Just got her for my anni, haven't a clue how to take care of her. She's so adorable. Seller said she has "split scutes"? Don't kno what that means... Well here's some pix of her,she's supposedly 3yrs old.
NEWBIE TO THE THREAD & NEW LEOPARD TORTOISE!!!
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Just got her for my anni, haven't a clue how to take care of her. She's so adorable. Seller said she has "split scutes"? Don't kno what that means... Well here's some pix of her,she's supposedly 3yrs old.
Hi J:
I don't mean to alarm you, but from looking at the pictures, I think your new little guy is ill. It looks quite thin (looking the the front legs above the joint), and the eyes should be open in at least one of those pictures.
First order of business is to place this tortoise in some luke warm water immediately and see if you can get those eyes open.
I don't mean to alarm you, but from looking at the pictures, I think your new little guy is ill. It looks quite thin (looking the the front legs above the joint), and the eyes should be open in at least one of those pictures.
First order of business is to place this tortoise in some luke warm water immediately and see if you can get those eyes open.
Oh lord..... Wouldn't that be wonderful.. If she's I'll how do I treat her?
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Emmy is spot on ....your lil guy needs some Immediate attention!.....but on a positive note it does look she/he is eating for you....correct?
Welcome to the Forum .........there are plenty of well versed Leo keepers in here as well as a wealth of information from tortoise keepers around the world and great minds abroad. Wear your eyes out silly .....and read...read...read the great info that is shared within this forum .....
WELCOME TO THE FORUM!
JD~
Welcome to the Forum .........there are plenty of well versed Leo keepers in here as well as a wealth of information from tortoise keepers around the world and great minds abroad. Wear your eyes out silly .....and read...read...read the great info that is shared within this forum .....
WELCOME TO THE FORUM!
JD~
N2TORTS said:Emmy is spot on ....your lil guy needs some Immediate attention!.....but on a positive note it does look she/he is eating for you....correct?
Welcome to the Forum .........there are plenty of well versed Leo keepers in here as well as a wealth of information from tortoise keepers around the world and great minds abroad. Wear your eyes out silly .....and read...read...read the great info that is shared within this forum .....
WELCOME TO THE FORUM!
JD~
Well she's looking a bit better, fallen asleep at the food dish (as a baby would lol), did some good laps around the tank since she could see!
Hello and Welcome I would change your substrate to coconut coir, or plain dirt. I also would get a bigger water dish, one s/he can climb into and soak or drink. I would also not let her temps go below 85 until you know she is okay and not sick. The basking spot needs to be 100 and she needs sunshine every day or a UVB light and not the coil kind. The threads at the bottom of my post are a great way for raising a hatchling. Read them and then you will have an idea of how she should have been taken care of the first few years. Then adjust to now being three. The humidity doesn't have to be quite so high for a three year old as it does a hatchling and you can cut the soaks down to 2-3 times a week. Keep us posted on how she is doing.
I would change your substrate to coconut coir, or plain dirt. I also would get a bigger water dish, one s/he can climb into and soak or drink. I would also not let her temps go below 85 until you know she is okay and not sick. The basking spot needs to be 100 and she needs sunshine every day or a UVB light and not the coil kind. The threads at the bottom of my post are a great way for raising a hatchling. Read them and then you will have an idea of how she should have been taken care of the first few years. Then adjust to now being three. The humidity doesn't have to be quite so high for a three year old as it does a hatchling and you can cut the soaks down to 2-3 times a week. Keep us posted on how she is doing.
Hi & welcome! I agree with everything 'Wellington' said and also wanted to mention that 3 years old is not really a baby so you shouldn't expect it to sleep like one. Sleeping a lot and keeping eyes closed is a sign of sickness. She should be active throughout the day with maybe 1 or two naps in between.
She is a beautiful Leo and I cannot wait to see how she grows in your care.
She is a beautiful Leo and I cannot wait to see how she grows in your care.
RE: NEWBIE TO THE THREAD & NEW LEOPARD TORTOISE!!!
Well her eyes are still closed been keeping it around 90-95 in her tank. I've been busy so haven't been able to soak her since getting eye drops. I think tonight I'm going to soak her till they open and put them in.
