Need help with a cherry head

[Kinra]

I've had my little one for a while but it doesn't seem to be doing well and recently stopped eating. He used to demolish turnip greens and collard greens but now he won't touch them. For the past few days I've been offering him Nature Zone Bites (little Orange cubes), I've also tried moistened Zoo Med Natural Forest Tortoise Food. He was eating that at one point but stopped as well. Everything gets dusted with Rephasy Superveggie. He won't touch bananas, I've tried before as a treat.

I've attached two pictures of his setup, the original way I had it setup:
28qt tub
Reptibark
Half log hide
Water dish
50 watt heat lamp
Exo Terra UVB 150 (10.0)
Lights are at one end the other end gets covered to hold in humidity

The second setup is the make over I did last night:
Now using Eco Earth
Added terrarium moss to help with humidity
Different water dish
Hide has moss in it too

He gets soaked twice a week and misted daily. Unless he's soaking or was just soaked he never has his eyes open. The sides of his shell are hard but the back of his shell is soft and has been since I got him back in November. He also appeared to get suck in his water dish last night so I added some smooth rocks.

This is my first tortoise and I would really like to know what I am doing wrong so I can fix it. I want him to start eating again.

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

[Jacqui]

Just to get a more clear picture... what temps are you keeping him at? What humidity? How long are you keeping that light on each day? How far is it from him?

The changes you made should be a good start. I would also recommend right now to give daily soaks and make them ones with babyfood (carrots or squash, even the mango one), perhaps some baby'spedialyte, too. Try food without the powder and see if that helps. He's not liking bananas, but have you tried other fruits or melons? Mushrooms? Other greens like spring mix?

Has he grown any? You also mentioned his carapace (top shell) towards the back is still soft, but what about the plastron (bottom shell)

 

[Kinra]

The ambient temperature in the room is about 75-80 during the day. At night it might drop to about 72-73. I don't have a temp on basking spot right now though. I have two temp guns and I can't find either of them. I don't have a humidity reading either, I just try to keep it moist. He can get within probably about 6 inches of each light. Lights get turned on at about 7am every morning and I try to remember to shut them off around 6-7pm but occasionally forget and they are on until 10pm.

Do I just mix the baby food in with the water? Roughly how much should I mix in? I haven't tried mushrooms or other fruit yet. I have tried bok choy but he wouldn't touch that. He would eat cherry tomatoes when I first got him. I also tried carrots but he wasn't a huge fan.

He doesn't look like he's grown any and I didn't think to weigh him when I first got him, so he might have grown some and I just can't tell.

I will have to check when I get home from work tonight if his plastron is soft but I do know it is not flat like I think it is supposed to be.

Since he would eat when I first got him I assume I am doing something wrong that is causing him problems.

 

[kathyth]

The second enclosure is good. I would move the substrate up to the bottom of the water lip. It is too much of a climb up to the water, both in and out.
You want moist warm; definitely not moist cold i. The enclosure.
Make sure the diet is loaded with mixed greens,
Cute baby!

 

[pfara]

I agree with Kathy. Bump the temps up to 85F daytime and have it drop to 80-82F at night.

 

[Kinra]

Is there an easy way to bump the temps just for him and not for the whole room? He's kept in the same room as my crested geckos and 85 is way too high for them.

 

[abclements]

You should buy a ceramic heat emitter which would bump temps. To keep heat from escaping into the room, you would have to find a way to cover it then. Plexiglass works really well, if you can cut a hole for the heat lamp and the lights.

 

[Kinra]

So I just got home and checked on him. I don't make a habit of checking his belly but it is super soft. There is no hardness to his plastron. I have him soaking in some clear unflavored Pedialyte right now. How do I fix his soft shell issues? The person I got him said the softness in the back part of his shell would go away with proper UV lighting, but so far that hasn't changed at all.

I also picked up an Acurite Thermometer/Hydrometer so I can get a temp on humidity reading for his cage.

 

[Kinra]

I talked to a friend who also keeps a few tortoises. He told me my little guy needed calcium asap and gave me some liquid calcium to give him for a while.

I took a few more pictures tonight to give everyone a better idea of the light setup. I also found the lid to the tub and cut part of it off for the lights. Hopefully this will hold the humidity in better.

Thermostat/Hydrometer I picked up tonight from Walmart is broken so I need to exchange it tomorrow. I also moved the space heater closer to him and turned it up a bit to make it a little warmer without endangering my geckos.

 

[pfara]

Is one of your bulbs a compact fluorescent (spiral/coil bulb)? I can't tell from the angle but it looks like a 5k (Daylight) cfl. Tortoise owners have been discouraged from using those types of bulbs because they have a chance to cause eye/health issues. Also, soft shells can be a symptom of calcium deficiency but adding calcium will not be properly utilized without uvb. So, what type of uvb lighting do you have and how old are the bulbs? Uvb output diminishes over time. Another question: how was the tortoise started out? I don't like throwing hatching failure syndrome out there but from what I've read so far, it kind of sounds a little like it.

