dh1998
New Member
HEALTH ISSUES:
I recently got a beautiful leopard tortoise hatchling on August 26, 2018. She seemed pretty active at the pet store and quite healthy. I knew that when I brought her home she would take a few days to adjust to her new life and new enclosure. However, I didn't see her exploring as much I had hoped.
Im very paranoid about her having respiratory infections, so I don't know if Im looking for things wrong with her or if they are actually wrong with her. To begin my most concerning observation is of her right eye. She doesn't open it very often, sometimes the left eye is wide open when the right eye is closed. Ive seen her open the eye and its usually when I put her in the bath, it opens pretty big but not as big as the left. Could it be possible that her eye is puffy which could indicate respiratory infection?
Also, I feel like her breathing is a bit heavy. Her head bobs and her arms move in a pretty big motion when she is breathing. It isn't often but it does happen.
BATHING:
I bathe her every morning about half an hour after the day light comes on for about 25 minutes in lukewarm water under her basking light. She does poop in the bath but it looks like she does struggle a bit, and her some of her poop stays stuck to her but. Im wondering if that might be because eats her food when it is already on the drier side.
DIET:
On the subject of food, I feed her the Mazuri Desert Tortoise Diet mixed with chopped dark spring mix. I shave some of her cuttle bone on the food and then break apart about two petals of flowerfood topper. I also have clover sprouts but I heard that they are too high in protein to be fed every day. I am growing grazing grass for her but it grown enough for me to be able to feed her. This is the grass I bought: https://www.naturesseed.com/pasture-seed/tortoise-pastures/tortoise-forage-blend I put the bowl of food on the cool side, and she usually doesn't touch the food until I take her outside in the afternoon (I bring the food with me) and she wakes up and starts to explore.
ENCLOSURE:
I put her in a 30"x15" enclosure with the forrest floor bark. I have her water bowl and food on the cool end. I large den towards the warm side. And a little plastic tapeware with sphagnum moss on the warm side as a little humid box. I did see her in the humid hide so I think she enjoys it. I have a 50 w ceramic heat emitter on the warm side that is on at all times. For the basking light I use the 100 w ZOO MED REPTI BASKING SPOT LAMP. And then I have the ZILLA SLIMLINE DESERT FIXTURE with a 50 UVB 18" T8 Fluorescent bulb. The fixture and the basking light are about 12-13" from the ground. The temperatures on the warm side range from 105-110, with the highest of 115 under the basking light. The coldest it gets on the cold side is about 75. At night the ceramic heat emitter keeps the warm area at about 88.
Im posting pictures so you guys can get a better idea of everything.
I just want to know if everything Im doing is right for her and if the conditions are right or raising a healthy tortoise. I am taking her to the vet on Friday just to make sure everything is ok.
I recently got a beautiful leopard tortoise hatchling on August 26, 2018. She seemed pretty active at the pet store and quite healthy. I knew that when I brought her home she would take a few days to adjust to her new life and new enclosure. However, I didn't see her exploring as much I had hoped.
Im very paranoid about her having respiratory infections, so I don't know if Im looking for things wrong with her or if they are actually wrong with her. To begin my most concerning observation is of her right eye. She doesn't open it very often, sometimes the left eye is wide open when the right eye is closed. Ive seen her open the eye and its usually when I put her in the bath, it opens pretty big but not as big as the left. Could it be possible that her eye is puffy which could indicate respiratory infection?
Also, I feel like her breathing is a bit heavy. Her head bobs and her arms move in a pretty big motion when she is breathing. It isn't often but it does happen.
BATHING:
I bathe her every morning about half an hour after the day light comes on for about 25 minutes in lukewarm water under her basking light. She does poop in the bath but it looks like she does struggle a bit, and her some of her poop stays stuck to her but. Im wondering if that might be because eats her food when it is already on the drier side.
DIET:
On the subject of food, I feed her the Mazuri Desert Tortoise Diet mixed with chopped dark spring mix. I shave some of her cuttle bone on the food and then break apart about two petals of flowerfood topper. I also have clover sprouts but I heard that they are too high in protein to be fed every day. I am growing grazing grass for her but it grown enough for me to be able to feed her. This is the grass I bought: https://www.naturesseed.com/pasture-seed/tortoise-pastures/tortoise-forage-blend I put the bowl of food on the cool side, and she usually doesn't touch the food until I take her outside in the afternoon (I bring the food with me) and she wakes up and starts to explore.
ENCLOSURE:
I put her in a 30"x15" enclosure with the forrest floor bark. I have her water bowl and food on the cool end. I large den towards the warm side. And a little plastic tapeware with sphagnum moss on the warm side as a little humid box. I did see her in the humid hide so I think she enjoys it. I have a 50 w ceramic heat emitter on the warm side that is on at all times. For the basking light I use the 100 w ZOO MED REPTI BASKING SPOT LAMP. And then I have the ZILLA SLIMLINE DESERT FIXTURE with a 50 UVB 18" T8 Fluorescent bulb. The fixture and the basking light are about 12-13" from the ground. The temperatures on the warm side range from 105-110, with the highest of 115 under the basking light. The coldest it gets on the cold side is about 75. At night the ceramic heat emitter keeps the warm area at about 88.
Im posting pictures so you guys can get a better idea of everything.
I just want to know if everything Im doing is right for her and if the conditions are right or raising a healthy tortoise. I am taking her to the vet on Friday just to make sure everything is ok.