My mom became recently disabled in a car accident and could no longer take care of my little brother's tortoise.
Upon taking over responsibility of the tortoise, I began to realize that she wasn't taking very good care of him anyway.
I have no idea what kind of tortoise he is, just that he's a desert tortoise, not tropical. He does seem to be brumating. Initially, I had to get him eye drops as the clay my mom had in his tank hadn't been changed enough and his eyes had started to swell. That problem has since been resolved, but there was little to no care put into researching his environment.
His hind legs retract when touched but he keeps his front legs out most of the time. For a while he kept climbing into his water bowl. He does eat but has been eating less recently, seasonal?
His mom was a rescue of my uncle's, he'd had her for several years without any exposure to any other tortoises. He was the only egg in his clutch. His mom stepped on him when he was a baby and she's at least fifty pounds. His shell grew in asymmetrical as you can see in the pictures, I believe.
Normally, I'd do all this research on my own AND beforehand. As things are, I want to make sure he's taken care of quickly given the circumstances.
I replaced his bedding with coconut shell in the meantime because I read it was safe for him to eat, and it wouldn't have as high a dust risk on his eyes.
She didn't have a uvb bulb for his tank so I bought one of those right away. He has a food and water dish. I got him Timothy hay pellets per an experienced friend's suggestion.
I'm willing to pay for the equipment necessary to keep him; my brother really cares about him. I don't want him to have to lose his pet tortoise on top of mom being mostly bedridden.
Any advice is helpful. I am willing to do anything for him.
I just want to know how to take care of him.
Upon taking over responsibility of the tortoise, I began to realize that she wasn't taking very good care of him anyway.
I have no idea what kind of tortoise he is, just that he's a desert tortoise, not tropical. He does seem to be brumating. Initially, I had to get him eye drops as the clay my mom had in his tank hadn't been changed enough and his eyes had started to swell. That problem has since been resolved, but there was little to no care put into researching his environment.
His hind legs retract when touched but he keeps his front legs out most of the time. For a while he kept climbing into his water bowl. He does eat but has been eating less recently, seasonal?
His mom was a rescue of my uncle's, he'd had her for several years without any exposure to any other tortoises. He was the only egg in his clutch. His mom stepped on him when he was a baby and she's at least fifty pounds. His shell grew in asymmetrical as you can see in the pictures, I believe.
Normally, I'd do all this research on my own AND beforehand. As things are, I want to make sure he's taken care of quickly given the circumstances.
I replaced his bedding with coconut shell in the meantime because I read it was safe for him to eat, and it wouldn't have as high a dust risk on his eyes.
She didn't have a uvb bulb for his tank so I bought one of those right away. He has a food and water dish. I got him Timothy hay pellets per an experienced friend's suggestion.
I'm willing to pay for the equipment necessary to keep him; my brother really cares about him. I don't want him to have to lose his pet tortoise on top of mom being mostly bedridden.
Any advice is helpful. I am willing to do anything for him.
I just want to know how to take care of him.