- Joined
- Jul 23, 2010
- Messages
- 233
I purchased (I call it a rescue, since the poor guy is in bad shape) a leopard last night off Kijiji (Canadian version of Craigslist). For $250 (she was asking $300) I got a tort that is pyramiding, low weight, feeling hollow, poorly fed, poorly housed, walked on nothing but clay tiles in her enclosure, wrong temps, the laundry list is endless. At first I said no way, I'm not throwing away good money but when I saw her (I think she's a girl) I could not leave her for another minute in those conditions. I brought her home, gave her warm soaks, she drank like I've never seen before, urinated and pooped all sorts of stuff out, put her in a humid Rubbermaid closed chamber (a bit small, but it was all I could muster up on short notice), put on a MVB, fed her some dandelion, clay saucer of water and let her be. Good news she ate right away last night and this morning. She's about 8 inches in length and a beautiful creamy white shell. I'll post pics soon. She's really beautiful.
I can't get mad at the former owner, she was nice enough, but just had no idea how to keep a tortoise. She purchased her as a hatchling years ago, I think maybe 3 or 4 years now. I hope I can bring her up to tip top shape, I'm off tomorrow so I'll have her outside grazing in the back yard on some pesticide free weeds. I bet she's never seen the sun before or put her feet on grass and soil in her lifetime.
My question is, with all I know about tortoises and all I've read from experienced keepers like Tom and others, how did she make it this far in life under such terrible conditions? This tortoise is a survivor, but most torts I would think would perish, and this little girl be 8 inches in length and eating and drinking like nothing happened in the last 4 years of her life?
I can't get mad at the former owner, she was nice enough, but just had no idea how to keep a tortoise. She purchased her as a hatchling years ago, I think maybe 3 or 4 years now. I hope I can bring her up to tip top shape, I'm off tomorrow so I'll have her outside grazing in the back yard on some pesticide free weeds. I bet she's never seen the sun before or put her feet on grass and soil in her lifetime.
My question is, with all I know about tortoises and all I've read from experienced keepers like Tom and others, how did she make it this far in life under such terrible conditions? This tortoise is a survivor, but most torts I would think would perish, and this little girl be 8 inches in length and eating and drinking like nothing happened in the last 4 years of her life?