Leopard hatcling is failing?

[Pearly]

Thank everyone for the thoughts and support. Will try the dandelions and get my hands on those herbs. Have a vet appointment on Friday. My vet has been researching all the suggestions here. Will run some blood tests and see if this baby can be saved. Hoping to learn something at least if not. Will try to remember to update this. This baby obviously had issues in the first couple of months. His high weight was 44 grams. Held here for about 3 months. Was 42 yesterday.

If with the weight his swelling went down, that maybe a good news. I think Kasia's suggestion with diuretic herb baths is worth a shot, i'd totally do it myself for mine. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you and this little baby

 

[Jodie]

Is it Friday yet? I hate waiting....

Lol me too. Friday is probably just going to be the beginning of the next waiting period for blood results though.

 

[Kasia]

I would guess that will take not more then a day or so..I'm not sure how long is it on your side of the Atlantic Ocean...I hope it will be as fast as it is on mine...

 

[Markw84]

Try feeding a high proportion of dandelion leaves in the diet if gentle diuresis is the desired outcome. See if that helps at all.

It is sad to see this happening because it usually indicates a kidney or adrenal illness (and it could also be a matter of vasopressin or several other possibilities), but it is a good learning experience for any breeder. Some individual animals are simply of lesser robustness. Such is life. A breeder who claims or boasts of *zero* issues after hitting good numbers is often cherrypicking to tell a self-supporting tale. Breeders who share their hiccups and failures (this does not necessarily have to involve the breeder's care/action) readily are more useful for figuring out solutions to problems or coming to terms with problems which lack a solution.

I agree with this on principle, @Baoh My only caveat would be that I have found a treamendous difference depending upon the female and male vitality. I have had some females that produce clutches with lower fertility and some more fragile hatchlings. Just weak from the beginning and you can see it immediately. Other females with clutches incubated beside the weak ones, give me babies that are never a problem. I have had some females that gave me over 100 babies that I never lost one.

 

[Jodie]

Well the vet has nothing useful. An xray was normal. Nothing showed that is unusual in any way. She suspects renal failure. I will continue with supportive care. Herbal soaks to try to help. Any other suggestions welcome.

 

[Kasia]

Hi Jodie
Sorry to read that I remembered name of the drug to support liver I gave Rufin. It's Ornithine. I gave him one squeezed out capsule a day (I was not given a original box with the capsules so I don't know the dosage). He ate those for over a month or so.. Substance takes part in uric acid production I don't know how but it helped.
Mine Rufin looked as puffy as your leo and smelled like urine. It was very bad. I thought he will not make it but he did...have hope

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Well the vet has nothing useful. An xray was normal. Nothing showed that is unusual in any way. She suspects renal failure.

Jodie,
I'm sorry to read this "brickwall" of sorts regarding your Vetinerian visit. I truly feel for you here. I'm just happy to know that you took him to a qualified Vetinerian and that I know you are not a newbie that saw the "exotic pets" sign and took it to a Vetinerian with no knowledge of reptiles let alone tortoises for help. On a side note, for you, Shebelle is doing great and eating, crapping and growing like a big dog. The troubles with this one of yours has nothing to do with your care or breeding. Sometimes we have no control of life.

 

[Jodie]

Thanks Ken. I appreciate that and hope you're right. Kind of wish it were my fault, so I could fix it honestly.
Glad your little one is doing well. Thanks for saying so.

 

[Baoh]

I agree with this on principle, @Baoh My only caveat would be that I have found a treamendous difference depending upon the female and male vitality. I have had some females that produce clutches with lower fertility and some more fragile hatchlings. Just weak from the beginning and you can see it immediately. Other females with clutches incubated beside the weak ones, give me babies that are never a problem. I have had some females that gave me over 100 babies that I never lost one.

I know a good number of breeders with females who produce fragile clutches/offspring as you have described. That definitely happens, yes. However, I also see random weaklings produced in small numbers across larger production volumes. Including from adults with a history of producing hatchlings so robust that they could practically storm a hyperbolic metaphorical beac. That can mean tens, hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands (sulcatas, leopards, snapping turtles, and RES make these numbers awfully easy to get). Since it is random for these, it can be independent of those thousands. It is more of a lottery than a debt and that lottery has no order, so whether 100 (or 1000) tough torto-tots pop out before that wimpy torto-tot randomly is produced, it is no different than if it were the 1st or the 10th in a long string of torto-tots. It looks to me like Jodie's hatchling won the lottery here, but it was the rocks kind instead of the riches kind (unfortunately).

 

[Jodie]

Thanks for that Baoh. I hope it is not going to be a pattern. I got 25 to 30 others from that female. All great. This was her first year laying.
Baby has lost several more grams. Still eating and active. Drives me crazy to not be able to do anything. The shell is hard and thick. Seems happy, so will let it enjoy the life it gets I guess.

 

[Ramsey]

Hi Jodie, sorry you are going through this. You have a good attitude about the whole thing. I personally believe that tortoises, just like all other species, just have some that don't thrive. Perhaps nothing that you've done and maybe the rest of the clutch is rock solid.

 

[Kasia]

@Jodie how is your little one? Any changes?

 

[Jodie]

@Jodie how is your little one? Any changes?

Nope. Continues to eat and is active. No weight gain.
Thanks for asking.

 

[Ramsey]

Forgot to ask, do you know if the vet did a worm/parasite test?

Also, how does the tortoise look now? Has the puffiness gone down?

 

[Jodie]

Forgot to ask, do you know if the vet did a worm/parasite test?

Also, how does the tortoise look now? Has the puffiness gone down?

She is less puffy, but not normal. Did not test. Captive bred, and kept with siblings. No one else has problems. Bowels are normal.

 

[Shaif]

I hope she continues to improve! That's great news.

 

[Nisi]

How is your little guy doing Jodi?

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

She is less puffy, but not normal. Did not test. Captive bred, and kept with siblings. No one else has problems. Bowels are normal.

Jodie?
Hello dear, can you please provide us with an update on this dear one? Inquiring Minds want to know …

 

[Jodie]

Hi guys. Nothing good to report. Still the first one to food each morning. Poops in soaks. Shell is hard and good. No growth, and visibly weak. The poor thing is really trying. It breaks my heart that nothing I know to do helps it.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Hi guys. It breaks my heart that nothing I know to do helps it.

Jodie,
Thanks for the update. I know how hard this must be on you. Is it only crapping while soaking?