Is my baby getting enough heat?

[DemonDrug95]

this few days i dint manage to get my leopard baby to eat since i moved to a new house...(which is cold)the main temp for my tortoise outdoor is about 25-31c and indoor is 28...the humidity is high which is about 80 at my hygrometer...when it drops less than 28 outside i keep her indoors and if its a sunny day,i will let her roam the garden

she dint ate much since we moved to a new house...so...should i get a heat pad for her or not cause i heard heat pads are good if put underneath the indoor setup

the indoor setup is ..reptilesun uvb/uva,coco coir as bedding,hide box is provided,water dish not provided(since i heard that it will increase the humidity)...well that is pretty much it...ohh and i house her with her friend...a star tort...
the outdoor setup is...a shallow water dish,normal garden soil,hide box,some fake plants,the brick surround the area..

hope that all this information is enough to guess what happen to my sweet sweet leopard..

 

[Maggie Cummings]

One of the biggest no no's in the tortoise world is mixing species. Each species carries pathogens indigenous to it's own species, but those same pathogens could make another species sick. So the Star conceivably could have given pathogens to the Leopard that has made it sick. Or the Leopard simply is not warm enough...80 degrees. They need to be that warm to metabolize their food. If they are not warm enough they won't eat.
Just from what I read I would say they are not set up correctly, the Leopard is stressed from moving, it needs it's own habitat and it's not warm enough.

 

[K9KidsLove]

Hi...Maggie is right. You should never put different species of tortoises together. And you have it too cool for a leopard. Add a regular household bulb in a clamp lamp.
Good luck
Patsy

 

[DemonDrug95]

can i put heat pad underneath the coco coir??at the leopard tort enclosure??after hearing ur advice im gonna make a new pen for my leopard ...and how much is 80 degree?in c...and how long can the tort survive without food???just asking.. i will make her eat i bet she will listen to me and start eating today

 

[Yvonne G]

Unless the heat pad you are referring to is water proof, I would NOT put it under your coconut coir. Even the pig blankets that I use have a Caution statement that you should not allow substrate, feces, etc. to sit on top of the pad. They make heat pads that are meant to sit under seed trays, and that would be a better thing to think about.

http://www.ken-bar.com/seed.html

or something like this.

 

[DemonDrug95]

ok thx everyone planning to put lightbulb and waterproof heat pad...

 

[Yvonne G]

Even if you get a water-proof heat pad, some of them weren't meant to have anything on top of them. Just think about an electric blanket. If you set a magazine on top of the electric blanket while it is turned on, a lot of heat concentrates in that spot under the magazine. Same thing happens when substrate or poo is sitting on a pig blanket. Heat concentrates in that spot. The seed tray heaters were meant to have trays of seedlings sitting on them. The one that I have doesn't get hotter than 85 degrees. Just be careful with a heat pad.

 

[DemonDrug95]

ok thx

 

[-EJ]

Just to let you know... In many cases the mixing of species is not a bad thing. A leopard and a star is a good mix because they share many habits and requirements.

If you are dealing with wild caught animals there are some risks but if you have 2 captive hatched animals there are virtually no risks at all.

Not all keepers believe the mixing of species is a bad thing. Ironicly there are keepers who preach not to mix species yet mix species themselves.

this few days i dint manage to get my leopard baby to eat since i moved to a new house...(which is cold)the main temp for my tortoise outdoor is about 25-31c and indoor is 28...the humidity is high which is about 80 at my hygrometer...when it drops less than 28 outside i keep her indoors and if its a sunny day,i will let her roam the garden

she dint ate much since we moved to a new house...so...should i get a heat pad for her or not cause i heard heat pads are good if put underneath the indoor setup

the indoor setup is ..reptilesun uvb/uva,coco coir as bedding,hide box is provided,water dish not provided(since i heard that it will increase the humidity)...well that is pretty much it...ohh and i house her with her friend...a star tort...
the outdoor setup is...a shallow water dish,normal garden soil,hide box,some fake plants,the brick surround the area..

hope that all this information is enough to guess what happen to my sweet sweet leopard..

 

[K9KidsLove]

I agree with Maggie & Yvonne...different species should NOT be housed together. While they do have "similar" requirements and habits, they still carry different pathogens that should not be intermixed.
Good luck
Patsy

 

[-EJ]

I suggest you do a little research into the pathogens that effect tortoises. Please don't parrot the opinions of others.

There is one root source of the 'different' pathogens theory... it is one opinion that keeps getting repeated... it is wrong.

It is also a complex issue but when dealing with 2 captive born animals... it is a nonissue.

I agree with Maggie & Yvonne...different species should NOT be housed together. While they do have "similar" requirements and habits, they still carry different pathogens that should not be intermixed.
Good luck
Patsy

 

[K9KidsLove]

EJ...You don't know a thing about me, or what I know, so don't say I am parrotting somebody. What makes you an expert to be able to say the pathogen issue is a non issue? Are you a Biologist or have some degree showing you have studied this?
I have done extensive reading and the exotics vet I worked for for 8 years (and still see a couple days a week) is my main source. He attends exotics veterinary conferences with REAL experts to upgrade information. He always passes on his info to me since I am the only one of the techs who is interested in lizards, turtles, & tortoises.

