Please Help!!!

[5346hollie]

I recently bought a Sulcata Tortoise from a pet store. I kind of went into it blind I only bought her because she is about a foot and a half long and they had her in a 20 gallon fish tank she couldn't even turn around or reach her food and water,so I bought her to get her out of those horrible conditions. I've had her for about a month and when I got her I noticed she had a soft shell and I looked into it and I bought a UVB light and some calcium (Rep-Cal and Reptocal) and I've been adding it on to her food as instructed but her shell is getting softer. She is using the restroom normally. She is let outside for at least 3 hours in the day. I also think she has a deformed shell it's all bumpy. Is that normal?? We were told she was about 6.
Also she refuses to eat hay I've bought 3 different kinds and she won't eat it. Please help I just want to make sure I can give her the best care possible.
Thanks,
Hollie

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I would buy packaged Spring Mix and add the calcium powder to it at every meal. Forget about trying to feed her hay and just get the Spring Mix and add some different lettuces to it. She should start to firm up but it really is a long slow process. You are doing everything right. What kind of a UVB light did you get? When you put her out does she graze? Is there grass and weeds outside? After she is on the road to recovery you can start to offer her hay but for now I'd just offer the greens and do what you're doing...Good job!

 

[DuttonWebb]

I recently bought a Sulcata Tortoise from a pet store. I kind of went into it blind I only bought her because she is about a foot and a half long and they had her in a 20 gallon fish tank she couldn't even turn around or reach her food and water,so I bought her to get her out of those horrible conditions. I've had her for about a month and when I got her I noticed she had a soft shell and I looked into it and I bought a UVB light and some calcium (Rep-Cal and Reptocal) and I've been adding it on to her food as instructed but her shell is getting softer. She is using the restroom normally. She is let outside for at least 3 hours in the day. I also think she has a deformed shell it's all bumpy. Is that normal?? We were told she was about 6.
Also she refuses to eat hay I've bought 3 different kinds and she won't eat it. Please help I just want to make sure I can give her the best care possible.
Thanks,
Hollie

Im not one of the experts here, they should be around soon. But the fact that it wont eat hay is probably because he is spolied on tasty food. I had to show tough love to my torts when they wouldnt eat collards. I don't feed hay though.

Thats awesome that you bought it just to get it out of the store.

best wishes,
Dutton

 

[5346hollie]

I would buy packaged Spring Mix and add the calcium powder to it at every meal. Forget about trying to feed her hay and just get the Spring Mix and add some different lettuces to it. She should start to firm up but it really is a long slow process. You are doing everything right. What kind of a UVB light did you get? When you put her out does she graze? Is there grass and weeds outside? After she is on the road to recovery you can start to offer her hay but for now I'd just offer the greens and do what you're doing...Good job!

I've been giving her Spinach, Romain, Carrot tops, Broccoli leaves, and once a week a bite of a fruit (bananas, Cantaloupe, Peach..) And I always put the calcium on everything. When she goes out she doesn't eat she walks around and sun baths and try's to eat every piece of poop around.

 

[DuttonWebb]

I would buy packaged Spring Mix and add the calcium powder to it at every meal. Forget about trying to feed her hay and just get the Spring Mix and add some different lettuces to it. She should start to firm up but it really is a long slow process. You are doing everything right. What kind of a UVB light did you get? When you put her out does she graze? Is there grass and weeds outside? After she is on the road to recovery you can start to offer her hay but for now I'd just offer the greens and do what you're doing...Good job!

I've been giving her Spinach, Romain, Carrot tops, Broccoli leaves, and once a week a bite of a fruit (bananas, Cantaloupe, Peach..) And I always put the calcium on everything. When she goes out she doesn't eat she walks around and sun baths and try's to eat every piece of poop around.

Her own poop right? not dog poop?

 

[5346hollie]

I would buy packaged Spring Mix and add the calcium powder to it at every meal. Forget about trying to feed her hay and just get the Spring Mix and add some different lettuces to it. She should start to firm up but it really is a long slow process. You are doing everything right. What kind of a UVB light did you get? When you put her out does she graze? Is there grass and weeds outside? After she is on the road to recovery you can start to offer her hay but for now I'd just offer the greens and do what you're doing...Good job!

I've been giving her Spinach, Romain, Carrot tops, Broccoli leaves, and once a week a bite of a fruit (bananas, Cantaloupe, Peach..) And I always put the calcium on everything. When she goes out she doesn't eat she walks around and sun baths and try's to eat every piece of poop around.

Her own poop right? not dog poop?

No not hers any poop dog, cat whatever is out there I never let her but if I turn around for a second she would eat it. ( I have a dog and two cats.)

