He does fine behavioral wise. He is just growing slow. It's fine with me, he can stay just as small as he wants, he can b my mini leopard. Lol.
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- Thread starter Amanda81
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Another question. I'm still battling whatever is goi g on with my leopards. So ivory and mace seem to be doing well. Opal had picked back up, eating and acting about normal, yesterday I noticed she didn't eat but hopefully just a one day thing. Duke is my question. He still isn't acting normal. He hasn't eat in about 14 days, he barely moves and hardly ever opens his eyes. Now I adjusted the height on my uvb light and left it off for a week to see if that was the issue, nope nothing changed. I have been taking them out for real sun when weather permits. I would say their averaging 20-30 minutes 2 days a week. I have been doing vitamin and calcium soaks twice a day and saline drops in his eyes. I also noticed that duke and Opal was getting in their water dishs and literally staying in them all the time so I put a "pool" in for them and they now stay in that most the time. Yesterday the only time duke was out of his pool was when I physically removed him. I did up all their heat to 87-88 cool side and 90-92 warm side so I thought maybe they were staying in the pools because of the temp. I have noticed him stretching his neck and opening his mouth, noticed that yesterday. I have them all separated in hospital tanks and I soak them all separate so I can monitor their poo. Yesterday duke pooed while he had his morning soak. I was kinda shocked cause well he hasn't eat in 2wks and hadn't pooed in like 10 days till yesterday. And when he did poo it was like a small amount of regular, what I would consider normal poo but it was inside what looks to be a mucus sac and then there was a dime size amount of just mucus as well. Which made me think, a couple days ago I noticed a spot of mucus maybe quarter size in his substrate. I thought he had vomited or something but after his poo yesterday I figured out it was from the other end. Is this a sign of anything specific? Him stretching his neck and opening his mouth to breath, I thought perhaps respiratory infection but I have seen no discharge from nostrils. I did see a thin clear bubble come from his right nostril 2 days ago but it was right after a soak and figured it was from that. Any suggestions?
This was yesterday's poo. There was more mucus then this, this is just what I could separate from the soak water.
This was yesterday's poo. There was more mucus then this, this is just what I could separate from the soak water.
I just read your post twice, What Duke is doing with breathing sounds like hypothermia/RI to me. The mucus in the stool sounds like he's having problems with digesting his food properly, mucus normally isn't noticeable but since something is wrong it's passing in excessive amounts.
I increased their temps so the cool side is high 80s and warm side mid 90s so surely he still isn't cold??
How long does it take to clear their gut cause he hasn't eat in like 14 days but he is still pooing during his soak. He pooed last night when I soaked him and it looked odd again. I'm shocked he is still pooing cause it's been so long since he ate and I don't think he was compacted cause before he got sick he was pooing everyday, normal looking and amount wise.
This was his poo from last night.
How long does it take to clear their gut cause he hasn't eat in like 14 days but he is still pooing during his soak. He pooed last night when I soaked him and it looked odd again. I'm shocked he is still pooing cause it's been so long since he ate and I don't think he was compacted cause before he got sick he was pooing everyday, normal looking and amount wise.
This was his poo from last night.
That is a lot of mucus, maybe he's having some sort of digestive disorder? Have you tried only giving him mazuri (the original mix)- nothing mixed with it? I would try that and see if he eats it.
Hey maybe see if he'll eat something like oats and rice(probably brown rice not white) if you cant get him to eat just the mazuri. Soluble fiber foods are easy on the digestive tract so if hes having a digestive problem he might not be eating because his normal food pains him? I don't know how soluble fiber foods react in tortoises but I know in people soluble fiber is supposed to go into the intestines and absorb water to help move things along more comfortably and should help with digestive upsets. All that mucus passing makes me think he's having a problem inside his body and might be in pain and that's why he's not eating.
I just finished soaking him and he passed a medium size amount of just mucus and then a little bit later he passed a little poo covered in a mucus sac. I have offered him everything I could think of to eat, every variety of leafy green, together, mixed, chopped, whole, mazuri (which is usually his favorite) I even broke down and attempted a yogurt banana slurry (read article that suggested this to help get their system going after they had quit eating) he just won't eat. And I noticed today when he stretched his neck out and opened his mouth, he makes this sound, kinda like a hissing or something. I meaning sure there is more then one way for them to get RI but temps are usually the cause and I never ever let their enclosures drop below 83 degrees. I keep the humidity in them up high, it's 99 now so I always make sure their temps are right. I just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong w these guys. My sulcata hatchlings are doing great, heck their doing wonderful. One weights 122g now, they have beautiful growth coming on, I don't see and pyramiding, their active, eat like little monsters and they have the exact set up and exact care as my leopards do, the temps are around the same in everyone's enclosures, nobody goes below 83, humidity runs between 85-99 most all the time, I give them a variety of things to eat, usually 7-10 different greens/weeds a day, mazuri twice a week, supplements twice a week. They have fresh cold water daily (somedays I have to ean it a couple times a day) and I have put "pools" in everyone's enclosures now too.
