MBD
- Thread starter Annief
- Start date
Poor thing! You can't tell just by looking at a tortoise if it has it, but severe pyramiding is an indicator. This is pretty bad for a Russian. HOw old is it? can you provide info about how you house it (lights, temps, size, diet, substrate)? That will help us give you advise to stop the downward decline.
I only got him a few weeks ago and the seller told me he’s about 7 months. I posted a pic earlier on the tortoise trust site asking about something else and they said he was older, like about 12-24 months and had MBD. He’s 6cms in length weighs 65g. I keep him in a very large rabbit cage with a uv light and a basking light. He’s in soil, with slate for food. I feed him dandelion leaves, radicchio, clover leaves and kale with the odd bit of cucumber and sprinkle calcium powder on his food. He is bathed every other day for 10-15 mins. How can you tell if he has MBD? Thank you.
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@Yvonne G or @Tom can give you better info than I can about young ones, i don't think anyone can accurately say it is 12-24 months by looking at it when it is that small. It could be small b/c very young, or small b/c of severe neglect and malnourishment. Does it have any issues moving? Does it have trouble walking?
Check out this thread: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/common-keeping-errors.217956/
Check out this thread: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/common-keeping-errors.217956/
None at all.
Ok that's a good sign then. It might take an xray, also tagging @zovick here re: MBD
Thanks so much
Sure meanwhile read that link, it will help you a lot
If the back of the carapace is not sunken in, and if he walks okay, he probably does not have MBD. If you have him under UV lighting and feed him a decent diet with a calcium supplement, MBD is unlikely. What type of UV bulb have you got? Does your calcium supplement have D3 in it?
This tortoise has been far too dry, and that is the reason for the pyramiding, but I don't see anything that would indicate MBD. It sounds like you got some of the usual old wrong care info that is so typical out in the world.
Start here for the current and correct care info:
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...
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There is a care sheet for temperate species near the bottom and a complete heating and lighting breakdown. Questions are welcome.
My calcium powder doesn’t have vit d so I’ve ordered some. He was in a vivarium when I got him but I have him in a large rabbit cage for now until he’s bigger. Ive enclosed a photo of the uv light. His basking area is usually around 30-32oC. Cooler end is 22-24oC. He has top soil substrate and Timothy hay in his hide. I had joined a few tortoise groups on Facebook for help and support and found them to be awful. People literally attack you and jump down your throat if they see one thing they don’t agree with, try to shame you or just give conflicting advice. Very disheartening and then for the trust to tell me today that he’s basically sick made me feel awful.If the back of the carapace is not sunken in, and if he walks okay, he probably does not have MBD. If you have him under UV lighting and feed him a decent diet with a calcium supplement, MBD is unlikely. What type of UV bulb have you got? Does your calcium supplement have D3 in it?
This tortoise has been far too dry, and that is the reason for the pyramiding, but I don't see anything that would indicate MBD. It sounds like you got some of the usual old wrong care info that is so typical out in the world.
Start here for the current and correct care info:
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...
There is a care sheet for temperate species near the bottom and a complete heating and lighting breakdown. Questions are welcome.
We constantly hear universally bad things about the FB groups here. Sorry that happened. We try to be more diplomatic and I think we usually succeed. We won't attack you, but we will try to help you and your tortoise.
-Your UV bulb isn't all that effective, but its not harmful either. You need to get a 12% Arcadia HO tube instead. Much stronger UV.
-A calcium supplement with D3 will also help.
-Soil shouldn't be used for substrate. See the thread I linked for more explanation.
-No hay either.
-Basking area directly under the bulb needs to be around 36C. 30-32 is just a little too low.
I don't think your little one has any MBD at all, but he was not cared for correctly. That level of pyramiding at such a young age is not good and it indicates he was housed WAAAAAYYYY too dry and possibly under the wrong types of bulbs too. I hope that our info will help you sort out the enclosure, equipment and care routine. Please ask as many questions as you want. We are happy to explain, and you will NOT be banned or attacked for trying to learn here.
_The_Beast_
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum! My russian hatchling was also started way too dry and had bad pyramiding when it arrived at three months old. I used the temperate species care sheet as a guide for building a closed-chamber enclosure and addressing humidity, diet, etc. My little one is now 10 months old and all the new growth is super smooth! They're happy, healthy, and have gone from 42g upon arrival to over 150 grams. Happy to share more info if that's helpful. I have an older post where I share updated shell growth pictures. You may need to make some changes, but the care sheets here and the help people will provide is really solid.
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The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? 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. What is...
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