 

[DuttonWebb]

I would buy packaged Spring Mix and add the calcium powder to it at every meal. Forget about trying to feed her hay and just get the Spring Mix and add some different lettuces to it. She should start to firm up but it really is a long slow process. You are doing everything right. What kind of a UVB light did you get? When you put her out does she graze? Is there grass and weeds outside? After she is on the road to recovery you can start to offer her hay but for now I'd just offer the greens and do what you're doing...Good job!

I've been giving her Spinach, Romain, Carrot tops, Broccoli leaves, and once a week a bite of a fruit (bananas, Cantaloupe, Peach..) And I always put the calcium on everything. When she goes out she doesn't eat she walks around and sun baths and try's to eat every piece of poop around.

Her own poop right? not dog poop?

No not hers any poop dog, cat whatever is out there I never let her but if I turn around for a second she would eat it. ( I have a dog and two cats.)

Any dog or cat poop is going to have protein in it and if she eats anough is going to lead to the shell problems. Maybe this is why you havent seen improvement?

 

[5346hollie]

I would buy packaged Spring Mix and add the calcium powder to it at every meal. Forget about trying to feed her hay and just get the Spring Mix and add some different lettuces to it. She should start to firm up but it really is a long slow process. You are doing everything right. What kind of a UVB light did you get? When you put her out does she graze? Is there grass and weeds outside? After she is on the road to recovery you can start to offer her hay but for now I'd just offer the greens and do what you're doing...Good job!

I've been giving her Spinach, Romain, Carrot tops, Broccoli leaves, and once a week a bite of a fruit (bananas, Cantaloupe, Peach..) And I always put the calcium on everything. When she goes out she doesn't eat she walks around and sun baths and try's to eat every piece of poop around.

Her own poop right? not dog poop?

No not hers any poop dog, cat whatever is out there I never let her but if I turn around for a second she would eat it. ( I have a dog and two cats.)

Any dog or cat poop is going to have protein in it and if she eats anough is going to lead to the shell problems. Maybe this is why you havent seen improvement?

She never gets to eat it when she's out side i'm with her the whole time walking behind her and I have my lil bag and I pick it up before she can eat it but she always trys.

 

[Yvonne G]

Because you are trying to firm up a soft (lack of calcium) shell, I would remove any of the spinach from her diet (and Spring Mix has spinach). Spinach binds the calcium to it and it is passed right on through. What you are offering is not good enough. Like Maggie said, buy the packaged Spring Mix, remove the spinach from it, wet it and mix in the calcium supplement. The main thing right now is to get the tortoise to eat the calcium supplement. And you seem to be aware that the calcium requires the UVB light or sunshine in order to work. You are lucky that the tortoise is eating. Most of the "soft shell" requests we get here tell us that the tortoise won't eat. So, get that calcium on the food, feed her Spring Mix and be sure she is getting the UVB either from the sun or the light.

Yvonne

 

[egyptiandan]

You've gotten some great advice already Hollie. I would add to that no more carrot tops or brocolli leaves.
Like everyone has said you need to get the calcium into him/her and the fact he/she is still eating makes a big difference. It will like Maggie said be a long slow process to get back to having a hard shell.
Keep up the great work and stick around There is lots of great information on the forum to give him/her a better life than was had at the petshop.

Danny

 

[Laura]

Also try giving her a cuttle bone to much on. Real sun as much as possible, try builiding her a secure area she can bask in away from other animals feces ( poop)
I would find out why the tort was housed like that in a petshop and talk to the manager to make sure it doesnt occur again. Maybe it was very temp? Just came in? Do they have any history?
Acces to fresh green grass to graze is best.. you can pick it and offer it to them or plant a area inyour yard. She will need a large outdoor area to live in soon when she is better.

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Oh and pictures when you get a chance!

 

[5346hollie]

Also try giving her a cuttle bone to much on. Real sun as much as possible, try builiding her a secure area she can bask in away from other animals feces ( poop)
I would find out why the tort was housed like that in a petshop and talk to the manager to make sure it doesnt occur again. Maybe it was very temp? Just came in? Do they have any history?
Acces to fresh green grass to graze is best.. you can pick it and offer it to them or plant a area inyour yard. She will need a large outdoor area to live in soon when she is better.

---

Oh and pictures when you get a chance!

---

Why would I give her a cuttle bone??? What does it do for her??? I've been trying to put a picture of her on but it keeps telling me it's too big and I don't know how to make it smaller.

 

[Laura]

For pics. I go to Shutterfly.. then post the link.
Cuttle bone is calcium.. Most will eat it.. You can buy it for birds at most pet stores.. bulk is cheaper if you can find it.. 2-3$ per...if not.

 

[nrfitchett4]

photobucket works well too. upload it to photo bucket, click on the img link under it and it will copy it. then paste it straight to your post on here. the pic will magically appear when you post your reply.