YoungSheldon
New Member
I’d like to thank all of the forum members for the wealth of information they have made available. This forum has been my go to resource in figuring out how to care for my newly acquired desert tortoise, and I really appreciate all the knowledge and effort members have put into their posts. But I’m worried about my little one and it’s time to stop lurking and start posting myself.
Sheldon is approximately 7 months old and 2 1/2” long midline of shell. I have had him for about one month. He was a surprise hatchling. My friends acquired his mother (approx. 35 years old) with the house and property they purchased a few years ago. The mother lives by herself in a secure outdoor enclosure, but she obviously had some sort of fling sometime before they got her. They had no idea she had laid until Sheldon was spotted last Nov. 8th, and there were no signs of any siblings. Her enclosure is under a huge mulberry tree in a section with many other trees and shrubs, so lots of birds, too, so there may have been more that didn’t make it.
Sheldons prior enclosure was an aquarium, and I believe it was fine for temp and humidity. He was not soaked by my friends but he did have a shallow water dish that he used constantly and I’m sure he was adequately hydrated. My friends went on vacation for three plus weeks when Sheldon was five/six months, and I cared for him. I started taking him outside to run around, and feeding him greens and dandelions when the lettuce they had left went to the chickens.
Sheldons current enclosure is a 2’ x 3’ commercial Rubbermaid cart with plywood added to make the upper tray 10” tall. The substrate has areas of fine orchid bark and areas of eco earth coconut fiber. He has a floor lamp with articulating arms with two hanging fixtures, containing one 100w. black ceramic heat lamp and one 75w. Incandescent basking lamp. He has a slate basking area, two terracotta water dishes, a terracotta feeding dish, and an purchased humid hide with hidden water dishes in the roof. I have temp/humidity sensors scattered all over the enclosure, and know that there are an incredible number of microclimates in this small space. Low humidity is 45, but just moving the uppermost pieces of bark changes it to 60 plus immediately. The highest humidity is inside the hide or under the wheatgrass, over 90 percent. The temps range from low 70’s to mid 90’s, and it is possible to find any combination of these ranges somewhere.
His current routine is a slow wake, first blinds open at 5 am for sunrise light, then room lights when full outside light happens. Basking bulb after that. He comes out of the enclosure for breakfast and morning soak, two or three times a week this is done outside, where he can also run around on the patio and grind down his nails and get some sunlight (mostly dappled through the trees). He spends the middle of his day basking or patrolling his enclosure, then has a second meal and run around the dining table, then usually a soak and petting late afternoon. He puts himself to bed around 5:30-6pm.
The staples that I keep on hand for his meals are mulberry leaves, grape leaves, dandelion greens, two or more grocery greens (kale, arugula, beet leaves, etc.), mallow, hibiscus, radish and sunflower micro greens, zucchini leaves and Mazuri small tortoise diet LS (he eats 5-10 small pellets daily), and once a week or so he gets a quarter size piece of watermelon liberally sprinkled with Fluker’s phosphorus free calcium with D3. He also has a scuttlebone and does occasionally eat some of it. His individual meals consist of some combination of three or four of the above. I also always have cactus available and offer it every couple of days but he tastes and will not yet eat. I also give him a carrot soak once or twice a week. Sheldon eats and poops like a champ.
Sheldons mother does have a respiratory condition, my friends were informed by the prior owner. She rarely shows symptoms. Her enclosure is large enough that she and Sheldon may never have seen each other.
I apologize for the length of the post but I am going to ask for opinions and advice, and I’ve lurked in the forums enough to know that people will want these details so they can better evaluate Sheldons situation. So here goes:
I would have never guessed a reptile could be such a great pet. Sheldon is social and entertaining. He comes when I call him or tap my finger, climbs onto my palm when I place my hand flat in his enclosure, and seems to enjoy the little obstacle courses and games I set up for him. I’m amazed when he lays in my palm and I stroke his shell that he almost melts with relaxation. Again, would have never guessed a tortoise could exude contentment. Lol, I’m besotted with the little guy. But I’m worried, too. He seems great, active, engaged, eating like crazy, pooping to beat the band, growing and getting stronger, but his eyes, and his shell and his nose...I am just way too inexperienced to even begin to judge what it means. Living in the middle of the desert, it seems like everyone I know has or has had a desert tortoise as a pet. But not one of them has seen or cared for a hatchling.
Thanks to all of you who have read this very long post. I apologize again for the extreme length and look forward to any responses you may post.
Best Regards,
Robin
Sheldon is approximately 7 months old and 2 1/2” long midline of shell. I have had him for about one month. He was a surprise hatchling. My friends acquired his mother (approx. 35 years old) with the house and property they purchased a few years ago. The mother lives by herself in a secure outdoor enclosure, but she obviously had some sort of fling sometime before they got her. They had no idea she had laid until Sheldon was spotted last Nov. 8th, and there were no signs of any siblings. Her enclosure is under a huge mulberry tree in a section with many other trees and shrubs, so lots of birds, too, so there may have been more that didn’t make it.
