About two months ago, we were given two male Russian Tortoises from a friend who has been traveling a lot and wanted the RTs to be taken care of. Timmy and Boris were in a large tank with pellets as substrate. They have a flourescent lamp and a ceramic heating bulb.
She told me that right after she had first bought the RTs, Timmy became sick and wouldn't eat because he was eating the "bedding". After a couple of weeks, I found mold growing in clumps in the pellets, especially near their wading pool. And in my RT research, I read that it was bad for them to walk on and that the dust created respiratory problems and that most people recommended a 50/50 mix of coconut coir and play sand. So I went out and purchased 3 large bricks of the coir and a large bag of play sand. I mixed it up, cleaned out their tank and added the expanded bricks of coir and some sand. I set up their tank and put them back in...I watched them and was happy to see that they LOVED it. They were running around and digging. They started making their little beds out of timothy hay and the substrate.
Sorry, I'm just trying to add as much info as I can ;O)
Long story short, last night, my friend visited and after seeing the torts, she asked me what the substrate was. I told her it was coir and she said that was what Timmy had eaten years ago and had stopped eating and had to be brought back to Petco to be nursed back to health !! (I assumed that the coir was not "bedding") And as soon as she said that, I noted that he had been sleeping a lot lately. Immediatly I took Timmy out of the tank and put him in a large cardboard box for now, with the pellets. And I soaked him for 15 minutes or so. Gave him fresh lettuce and even a 1/2 cherry tomato (he LOVES them), and he didn't even touch it :O(
Now I am really worried about him. I realize that I should take him to the vet but we are in no financial state to do that. I thought I was doing the right thing by taking them and give them love and proper care...and now I feel just awful that I made this poor guy sick.
Could anyone please give me any advice as to what I should do ? Thank you in advance for any help you could offer <3
She told me that right after she had first bought the RTs, Timmy became sick and wouldn't eat because he was eating the "bedding". After a couple of weeks, I found mold growing in clumps in the pellets, especially near their wading pool. And in my RT research, I read that it was bad for them to walk on and that the dust created respiratory problems and that most people recommended a 50/50 mix of coconut coir and play sand. So I went out and purchased 3 large bricks of the coir and a large bag of play sand. I mixed it up, cleaned out their tank and added the expanded bricks of coir and some sand. I set up their tank and put them back in...I watched them and was happy to see that they LOVED it. They were running around and digging. They started making their little beds out of timothy hay and the substrate.
Sorry, I'm just trying to add as much info as I can ;O)
Long story short, last night, my friend visited and after seeing the torts, she asked me what the substrate was. I told her it was coir and she said that was what Timmy had eaten years ago and had stopped eating and had to be brought back to Petco to be nursed back to health !! (I assumed that the coir was not "bedding") And as soon as she said that, I noted that he had been sleeping a lot lately. Immediatly I took Timmy out of the tank and put him in a large cardboard box for now, with the pellets. And I soaked him for 15 minutes or so. Gave him fresh lettuce and even a 1/2 cherry tomato (he LOVES them), and he didn't even touch it :O(
Now I am really worried about him. I realize that I should take him to the vet but we are in no financial state to do that. I thought I was doing the right thing by taking them and give them love and proper care...and now I feel just awful that I made this poor guy sick.
Could anyone please give me any advice as to what I should do ? Thank you in advance for any help you could offer <3