Sorry: re-read your first thread about the bulb. You might consider changing it out to a mercury vapor bulb if you need to keep the heat up. If you do, try to provide some shade because some reds aren't fond of bright lights. Otherwise, try investing in fluorescent tubes.

 

[abclements]

Is there any way to get him outside for a little while every sunny day? A windproof box and a heat lamp would keep him warm enough for 30 minutes a day. I would highly suggest calcium and sun bathing.

 

[pfara]

Is there any way to get him outside for a little while every sunny day? A windproof box and a heat lamp would keep him warm enough for 30 minutes a day. I would highly suggest calcium and sun bathing.

Drew, she's from Wisconsin. I thought about that. :'(

 

[Kinra]

This is exact UVB blub I am using right now:
http://www.petco.com/product/122052...ce-_-1403818&gclid=CKykvKLp2rwCFYVDMgoda0AASw

I've been told his cage is too small to use a mercury vapor bulb with or I would have gone with that. Which fluorescent tube should I be using over that UVB Bulb?

Both lights were purchased new in mid November and aren't very old.

In a few months I will hopefully be able to take him out for some natural sunshine but 35-40 is considered a really warm day right now and there is still a lot of snow on the ground.

When I first got him the back of his carapace was soft and I never checked his plastron but I did notice it wasn't flat when I got him. He didn't want to eat when I first got him and then would only eat cherry tomatoes right after I soaked him. I finally got him eating some turnip greens but he stopped eating all together about 1-2 weeks ago. I don't know how old he is and the person I got him from actually bought him from someone else. He's always spent a lot of his time in the half log hide and I've never seen him near his water dish unless I pick him up and put him in it.

 

[abclements]

Re: RE: Need help with a cherry head

Drew, she's from Wisconsin. I thought about that. :'(

Hmm, Wisconsin might be a little cold right now... but if it gets above freezing, it might still be possible. I'd do a test box with a thermometer before trying it with the tortoise, but it still may be worth giving a shot since the sun is so much better than any bulb...

 

[Kinra]

Hmm, Wisconsin might be a little cold right now... but if it gets above freezing, it might still be possible. I'd do a test box with a thermometer before trying it with the tortoise, but it still may be worth giving a shot since the sun is so much better than any bulb...

Today is the last day we are going to have above freezing for a while and it's raining today not sunny.

 

[abclements]

Ok, the I would suggest buying a calcium supplement with D3 in it, dissolve it in his soaking water and see if he will maybe drink some of that. D3 Is the vitamin that the sun gives torts so that their body can process the calcium.

 

[Kinra]

Thank you everyone for your help, I was unfortunately too late to save him. He died sometime last night. I went to go get him to give him a soak in Pedialyte and I found him dead. :'(

 

[pfara]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. You did the best you could.

 

[tortadon]

I've had my little one for a while but it doesn't seem to be doing well and recently stopped eating. He used to demolish turnip greens and collard greens but now he won't touch them. For the past few days I've been offering him Nature Zone Bites (little Orange cubes), I've also tried moistened Zoo Med Natural Forest Tortoise Food. He was eating that at one point but stopped as well. Everything gets dusted with Rephasy Superveggie. He won't touch bananas, I've tried before as a treat.

I've attached two pictures of his setup, the original way I had it setup:
28qt tub
Reptibark
Half log hide
Water dish
50 watt heat lamp
Exo Terra UVB 150 (10.0)
Lights are at one end the other end gets covered to hold in humidity

The second setup is the make over I did last night:
Now using Eco Earth
Added terrarium moss to help with humidity
Different water dish
Hide has moss in it too

He gets soaked twice a week and misted daily. Unless he's soaking or was just soaked he never has his eyes open. The sides of his shell are hard but the back of his shell is soft and has been since I got him back in November. He also appeared to get suck in his water dish last night so I added some smooth rocks.

This is my first tortoise and I would really like to know what I am doing wrong so I can fix it. I want him to start eating again.

Thank you in advance for any help.

How is the little guy doing? I raise Redfoots and when they are little I chop their greens up real small. Also I use Mazuri tortoise chow moistened so it easy to eat. When you eat your next egg chop the shell into little bits for him and mix it on the food. My baby tortoises usually hang out on the fringes of a 50 watt bulb and go to sleep when it cools into the 70's at night.

 

[Kinra]

I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. You did the best you could.

Thank you, I wish I had noticed sooner how bad off he was.

How is the little guy doing? I raise Redfoots and when they are little I chop their greens up real small. Also I use Mazuri tortoise chow moistened so it easy to eat. When you eat your next egg chop the shell into little bits for him and mix it on the food. My baby tortoises usually hang out on the fringes of a 50 watt bulb and go to sleep when it cools into the 70's at night.

He unfortunately passed away last night. I found him this morning when I went to get him for a Pedialyte soak.