Hmmmmmm, I really don't know what could be wrong, but the stretching his neck out and weird hissing sound maybe he could have RI even though you keep him warm because I know one way they can get it is by stress so some how he probably got stressed and then got sick.
Oh ok. I didn't even think about stress. Man I bet that's the issue. I quit taking them outside, and I moved everyone into different enclosures, there were quiet a few changes in their routine when weather got cold. Well perhaps if I back off some, do his soaks twice a day, keep his temps up and kinda just let him be he might make a turn for a better. I didn't even think about stress as a factor. Thank you.
Yeah those sound like a lot of changes in a short amount of time so maybe he just needs his time to adjust and that's why he wont eat yet. Hopefully he'll be able to settle and start eating soon. 
Another question guys. Can parasites make a tort sick? I noticed in Dukes soak this evening that once again he pooed, again it was mucus. This time I also noticed these little tiny thin thread like things and these things that looked like very small clear sesame seed looking things. I will post a pic. Can anyone tell me what this is? After I took him out of his soak he continued to leak this mucus onto the substrate which I cleaned up. 
This is what leaked out after the soak.
This is what leaked out after the soak.
The first pic is his soak and the second pic is what leaked out after his soak
Whoa, those are quite a bit of pinworms. I would take him to the vet to get treated right away.
You aren't actually supposed to notice the parasites, if we happen to see them that means there is a large load inside them. This is most likely why hes passing all that mucus.
You aren't actually supposed to notice the parasites, if we happen to see them that means there is a large load inside them. This is most likely why hes passing all that mucus.
I know dogs will choke on worms if they have a large infestation, I wonder if the noise and throat stretching he has been doing is that not RI.
This is a captive bred leopard hatchling with the abundance of pin worms, right?
And he's housed with 3 others I think.. I wonder how he got the bloom of bugs and if the others need treatment too. ???
And he's housed with 3 others I think.. I wonder how he got the bloom of bugs and if the others need treatment too. ???
I noticed these items once a couple days ago and I thought the same thing, it's from the moss cause I use that same moss but I rinsed him before his soak to ensure I wasn't transferring anything into the water. And yes he was living with ivory and dent but dent died and I have since separated everyone into their own hospital tanks but if these things are worms I will treat everyone. I don't know how he would have got them. I know they didn't have the best start out so perhaps they had them when I got them or maybe from something I feed them. I go out daily, every morning, and gather everyone fresh weeds. I have soaked my torts everyday since the day I got them and I usually soak everyone in their individual bowl so I can monitor everyone and have never noticed anything like this before. I read something last night saying that sometimes they will have parasites and everything is fine but then they get sick or weak and you will actually start seeing them pass cause where their sick I guess they increase. I don't know, I don't trust really anything I read unless it's on this forum, I did read up on the wormer and it said it would make them quit eating for a while which is a concern cause duke hasn't ate in like 3 wks now and I'm worried that one I'm not going to be able to get the medication in him and two if I do he is going to starve to death. I noticed last night his plastron is starting to get a little soft, I'm really worried I might loose this little guy too.
Well the thing about pinworms is that they are a parasite that can normally live in any healthy animals intestines and be completely unnoticed their entire life, but because we see the pinworms right now that means there is an abnormally high amount of them. Having an overabundance of pinworms can 'cause dehydration and make the little tort sick. His lower digestive tract probably isn't in the most comfortable state right now so that could also be why he's not eating.
He has been lethargic, not eating and eyes closed for about 3 wks now. I also noticed his shell is starting to soften. I'm soaking him twice daily in vitamins and calcium. I am going to get some liquid wormer today. I have the right kind, I use the same thing fort dogs but it's a paste form for horses and at this point it will be easier to get liquid in him instead of the paste. I'm hoping this will work and he will make a turn for the better soon. I'm also picking up some stuff called jump start, for ones that are "off food", it's suppose to stimulate his appetite. I'm hoping it works!!
During his morning soak this morning he passed some mucus with a couple sesame seed looking things and that's all. It's odd how he just passes this stuff time to time, every couple soaks.
