My tortoise needs help! Someone help please :(

christian zuniga

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Hello, I have a small desert tortoise that’s 2 years old. His/her shell is getting very very soft when when he/she breathes you can see the shell move :( can anyone help me with this problem. Also when walking it doesn’t use its back legs and kinda drags them with very little movement. I normally leave my window open for it to get it a sun light but I just recently got a UVB Light and calcium to hopefully help. I really hope it’s not too late
 

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BrookeB

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I really hope it’s not too late!! please look at the species specific page and find a good care sheet. It sounds like mbd. In my experience he needs full sun exposure and warm water soaks DAYLY as well as calcium. I like to use cuttlebone for this as they can choose how much they need... I hope you caught this in time. Uv is not something to take lightly for tortoises and it can really effect if they live good healthy lives. (I’m not as familiar with this species care so I cannot help you any further with his setup or diet) PLEASE look for a care sheet on this forum I’m sure they have some really good advice.
 

KarenSoCal

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I know I'm starting with lots of auestions, but to figure out what's going on the answers will help.

Where did you get your tortoise?

You say he's about 2 years old...how long have you had him?

Dod you know how the original owner/breeder started him? Dry, closed chamber?

Could we have more pix? Face, plastron, and entire enclosure.

What have you been feeding him? Is he eating well?

Also, desert torts require the same care as a Russian...please read this care sheet and compare to your care. Then please come back with questions, and we should be able to help you with advice.

BTW, welcome to the forum!

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
 

christian zuniga

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Joined
Sep 28, 2019
Messages
6
Location (City and/or State)
California
I really hope it’s not too late!! please look at the species specific page and find a good care sheet. It sounds like mbd. In my experience he needs full sun exposure and warm water soaks DAYLY as well as calcium. I like to use cuttlebone for this as they can choose how much they need... I hope you caught this in time. Uv is not something to take lightly for tortoises and it can really effect if they live good healthy lives. (I’m not as familiar with this species care so I cannot help you any further with his setup or diet) PLEASE look for a care sheet on this forum I’m sure they have some really good advice.
Thank you :)
 

christian zuniga

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Joined
Sep 28, 2019
Messages
6
Location (City and/or State)
California
I know I'm starting with lots of auestions, but to figure out what's going on the answers will help.

Where did you get your tortoise?

You say he's about 2 years old...how long have you had him?

Dod you know how the original owner/breeder started him? Dry, closed chamber?

Could we have more pix? Face, plastron, and entire enclosure.

What have you been feeding him? Is he eating well?

Also, desert torts require the same care as a Russian...please read this care sheet and compare to your care. Then please come back with questions, and we should be able to help you with advice.

BTW, welcome to the forum!

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/


I got him from the breeder when it was first born. It was very energetic and always like to run around the place but now he likes to sleep a LOT. I feed him normally different types of lettuce, peas and carrots. It turned 2 in august
 

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KarenSoCal

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Thank you for the pictures.

First, if you got advice from the breeder, a vet, a pet shop, or FaceBook...basically anyone but this forum...forget it all. I am not just saying that...it is true. The vast majority of vets don't know much about torts. They get no schooling on them, unless they go on to be exotics vets. Even then, if they study from old textbooks, they learn outdated info.

Pet shops are in business to make money. Combine that with limited knowledge, and you buy lots of stuff that is more expensive, less useful, and sometimes dangerous.

FaceBook groups, to a great degree, are new tort owners trying to tell even newer owners what to do. They come across very strongly with their opinions and advice, but their efforts are just plain wrong.

I included your breeder because IF it was him who told you to use that substrate, feed peas and carrots, and have an open enclosure...then he doesn't know much either.

If this is what has happened to you, at least now you are with people who have been caring for, breeding, and studying torts for decades, and know proper husbandry. Stick with us, and let us help you.

I see a few things of concern with your enclosure, but will address diet first.

Lettuce, peas, and carrots makes a pretty terrible diet for a desert tort. DT's don't have the ability to process sugars, so it messes up the GI tract. Peas are sugary too, plus are moderately oxalic. Some lettuces are ok as part of the diet, but not a huge portion. Iceberg has zero nutritional value. Romaine has next to zero value.

Your tort should have been getting calcium supplement since you got him, plus eating greens that are high in calcium.

I'm going to guess that your tort is considerably malnourished.
Please read the care sheet I linked above, and I'm copying many diet items here. These are all safe. Maybe you have a spot to plant some grasses and flowers for him? Keep in mind you cannot use any plant raised in fertilizer that has weed killer or bug killer in it. Basically no store/nursery plants.

You may need to rely on grocery store foods for now. Good foods for tortoises are "chicories," types of lettuce that are likely to be on the far side of the more common floppy green heads of lettuce most people buy. Anything labeled as simply "chicory" is good, as are radiccio, frisee, escarole, and endive; you might even find something labeled as dandelions. You may find a bag of "Spring" or "Spicy" mix that is good, just check the label to be sure it has some of the chicories I just mentioned. The leaves (just the leaves) of turnips and radishes are also good, as are carrot tops. Collards, mustard greens, bok choy, and other dark, leafy greens are okay as well. If you have any kind of Mexican/hispanic market near you, they will sell cactus, labeled "nopales." Cactus is a great food to rotate in the diet, as it is high in calcium.

You don't need to feed all of these at one time, just make sure your tortoise is getting access to different types of food. As you get more experienced, you can find the better types of food listed on the care sheets.

Here are a whole bunch of non-grocery store suggestions.

Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Nasturtium
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:

There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

Other good stuff:

"Testudo Seed Mix" from http://www.tortoisesupply.com/SeedMixes

Pasture mixes or other seeds from http://www.groworganic.com/seeds.html

Homegrown alfalfa

Mazuri Tortoise Chow

ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food

Ones that you can buy in every store:
Arugula
Lambs lettuce
Chicory
Kale
Mustard greens
Organic kohlrabi leafs
Organic carrot leafs
Organic radish leafs
Dandelions
Radiccio

Their main diet should be broad leaf weeds, succulents and grasses. Store bought foods are okay, but not the best. Collards and dandelions are a good food, but neither should be used every day. Check out the plant ID section for lots of ideas on weeds to feed. You can get spineless opuntia cactus pads from most Mexican grocery stores, or grow them yourself. You can also easily grow grape leaves, african hibiscus, regular hibiscus (if it will survive in your area), and mulberry leaves. You can try red apple, ice plant, and jade plant too. Also look into Gazania, pansies, nasturtiums, carnations, geraniums and many others. At the grocery store, favor endive and escarole, but also use cilantro, carrot tops, mustard and turnip greens, bok choy, radiccio, swiss chard, watercress, parsley, all the lettuces, etc. Lots of variety is best. There are also tortoise "weed" seed mixes that you can grow. I like the "Testudo Mix" from Tortoisesupply.com.

Desert food for torts...
Well he is a desert tortoise, right? He should be used to eating all that scrub. Buckwheat; cactus; vetch; Mohave aster; creosote bush; desert four o’clock; tacoma stans; bladderpod; globe mallow; goldenhead; burro weed; so many things!
 

Billna the 2

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Yeah calcium is one of the many components to a baby tortoise growing and strengthening shell.
How long have you have it without calcium and uvb?
And what temperature is the basking spot?
 

Tom

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What bulbs are in your double deep dome? Are you using a cfl for UV? Does the tortoise ever get direct sunshine in an outdoor enclosure?

The enclosure looks very dry. How often do you soak the baby?
 
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