Hope you have a HAPPY new year
God Bless
Patsy

 

[DemonDrug95]

wow...so far my leo is very unactive cause the humidity is high here so.....im gonna sell the leopard after she was healthy ....goin ask my borther which was at a lower humidity place so it can recover...hope everything goes well....

AND!!!just bought 2 more baby stars..one india and one sri lankan..cause it was more suitable in a higher humidity condition...just realized after my baby was much active at a higher humidity level...YAY so cute!!total 3 torts 2 india and 1 sri lankan

 

[-EJ]

While I only have an Assosiates of Science in Biology... it's still a degree but that's not what I base my opinion on. My opinion is based on experience obtained from keeping a very large collection of herps over many years.

My response was to your comment and not you personally.

EJ...You don't know a thing about me, or what I know, so don't say I am parrotting somebody. What makes you an expert to be able to say the pathogen issue is a non issue? Are you a Biologist or have some degree showing you have studied this?
I have done extensive reading and the exotics vet I worked for for 8 years (and still see a couple days a week) is my main source. He attends exotics veterinary conferences with REAL experts to upgrade information. He always passes on his info to me since I am the only one of the techs who is interested in lizards, turtles, & tortoises.

Hope you have a HAPPY new year
God Bless
Patsy

 

[Luvthemtorts]

I have to partially disagree with you Ed. I have seen a friends Elegans collection destroyed by Mycoplasma introduced from an asymptomatic CBB Leopard Tortoise.
While your statement regarding two CBB animals of different species being safe is true theoretically (as you and I both know Mycoplasma is not transferred to offspring) the chance is too high to take in my opinion since a large percentage of animals change hands many times throughout their lives.
For this reason it is safer to say "do not mix species" instead of explaining the transmission modes and processes to casual hobbyists who have little interest in such things.
Lets face it man, not everyone in the hobby is a nerd like us LOL!!

 

[-EJ]

Research mycoplasma a little deeper. It is like herpes in that it is suspected that the condition is present in the general population and is brought out when stressed.

Along your line of though... it is safer never to add to a collection.

There are risks in each step when adding to a collection. Some risks are less than others.

In my opinion... adding 2 different species together which are captive born presents a minimal risk if you want to add two animals.

If you really want to be safe... don't add any animals regardless of the species.

I have to partially disagree with you Ed. I have seen a friends Elegans collection destroyed by Mycoplasma introduced from an asymptomatic CBB Leopard Tortoise.
While your statement regarding two CBB animals of different species being safe is true theoretically (as you and I both know Mycoplasma is not transferred to offspring) the chance is too high to take in my opinion since a large percentage of animals change hands many times throughout their lives.
For this reason it is safer to say "do not mix species" instead of explaining the transmission modes and processes to casual hobbyists who have little interest in such things.
Lets face it man, not everyone in the hobby is a nerd like us LOL!!

 

[Luvthemtorts]

Believe me Ed. I know more about Mycoplasma than I care too. As I watched my friends breeding stock collapse we became very intimate with the good folks at the University Of Florida veterinary department.
Also, there is more than one theory regarding M. agassizii. One being the one you presented, one from the release of captive animals into a wild population, etc..
As I am sure you are aware Elegans seem particularly vulnerable and thus their prognosis is much more grave than it is perhaps with many other species.

I think one can take calculated risks to expand the genetic or species diversity of their collection however it has to be approached with more caution than simply responding to a classified ad or pet store purchases.
For this reason to say two captive born of different species is acceptable is, in my mind a bit simplistic and has the potential to cause the novice keeper much heartache.

Research mycoplasma a little deeper. It is like herpes in that it is suspected that the condition is present in the general population and is brought out when stressed.

Along your line of though... it is safer never to add to a collection.

There are risks in each step when adding to a collection. Some risks are less than others.

In my opinion... adding 2 different species together which are captive born presents a minimal risk if you want to add two animals.

If you really want to be safe... don't add any animals regardless of the species.

I have to partially disagree with you Ed. I have seen a friends Elegans collection destroyed by Mycoplasma introduced from an asymptomatic CBB Leopard Tortoise.
While your statement regarding two CBB animals of different species being safe is true theoretically (as you and I both know Mycoplasma is not transferred to offspring) the chance is too high to take in my opinion since a large percentage of animals change hands many times throughout their lives.
For this reason it is safer to say "do not mix species" instead of explaining the transmission modes and processes to casual hobbyists who have little interest in such things.
Lets face it man, not everyone in the hobby is a nerd like us LOL!!

 

[DemonDrug95]

just bought the infrared heat lamp..(its so hot!!!)cause i cant buy it here ..theres no petshop that have the infrared lamp..so i ask my bro which is at other place and saw the infrared lamp for me..but sadly,my leopard died...cause i cant find any vet here...and it died...so sad..

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm so sorry for your loss.