Newbie w/ questions

[Yoda]

Hi everyone. I just bought a leo thats about 2 inches. He seems very lethargic since I brought him home. Infact the only time he really gets active is at about 5 or 6 pm, and that seems to be just long enough for him to eat and fall back asleep, sometimes he falls asleep in his food dish. Is it normal for them to sleep all day? Also, last night I turned off all lights for bed time, and woke up to notice that the humidity jumped up to about 70%. How can I keep the humidity low during the night? I will appreciate any suggestions.

Yoda's Mommy

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Yoda's Mommy:

Baby leopards are prey, and they do sleep a lot, however, they are usually pretty shy and sleep in their hiding places, not in their food dishes.

Tell us a little bit about how you have your leopard baby set up. It might be too hot...or too cool. What kind of light? What kind of heat? They can use a bit of humidity to keep their shells growing smooth, so I wouldn't worry too much about the humidity during the night. 70 degrees isn't too cool for night time.

Yvonne

 

[Yoda]

He is in a 30 gallon tank. Its about 95 degrees in the basking area, and the humity looks to be at about 60%. I have the heat lamp and the UVB light on the right side of the tank, and nothing on the side with the half log hide out. I have been keeping his water fresh and shallow. I have been feeding him romaine lettuce, with the reptile vitamins sprinkled on top. I have also attempted to introduce the moistened pellet tortoise food....but he doesnt seem to enjoy that. Am I doing everything right? Also, as we were leaving the pet store I noticed one single clear bubble on his nose. When I asked the owner about it, he said that it may have been because he was in the water dish...is this true?

 

[Greg T]

What kind of material do you have as a substrate, and how deep is it? Temperatures and humidity sound fine.

Does he respond when you hold him or you let him crawl around outside the tank?

Can't be too sure about the bubble on his nose. Have you seen it happen again? It may have just been a one-time deal.

 

[Millerlite]

Could be early stages of dehydration, how often do you soak him? Also could be a case of URI.... But a little more info will help a bunch.

Kyle

 

[Yoda]

Update: I just took him out in the sun, and he loved it! He was running around in the back yard checking everything out. This would lead me to believe that the UVB bulb is not right for him. Maybe he is getting "depressed" because of lack of "sun light"? I am currently using a 20watt desert 50. I think he may need more? Thank you for all of the help.

 

[Yvonne G]

The other end of a tortoise's nasal passages doesn't go down his throat and into the lungs like it does in mammals. It goes into the roof of his mouth. So its not uncommon to see moisture, bubbles and sometimes even food, coming out the nose. I wouldn't worry about one bubble. If you can allow at least two to three hours of outside/sunshine time, then I wouldn't even worry about having the UVB bulb. Just use either a ceramic heat emitter for warmth, or a regular 60 to 75 watt incandescent bulb for warmth.

Yvonne

 

[Yoda]

ok, now i am getting worried...he is making a weird almost squeaky noise...something tells me i paid a lot of $ for an unhealthy tortoise... please help

 

[tortoisenerd]

Welcome to the forum! I recommend you find a tort vet. Even without what you describe, I'd take him for a check up anyways. But, the noise might worry me, in addition to the behavioral. What did it accompany? Was it like a wheezy noise, was it while drinking water?

We still need more information about his set up, including pictures.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Hi Yoda, welcome to the forum. It helps us give more correct advice if we know exactly how you have your baby set up. So my question to you would be what are you using as substrate? If you have a dry substrate your baby *could* be getting dehydrated and the mucous membranes over react to dry and dusty conditions and create bubbles. Are you keeping him on a moist substrate?
Pine is toxic to tortoises so keep away from pine and let us know how he set up, what his substrate is...Thanks...

 

[Yoda]

OK, here is a picture of his enclosure. The bedding is natural cypress mulch.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Aquariums are for fish not for tortoises...with that said, I have raised several tortoises in aquariums but keep on top of your heat. That's the biggest problem. You have a good substrate and I'm thinkin everything else is alright too. Remember he is a baby and babies sleep a lot. Also babies in the wild are prey and so when you lean over him he is thinking you are a giant predator. Get a routine going where you feed him and soak him at the same time every day. I'd add some dark leafy greens or Spring mix to his diet, variety is necessary...and after you have a routine and he is settled down from his move you will be more able to make sure he is growing and healthy. Watch for bubbles and keep us posted...

 

[Yoda]

thank you for the input. I think our next step will be to build a table thing for him. But for now, all we have is the tank. Hopefully he wont mind being in there temporarily. Thank you again for everyone that has been giving such great advice!

 

[Crazy1]

Yoda's mommy, You've gotten great advice. All I have to add is that torts do make noises. Some squeek, some make sounds like sneezing and other make clicks and hisses. These are all normal sounds. Your thermometer is over his/her hide. You want to get that down to substrate level for a more accurate read. Are your bulbs the curly kind? These can cause problems with torts eyes http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm

 

[Yoda]

Yoda's mommy, You've gotten great advice. All I have to add is that torts do make noises. Some squeek, some make sounds like sneezing and other make clicks and hisses. These are all normal sounds. Your thermometer is over his/her hide. You want to get that down to substrate level for a more accurate read. Are your bulbs the curly kind? These can cause problems with torts eyes http://www.uvguide.co.uk/index.htm

The pet store that I got him at has asked me to bring him back in so they can check him out. They said that he more than likely has a respitory infection. I'm on my way now. I will keep you guys updated. *Crossing Fingers*

 

[Crazy1]

Yoda's mom, Thank you and yes please keep us updated.

 

[Yoda]

So the manager at the pet store said that he appears happy and healthy. I think my UVB light is wrong....gonna replace that next.

 

[Crazy1]

Good to hear the manager thinks your leo is ok. I highly recommend a MVB they are more expensive but last a year. Please do not get the coiled bulbs they have caused difficulty with eyes on reptiles.