wants?


Here is the text I sent "R" and her response....not really helpful

Hi Roxanne. The baby looks like he may have a really bad case of MBD. His back nails are VERY long and he has a hard time walking around. Is there any way you could contact the people you got him from and see if he is really a year old? If he wasn't taken care of right (in that sweater box this is likely) he may have not grown. It would really help me out with his care if I knew his real age. There is a big difference between a one year old that is sick and a 3 month old that is sick. Thanks.

he's about 5 month old is my guess.


:(
 

greyshirt

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LuckysGirl007 said:
Thanks for the encouragement! Meal worms are eating their last meal..hopefully. All good and calcium powdered. How long should they be in there eating it? Should I just put a few in there that I plan on feeding that day or put them all on it and take them out of that packing stuff?




Everything the worms eat should always be dusted with calcium. Meal worms only have about 0.05% per weight of calcium naturally, so not much. Earthworms have the most 0.29%. Meal worms and wax worms aren't that great for animals that need more calcium, like turtles.

 

Edna

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LuckysGirl007 said:
Baby food carrot soak = success!!!! He's been in there 45 minutes and hasn't stopped drinking yet!!!!!!! He had to have drank his own weight worth by now! Next time I am going to weigh him before any after! Does the baby food soak count as the water soak too? And do I let him eat as much as he wants?

Hurray! This sounds encouraging. I hope you can get him onto the road to good health. Poor little guy!! He's lucky you got him.
 

LuckysGirl007

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Dog food soak...going good. :)


So how long do I leave him in these soaks? As long as he is eating/drinking? Cause he eats for about an hour.


Oh...and his shell is incredibly soft. The carapace is so soft and thin you can actually see it moving as he breaths. The plastron is really flakey and soft also. It's so sad. He doesn't actually take bites of anything...but is happy to dunk his head in the watered down food and suck it down.
 

shellysmom

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You know, if all his bones (and/or) muscles are so weak he cannot stand or walk properly, it would make sense that he does not have enough strength in his jaw or beak to eat properly. I've always heard with mammals that are starving, like emaciated dogs and horses, it's best in the beginning to give them frequent small meals so as not to shock their system. Their organs are really stressed and have to sort of wake up slowly form starvation mode. Also, I know stomach size shrinks as well after a period of no food, so too much too fast might not be good, BUT I honestly don't know about reptiles. If you can tell for sure that he's definitely taking in the food and water during the soaks, I would not let him gorge himself during any one soak, but maybe offer him shorter ones several times a day until you get him to the vet and see what the vet says. He obviously needs to eat, and the soaks are probably the perfect way to start out, but if he's taking in an entire jar of stage 1 babyfood during one soak, that may be too much at one time. Remember, he has to also digest what he's eaten, and it might take a few days of proper lighting, warmth, and sunshine to kick that into gear as well...
 

LuckysGirl007

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I noticed tonight that the large space between his shell and hind legs was very bloated after the dog food. I think it is full of food. Hopefully I didn't do too much damage letting him eat so much. :( after his a baby food soak today I sat him in clean water and he peed out a little orange...carrot water?
 

greyshirt

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after his a baby food soak today I sat him in clean water and he peed out a little orange...carrot water?
[/quote]

That sounds really good to me. :)
 

jtrux

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The fact that he has an appetite is very good news. If he just laid his head in the food and didnt seem interested id be worried. I see a future for this little guy.
 

LuckysGirl007

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jtrux said:
The fact that he has an appetite is very good news. If he just laid his head in the food and didnt seem interested id be worried. I see a future for this little guy.

:D. I hope so!



image-974158690.png

Gonna keep reminding myself of this!
 

LuckysGirl007

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I put him down where my thermometer is at...30 minutes later he moved himself into the water!!!!!!! He has only ever spun in circles until now!

image-4075663187.png
 

Yvonne G

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I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to this thread, but it sounds like you're having success.

I use a small tub or dish pan with high sides that he can't climb out of, but a small foot print (bottom). I add warm water so it comes up to the middle of the baby's sides, then add a whole jar of Gerber strained carrots and mix it around. Then add a pinch of the worms. Leave the baby in the water for at least a half hour, but check on him frequently to be sure he hasn't tipped over. Don't hang over him. Baby turtles are prey and just want to hide when they see the big two legged monster hovering over him.

Do this every day and you will start to see an improvement in 3 days. Don't worry if the worms stay alive or not. If he wants to eat, he'll eat a dead worm.
 

Spn785

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Awesome! I'm glad he is starting to do well. :) Keep us updated please.
 

LuckysGirl007

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I tried the worm with the carrots yesterday. He hasn't been interested in anything alive yet. He did munch in some shredded carrots that I also diced and left on a rock near him. Guess he woke up a couple times in the night and had a snack.

Since he can't really move around to self regulate what temp do I want to keep him at...I've been using my infrared digital thermometer to check the substrate and carapace temp. Been trying to keep him between 85-90 in the day and 75-80 at night. Is this an ok way to check the temp and to regulate his temp??

Keep you updated! No one in my house is as excited as I am over every little achievement so I will annoy the heck out of you with updates!!!! ;D
 

lynnedit

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I have found the baby food soaks very helpful. So happy that you got him, he has to feel better already.
 
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