Sheldons prior enclosure was an aquarium, and I believe it was fine for temp and humidity. He was not soaked by my friends but he did have a shallow water dish that he used constantly and I’m sure he was adequately hydrated. My friends went on vacation for three plus weeks when Sheldon was five/six months, and I cared for him. I started taking him outside to run around, and feeding him greens and dandelions when the lettuce they had left went to the chickens.
Sheldons current enclosure is a 2’ x 3’ commercial Rubbermaid cart with plywood added to make the upper tray 10” tall. The substrate has areas of fine orchid bark and areas of eco earth coconut fiber. He has a floor lamp with articulating arms with two hanging fixtures, containing one 100w. black ceramic heat lamp and one 75w. Incandescent basking lamp. He has a slate basking area, two terracotta water dishes, a terracotta feeding dish, and an purchased humid hide with hidden water dishes in the roof. I have temp/humidity sensors scattered all over the enclosure, and know that there are an incredible number of microclimates in this small space. Low humidity is 45, but just moving the uppermost pieces of bark changes it to 60 plus immediately. The highest humidity is inside the hide or under the wheatgrass, over 90 percent. The temps range from low 70’s to mid 90’s, and it is possible to find any combination of these ranges somewhere.
His current routine is a slow wake, first blinds open at 5 am for sunrise light, then room lights when full outside light happens. Basking bulb after that. He comes out of the enclosure for breakfast and morning soak, two or three times a week this is done outside, where he can also run around on the patio and grind down his nails and get some sunlight (mostly dappled through the trees). He spends the middle of his day basking or patrolling his enclosure, then has a second meal and run around the dining table, then usually a soak and petting late afternoon. He puts himself to bed around 5:30-6pm.
The staples that I keep on hand for his meals are mulberry leaves, grape leaves, dandelion greens, two or more grocery greens (kale, arugula, beet leaves, etc.), mallow, hibiscus, radish and sunflower micro greens, zucchini leaves and Mazuri small tortoise diet LS (he eats 5-10 small pellets daily), and once a week or so he gets a quarter size piece of watermelon liberally sprinkled with Fluker’s phosphorus free calcium with D3. He also has a scuttlebone and does occasionally eat some of it. His individual meals consist of some combination of three or four of the above. I also always have cactus available and offer it every couple of days but he tastes and will not yet eat. I also give him a carrot soak once or twice a week. Sheldon eats and poops like a champ.
Sheldons mother does have a respiratory condition, my friends were informed by the prior owner. She rarely shows symptoms. Her enclosure is large enough that she and Sheldon may never have seen each other.
I apologize for the length of the post but I am going to ask for opinions and advice, and I’ve lurked in the forums enough to know that people will want these details so they can better evaluate Sheldons situation. So here goes:
- How soft is too soft? Sheldons perimeter scutes near his tail flex. I first saw it when he backed into something. He also has a depression along the midline of his shell, which seems to be filling out and getting rounder in the month that I’ve had him, but maybe that is wishful thinking. This depression could be seen when he was newly hatched, Ill try to post the picture that was taken the day he was discovered.
- His eyes are swollen and I’m not sure why. I don’t think it is allergies or irritants from his substrate. I’ve gone through three changes of substrate, including a week in his old tank on paper towels, and while the amount of puffiness goes up and down, it never clears. I did notice a week ago that he was dragging his claws across his eyes when eating, either to push leaves away (he likes them best whole) or to unstick pieces of chopped food. Until I noticed the clawing, he was feeding all kinds of ways, whole pieces, finely chopped in his dish, hand feeding, self feeding, etc. For the past week he has been exclusively hand fed, so I can keep those little front feet away from his eyes, and they seem better but not right, and more swollen today than yesterday.
- His nose is pink and scaleless. Other than appearance, there seems to be no problem. No discharge, seems functionally okay and he uses it without hesitation. Just looks different from photos I see of other hatchlings.
- Any vet recommendations around Blythe, CA? The closest on the forum vet
list in Palm Desert had his license revoked in a disciplinary action and is no longer practicing. The office is open but the practice was sold to a cat and dog type vet. The one vet in Blythe ( where we live) doesn’t even have a functioning phone, besides my being very apprehensive about taking Sheldon to a random vet who may know nothing about tortoises.
I would have never guessed a reptile could be such a great pet. Sheldon is social and entertaining. He comes when I call him or tap my finger, climbs onto my palm when I place my hand flat in his enclosure, and seems to enjoy the little obstacle courses and games I set up for him. I’m amazed when he lays in my palm and I stroke his shell that he almost melts with relaxation. Again, would have never guessed a tortoise could exude contentment. Lol, I’m besotted with the little guy. But I’m worried, too. He seems great, active, engaged, eating like crazy, pooping to beat the band, growing and getting stronger, but his eyes, and his shell and his nose...I am just way too inexperienced to even begin to judge what it means. Living in the middle of the desert, it seems like everyone I know has or has had a desert tortoise as a pet. But not one of them has seen or cared for a hatchling.
Thanks to all of you who have read this very long post. I apologize again for the extreme length and look forward to any responses you may post.
Best Regards,
Robin
Please keep us updated with his health!