Well her eyes are still closed been keeping it around 90-95 in her tank. I've been busy so haven't been able to soak her since getting eye drops. I think tonight I'm going to soak her till they open and put them in.
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RE: NEWBIE TO THE THREAD & NEW LEOPARD TORTOISE!!!
Hello and welcome!
I understand about not having the time but I think you are under estimating the power of a good soak.... Something I do To keep hydrated between soaking is to use a big water dish and fill each morning with some warm water. I put my babies in it and let them "self soak". I just leave it in the enclosure and they can crawl out of the dish when they like.....make sure its a shallow dish like a terra cotta plant saucer. That way they are getting something and I don't have to sit with them for 30 minutes every day. I still do my 2-3 weeklies but this will help your tort feel better if you don't have time.
Hello and welcome!
I understand about not having the time but I think you are under estimating the power of a good soak.... Something I do To keep hydrated between soaking is to use a big water dish and fill each morning with some warm water. I put my babies in it and let them "self soak". I just leave it in the enclosure and they can crawl out of the dish when they like.....make sure its a shallow dish like a terra cotta plant saucer. That way they are getting something and I don't have to sit with them for 30 minutes every day. I still do my 2-3 weeklies but this will help your tort feel better if you don't have time.
RE: NEWBIE TO THE THREAD & NEW LEOPARD TORTOISE!!!
Got her soaked, didn't do much this time. So I sat here since my last posting running the unmedicated eye drops(zoomed repti tortoise eye drops) pretty much vitamin A drops. Ran it over her eyes, rubbed them in, let it sit, rinse and repeat lol... Long story short her eyes are open, we have her terrarium on the living room floor, so she has her light on all night. She has a log hide to go into for darkness. Soon as we get these darn winkers under control, onto upping her weight!!! Called a vet they said to use neosporin on her eyes 3x a day in lieu of the drops. So I'm going to be busy now that my books opened up... She was VERY happy to have her eyes open, she walked across my living room chasing the cats!
Oh and I DO use a UVA UVB bulb non coil. So she gets that!
Got her soaked, didn't do much this time. So I sat here since my last posting running the unmedicated eye drops(zoomed repti tortoise eye drops) pretty much vitamin A drops. Ran it over her eyes, rubbed them in, let it sit, rinse and repeat lol... Long story short her eyes are open, we have her terrarium on the living room floor, so she has her light on all night. She has a log hide to go into for darkness. Soon as we get these darn winkers under control, onto upping her weight!!! Called a vet they said to use neosporin on her eyes 3x a day in lieu of the drops. So I'm going to be busy now that my books opened up... She was VERY happy to have her eyes open, she walked across my living room chasing the cats!
Oh and I DO use a UVA UVB bulb non coil. So she gets that!
RE: NEWBIE TO THE THREAD & NEW LEOPARD TORTOISE!!!
I just woke up and picked her up, eyes were sealed gave her 2 drops of the eye drops on each eye and sat her in her cage, and they opened up automatically this time! She went right to her food dish and started munching, and is terrorizing my kitties through the glass. So she is doing well! Once we get that neosporin her eyes should stay moist through the night and should stay open. What type of "toys" if any do Torts like? I was thinking of kitty tinkle balls that tinkle when you roll them?.. To entertain her while I'm gone. As if terrorizing the kitties isn't enough lol!!!
I just woke up and picked her up, eyes were sealed gave her 2 drops of the eye drops on each eye and sat her in her cage, and they opened up automatically this time! She went right to her food dish and started munching, and is terrorizing my kitties through the glass. So she is doing well! Once we get that neosporin her eyes should stay moist through the night and should stay open. What type of "toys" if any do Torts like? I was thinking of kitty tinkle balls that tinkle when you roll them?.. To entertain her while I'm gone. As if terrorizing the kitties isn't enough lol!!!
Your tortoise needs some help.
Where in the enclosure is it 90-95? There are 4 temperatures to monitor and adjust. Warm side, cool side, basking spot and night. They need it warm day and night, but they still need it dark. The easiest way to accomplish all of this is to use a basking bulb on a timer for around 12 hours a day, and a ceramic heating element set on a thermostat to maintain the ambient temp day and night. A half log is not enough. Your tortoise needs a proper humid hide.
What sort of UV bulb are you using?
