Is he okay??

[howdy]

I just received this tortoise yesterday but I am extremely worried about his belly. I know when they hatch it takes time to heal but he was born in Sept but there was a little dried blood on his stomach. Im not sure if he will get some sort of infection or sick from this. I was told I am able to return him and im not sure what I should do. Does anyone know anything that may help

 

[wellington]

@Tom @Markw84 @Yvonne G
Hopefully these many years of experience members will see this post soon.
Id follow their advice.

 

[Yvonne G]

Happy Birthday!!

I see nothing to be worried about.

 

[howdy]

Happy Birthday!!

I see nothing to be worried about.

Thank you!

 

[zovick]

Thank you!

Your tortoise looks fine to me also.

Happy Birthday!

 

[Tom]

I just received this tortoise yesterday but I am extremely worried about his belly. I know when they hatch it takes time to heal but he was born in Sept but there was a little dried blood on his stomach. Im not sure if he will get some sort of infection or sick from this. I was told I am able to return him and im not sure what I should do. Does anyone know anything that may helpView attachment 398763View attachment 398764

This is a normal looking plastron. I don't think that is dried blood.

It does appear that this tortoise was not started in a proper brooder box, which means it was started too dry and not cared for correctly. Its tiny size at 5-6 months old is another indicator that it wasn't started correctly. THAT should be your biggest concern.

Keep this baby warm and humid all the time. Soak it for at least 30-40 minutes in warm water every day.

More info here:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Markw84]

I just received this tortoise yesterday but I am extremely worried about his belly. I know when they hatch it takes time to heal but he was born in Sept but there was a little dried blood on his stomach. Im not sure if he will get some sort of infection or sick from this. I was told I am able to return him and im not sure what I should do. Does anyone know anything that may help

I agree with @Tom - this tortoise was not started properly and as a result the plastron did not heal well. If you start a tortoise with plenty of humidity and let the yolk sac be absorbed and let the plastron heal in the proper conditions, it will heal without those wrinkles and distortion.

It does not mean the baby tortoise is not OK now. It does show it had a start that was not ideal and thus, could have underlying problems due to a dehydrated start. Some end up just fine, others can fail to thrive. Just ensure the best conditions now for the baby and watch growth rates for consistent gains to tell you the metabolism is working.

I always tell folks looking for a baby tortoise to check the plastron. Not only should it feel firm, but it should be smooth and not have excessive wrinkles around where the yolk sac healed.

Here's a picture of one of my sulcata babies to show the way a plastron should look:

 

[COmtnLady]

Happy Birthday


Welcome to the FORUM!



>

 

[howdy]

I agree with @Tom - this tortoise was not started properly and as a result the plastron did not heal well. If you start a tortoise with plenty of humidity and let the yolk sac be absorbed and let the plastron heal in the proper conditions, it will heal without those wrinkles and distortion.

It does not mean the baby tortoise is not OK now. It does show it had a start that was not ideal and thus, could have underlying problems due to a dehydrated start. Some end up just fine, others can fail to thrive. Just ensure the best conditions now for the baby and watch growth rates for consistent gains to tell you the metabolism is working.

I always tell folks looking for a baby tortoise to check the plastron. Not only should it feel firm, but it should be smooth and not have excessive wrinkles around where the yolk sac healed.

Here's a picture of one of my sulcata babies to show the way a plastron

Happy Birthday


Welcome to the FORUM!



>

Thank youu

 

[howdy]

This is a normal looking plastron. I don't think that is dried blood.

It does appear that this tortoise was not started in a proper brooder box, which means it was started too dry and not cared for correctly. Its tiny size at 5-6 months old is another indicator that it wasn't started correctly. THAT should be your biggest concern.

Keep this baby warm and humid all the time. Soak it for at least 30-40 minutes in warm water every day.

More info here:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Thank you for your help, I am debating whether I return him or not bc I really dont want him to get sick or something in the next few months

 

[howdy]

I agree with @Tom - this tortoise was not started properly and as a result the plastron did not heal well. If you start a tortoise with plenty of humidity and let the yolk sac be absorbed and let the plastron heal in the proper conditions, it will heal without those wrinkles and distortion.

It does not mean the baby tortoise is not OK now. It does show it had a start that was not ideal and thus, could have underlying problems due to a dehydrated start. Some end up just fine, others can fail to thrive. Just ensure the best conditions now for the baby and watch growth rates for consistent gains to tell you the metabolism is working.

I always tell folks looking for a baby tortoise to check the plastron. Not only should it feel firm, but it should be smooth and not have excessive wrinkles around where the yolk sac healed.

Here's a picture of one of my sulcata babies to show the way a plastron should look:

View attachment 398771

Thank you for the help!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

You’ve been given the best information by some of the most experienced members, I’m glad you’ve found your way here!

Feel free to check out these links

Toms caresheet;

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

This thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If ever going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better, but I’ll include some more ideas below for closed chambers, vivs are technically the best choice but equally the most expensive

Leopard/sulcata starter

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information below on how I’d personally tackle an indoor starter set up for a leopard/sulcata until they’re bigger. Hopefully it helps give people some ideas!” I know it looks like a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered...

tortoiseforum.org

This covers a bunch of other closed chamber options, some do work better than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

This one is good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

I hope they come in helpful on this new journey

 

[howdy]

You’ve been given the best information by some of the most experienced members, I’m glad you’ve found your way here!

Feel free to check out these links

Toms caresheet;

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

This thread covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and a really handy diet link to check out! If ever going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better, but I’ll include some more ideas below for closed chambers, vivs are technically the best choice but equally the most expensive

Leopard/sulcata starter

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information below on how I’d personally tackle an indoor starter set up for a leopard/sulcata until they’re bigger. Hopefully it helps give people some ideas!” I know it looks like a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered...

tortoiseforum.org

This covers a bunch of other closed chamber options, some do work better than others

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

This one is good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

I hope they come in helpful on this new journey

Thank you!!

 

[Chefdenoel10]

Happy belated birthday!!

WEEEELCOOOOMEEEE!!!!!