My name is Travyn and I own a six year old "blonde" Leopard Tortoise named Tucker, who has had a rough past. I'm here to consistently grow and become a better mom.
About Tuck
I found Tuck when he was one (so they say) at a hockey Tournament in a run down pet store near an ice rink in Jeff City, MO. The owner of the shop had a baby Galapagos the size of an mandarin orange, (which an arizona man bought for 75$) and another tortoise that was the size of my palm. I did not want a chelonian, having only ever owned Mali Uromastyx lizards. But, because she was literally going to throw him away, i took him. the lady informed me that the tortoise was a female blonde leopard tortoise. I named 'her' tuck.
The lady at the store instructed me that tuck's diet consisted mainly of fruit and greens. I followed her dieting directions for a good four years, unfortunately. I was always a successful lizard owner, but when my last Mali past away, I started noticing things about Tuck I should have seen much earlier than I did.
Tucks shell was disgustingly soft. Unimaginably soft. He was pyramiding. Freaked out, i searched for a cause. I found that fruit decreased calcium, and he was suffering from MBD. I immediatley made a change.
Three years later. Tuck (now affirmed male, thanks to 'flashing') has a shell as hard as a Diamond. His beak his long, (getting trimmed soon) and he still has a bumpy shell - side effects from my horrible parenting in his early life. He's twice as large as he was three years ago, and a completely different tort. He's so happy. And although his shell will never be the same, I hope that we can share THE REST of our life together as healthily as possible.
Hopefully the Tortoise forum will aid me in my pursuit to be a good owner for Tuck. I'm here for advice, learning, and growing.
About Tuck
I found Tuck when he was one (so they say) at a hockey Tournament in a run down pet store near an ice rink in Jeff City, MO. The owner of the shop had a baby Galapagos the size of an mandarin orange, (which an arizona man bought for 75$) and another tortoise that was the size of my palm. I did not want a chelonian, having only ever owned Mali Uromastyx lizards. But, because she was literally going to throw him away, i took him. the lady informed me that the tortoise was a female blonde leopard tortoise. I named 'her' tuck.
The lady at the store instructed me that tuck's diet consisted mainly of fruit and greens. I followed her dieting directions for a good four years, unfortunately. I was always a successful lizard owner, but when my last Mali past away, I started noticing things about Tuck I should have seen much earlier than I did.
Tucks shell was disgustingly soft. Unimaginably soft. He was pyramiding. Freaked out, i searched for a cause. I found that fruit decreased calcium, and he was suffering from MBD. I immediatley made a change.
Three years later. Tuck (now affirmed male, thanks to 'flashing') has a shell as hard as a Diamond. His beak his long, (getting trimmed soon) and he still has a bumpy shell - side effects from my horrible parenting in his early life. He's twice as large as he was three years ago, and a completely different tort. He's so happy. And although his shell will never be the same, I hope that we can share THE REST of our life together as healthily as possible.
Hopefully the Tortoise forum will aid me in my pursuit to be a good owner for Tuck. I'm here for advice, learning, and growing.
I am also in IL, the city of Chicago to be exact. Do be hard on yourself about Tucks past. There are many out there that got the same bad advice as you. Unfortunately, a lot of bad advice is still coming out of pet stores and even some breeders