Your tortoise will benefit tremendously from some time outside. Build a safe enclosure, make sure there are always shady spots to retreat to and start growing some weeds and grass for grazing and cover. Your climate is excellent for this most of the year.
There are links for all of this in my signature. Please do not wait to handle these things. Immediate attention is necessary in this case.
Where in the enclosure is it 90-95? There are 4 temperatures to monitor and adjust. Warm side, cool side, basking spot and night. They need it warm day and night, but they still need it dark. The easiest way to accomplish all of this is to use a basking bulb on a timer for around 12 hours a day, and a ceramic heating element set on a thermostat to maintain the ambient temp day and night. A half log is not enough. Your tortoise needs a proper humid hide.
What sort of UV bulb are you using?
Your tortoise will benefit tremendously from some time outside. Build a safe enclosure, make sure there are always shady spots to retreat to and start growing some weeds and grass for grazing and cover. Your climate is excellent for this most of the year.
There are links for all of this in my signature. Please do not wait to handle these things. Immediate attention is necessary in this case.
RE: NEWBIE TO THE THREAD & NEW LEOPARD TORTOISE!!!
Maybe it might help other experienced Leo owners if you put a picture of your whole set up? I did this when I first started with my red foot and the advice I got on top of the research I did before I purchased him was great!i hope your tort gets better soon
Maybe it might help other experienced Leo owners if you put a picture of your whole set up? I did this when I first started with my red foot and the advice I got on top of the research I did before I purchased him was great!i hope your tort gets better soon
RE: NEWBIE TO THE THREAD & NEW LEOPARD TORTOISE!!!
I'll post pix later on, just got home. Got the neosporin, so let's hope it works like the vet says it will.
In the feeding area and walk around I guess u could call it, it's 90-95. I use my bfs photo flood lamps to disperse the light and heat. I use both Zoo Med bulbs, the UV is the long one. Don't have the box n e more. It's been REALLY cold, it even snowed a few days ago, so I doubt outside in her condition would be ideal. I'm handling everything as fast as I can.
Here's some pix of her home. Water bowl is absent because I have it in the sink soaking. Her eyes are open in the close up pix but she's so fast it's blurry.
Alan RF said:Maybe it might help other experienced Leo owners if you put a picture of your whole set up? I did this when I first started with my red foot and the advice I got on top of the research I did before I purchased him was great!i hope your tort gets better soon
I'll post pix later on, just got home. Got the neosporin, so let's hope it works like the vet says it will.
Tom said:
In the feeding area and walk around I guess u could call it, it's 90-95. I use my bfs photo flood lamps to disperse the light and heat. I use both Zoo Med bulbs, the UV is the long one. Don't have the box n e more. It's been REALLY cold, it even snowed a few days ago, so I doubt outside in her condition would be ideal. I'm handling everything as fast as I can.
Here's some pix of her home. Water bowl is absent because I have it in the sink soaking. Her eyes are open in the close up pix but she's so fast it's blurry.
You, will definatly want to get rid of that woodchip substrate and go with cococoir or just plain ol' dirt. and some weeds and leafy greens will be happily Welcomed by your littl guy. Mazurri is a good suppliment but not a good staple to his diet.
Earlier in the thread she mentioned that the torts light is on all night, but she has a hide log in there for darkness. I'm not sure if anyone addressed this issue yet?
If not, to the OP. You cannot leave a light on the enclosure all night. The tort needs a dark nighttime period with no light. For heat you can use a ceramic heat emitter or even a black incandescent light for heat. But no regular lights. Light on all night will stress the tort.
If not, to the OP. You cannot leave a light on the enclosure all night. The tort needs a dark nighttime period with no light. For heat you can use a ceramic heat emitter or even a black incandescent light for heat. But no regular lights. Light on all night will stress the tort.
jfulcher said:
These balls are not a good idea.
Here are some ideas of toys that your tortoise WILL like
A safe outdoor pen full of:
Hibiscus bushes
Patches of clover
Lots of weeds and grass
Succulents
Some large rocks to act as sight barriers (your tort will be excited to walk around and see what's on the other side!)
Smaller rocks to crawl over and walk on
Water dish to trample through
etc..
I promise you, if you create this type of environment to keep your tortoise in during the nice weather, your tortoise wont even miss you while you're gone!
Leave the tinkle balls for your cats
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