Need Help for Sick Baby Tortoise

[Smiller515]

Hi everyone, I have been reading lots of posts on how to help my baby tortoise, and I'm hoping to get some answers that address his needs specifically.

I received Zeus on 1/28/16 at about a month old. He has been very happy and active up until the past week. Since I have had him I've had a hard time getting him to eat anything with calcium on it whether it be spray or powder.

I've offered him spring mix, dandelion greens and pellets but he seems to really only go after romaine which I provide sparingly in addition to the other dark greens.

His shell has become a bit soft and his activity level has dropped consistently since Tuesday. I started soaking him in baby food water mixture once a day for 30 mins, and twice a day for 15 in water with Vitasol. I did get him to eat from my hand yesterday but his beak is so weak I had to break the lettuce into tiny pieces and just let him take the bite sized piece from me.

I called the vet Two days ago and can't get in until Thursday March 17th. Any help until then would be appreciated, I am so scared for him.

Thank you,
Samantha

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

How are you housing the tortoise? Indoors or outdoors? What kind of uvb light are you using if indoors and how do you have it set up? What are your high and low temperatures, day and night?

Too much calcium on the food will make them not want to eat it (it doesn't taste good). I don't really think vitamin supplements are required in most cases if you provide the right food, but the shell softening is a big worry so you likely do need to supplement (assuming your tortoise doesn't freely gnaw on a cuttle bone or calcium block). Still, use only a tiny pinch of calcium power. Too much and they won't eat any. Are you using a calcium with d3 added?

 

[Smiller515]

He is kept indoors in a wooden pen that is 4 feet by 2 feet. I use coconut coir that is soaked in water first then covered in dry substrate, and some repti bark around the water area.

I use a UVB Mercury Vapor Bulb which has the basking area at 92 and the surrounding area at 83 and then 70-75 on the cooler side. I keep the humidity at around 60 since I ready babies need humidity. Nighttime temps are 70-75.

The powder I bought has D3 but he wouldn't touch it. The spray does not. I was able to get him to eat a few pieces of lettuce with the spray yesterday so I will try to get him to eat some with the powder.

Can I mix some of the powder in the baby food soak? I want to do all that I can I am so afraid I will lose him. He only opens his eyes when soaking and even then he doesn't move much. Yesterday night he was up on his front legs moving towards the food pieces but this morning he really only had his eyes open during the soak and is now just idle in his cage, sleeping. Is there anything else I can do?

 

[Smiller515]

I also have a tiny piece of cuttlebone in there that I have seen him knaw on and that was just on Monday and Tuesday. I thought he was getting enough that way and through the dark greens that I stopped putting the powder on so he would eat, and now he's sick. I feel horrible as I have been doing constant research since I got him to make sure I'm caring for him properly.