Leopard Hatchling Shell Softening

[Laura Lynn]

Hi everyone,
I am very worried about my leopard hatchling. I bought him from a pet store almost two months ago and I know absolutely nothing about where he is from, who bred him, or exactly how old he is. He is about two inches long. His eyes were barely opening when I got him and he barely moved at all (the store was obviously not providing proper lighting and the water dish was so high that the tortoise could not drink or soak).
As soon as I got him home I tried to correct what they were doing wrong. I started soaking him every other day because it seemed like he was ALWAYS in his water dish in his new enclosure, so I didn't see the need to soak him every day since he was doing it himself (I always change the water after hes done soaking.) I have him under UVB lighting, and I take him outside every single day to graze on grass and get natural sunlight. His eyes started to open wide and he became MUCH more active. But just four days ago, when I went to pick him up to take him to get natural sunlight I noticed that his carapace and plastron have become much softer. The softening happened in a matter of days, as I handle him daily and I would have noticed before. I know that young tortoises have pliable shells for the first year, but this seems unusually soft. His activity level is still the same though, he is still very active. He always comes to me when he sees me, he still practically runs to his food, he still soaks himself, and he is very adventurous. I have started dusting kale and organic greens with a calcium supplement as a result of the shell softening, but I don't know why it would have become noticeably softer in just a few days...
I have a UVB bulb on him for 14 hours a day, and I live in Florida, where the temperature is anywhere between 85-100 degrees Fahrenheit, and his enclosure is outdoors. And like I had mentioned, I take him to get natural sunlight daily.
I have cared for adult Sulcatas, but this is the first leopard hatchling I have ever cared for, and all of my friends who have tortoises have only ever kept adult sulcatas or russians.
Any suggestions? What am I doing wrong? Please help!

 

[mikeylazer]

What kind of uvb bulb is he under? Is it a coil type bulb?

 

[mikeylazer]

In regards to the soft shell, sometimes when they are starting to grow, the shell has more give to it because of new growth in between scutes. Knowing more about his enclosure, type of bulb, basking spot, warm side, cool side of the enclosure, and humidity for starters would be good.

 

[Laura Lynn]

Yes it is a coil bulb. It is raised 1.5 feet above his enclosure and the light covers about half of it. The warm side is always around 90 degrees, and the cool hide area is around 75. But because he is kept outdoors, the temperatures do fluctuate throughout the day. Humidity is also reliant on the weather, but it is typically between 60-70. He typically only sleeps in the hide area at night, and he likes to wander around the enclosure during the day. If he sleeps during the day, it is almost always directly under the UVB bulb.

 

[Laura Lynn]

His enclosure is open-air and the dimensions are 2x4 feet.

 

[mikeylazer]

Okay firsts things first, get rid of the coil bulb. They are known to cause all kinds of issues to tortoises and if there is strange behavior it could be from that. The only think i can think of is maybe taking him inside when it is 75 degrees or below and keep his cool side always around 80. 75 is "fine" but why risk it. If he is outdoors you probably dont need the coil bulb anyway as long as he is getting natural sunlight, not through glass or any coverings. I personally would not raise a hatchling outdoors as there are to many variables, but there are some member on here that do it. Although your humidity is 60-70 most of the time, make sure his shell growth is relatively flat, and if it starts to pyramid early on, your humidity is obviously too low and he should be raised indoors in a closed chamber setup. I hope this helped!

 

[Laura Lynn]

Ok! I'll ditch the coil bulb and move his enclosure to make sure he starts getting more natural sunlight. Thank you so much!

 

[mikeylazer]

Ok! I'll ditch the coil bulb and move his enclosure to make sure he starts getting more natural sunlight. Thank you so much!

Im sorry is his enclosure outdoors or indoors? You said it was indoors originally then outdoors the second time? If it is an outside enclosure, then ditch the blubs altogether, but if it is an indoor enclosure, look into a "mercury vapor bulb" or "mvb" for short. These provide the closest thing to natural sunlight, and although expensive, they are the best source of uvb you can get (besides the sun). Uvb rays will not travel through glass or plastic so putting him by the window wont be a solution to the problem.

 

[Laura Lynn]

His enclosure is in a covered screened-in porch, aka "Florida Room". So it is outdoors, but it has protection from predators.

 

[Laura Lynn]

There is no window or plastic, there will be only a porch screen between him and the sun.

 

[mikeylazer]

Hmmmm.. There was some debate on wether or not uvb could travel through differently spaced out screens. I would just get the mvb to be safe, because its way better to be safe than sorry especially with the fragile lives of baby torts.

 

[Laura Lynn]

I agree. I love little tort! I'll get the mvb first thing tomorrow! Thank you for your advice!

 

[mikeylazer]

No problem!