Suggestions..MBD..?

[Kaitbrow]

We currently have an almost 1 year sulcata and on a whim going to foster this baby who has not had the proper husbandry at all. Looking to get y’all’s opinions on this guy(we don’t have him just yet), I know without proper equipment from an exotic vet it would be hard to tell if he has MBD but if you would have to guess what would yall say? I have all the proper lights coming in the mail, 9ft by 4ft home for him and of course I already have the proper food/calcium as well. Should I do a carrot bath? I haven’t done that before, or does that even help? We will do anything and everything possible for him just looking for suggestions. I just feel awful for these Torts who are treated so awful.

 

[wellington]

Yes, I would say he does. Along of course with the even more obvious, severe pyramiding. All too much and severe for a 1 year old.

 

[Kaitbrow]

He’s not one. My baby is currently one. I’m not sure how old this guy is and I’m sure the current owner doesn’t either. Is there anything I can do once he’s my care? I’m sure he’s dehydrated

 

[Kaitbrow]

Yes, I would say he does. Along of course with the even more obvious, severe pyramiding. All too much and severe for a 1 year old.

Oops see above post meant to tag you. But yes I currently have one that is almost a year old.. this one the current owner says is about 4-5inches. Just want to make the right moves once he’s finally in our care

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hi!
He needs a lot of exercise, maybe more calcium supplements (2-3 times a week instead of 1). He isn't horribly dehydrated (eyes are clear and not sunken) but daily soaks will be benefecial. High humidity in the enclosure (a bit lower than for 1 year old tortoise) to smooth new growth a little.

How long will you foster him?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

We currently have an almost 1 year sulcata and on a whim going to foster this baby who has not had the proper husbandry at all. Looking to get y’all’s opinions on this guy(we don’t have him just yet), I know without proper equipment from an exotic vet it would be hard to tell if he has MBD but if you would have to guess what would yall say? I have all the proper lights coming in the mail, 9ft by 4ft home for him and of course I already have the proper food/calcium as well. Should I do a carrot bath? I haven’t done that before, or does that even help? We will do anything and everything possible for him just looking for suggestions. I just feel awful for these Torts who are treated so awful.

Oh bless him he’s in rough shape either way! I’d say he does too looking at him.

I’d don’t suppose you’d mind sharing a little bit more about how you plan to house him? How long you planning to foster? I only ask out of curiosity with him being in such rough shape

He’ll be housed separately from your other sulcata?
What are your temperatures like? Ie basking temp(directly under the bulb), overall day temps, night temps?
What kind of basking bulb are you going to use specifically? Packaging photos are good if you have any
What’s your indoor uv type?
Will he be in a closed chamber? What humidity does your 1 year old have?
What kind of substrate?

A photo of the set up once up and running would be wonderful! In the meantime I’d love to see one of your current baby’s home

 

[Kaitbrow]

Hi!
He needs a lot of exercise, maybe more calcium supplements (2-3 times a week instead of 1). He isn't horribly dehydrated (eyes are clear and not sunken) but daily soaks will be benefecial. High humidity in the enclosure (a bit lower than for 1 year old tortoise) to smooth new growth a little.

How long will you foster him?

Thank you! I think he’s young enough to beat this, I thought his eyes looked good as well just unsure with everything else

Oh bless him he’s in rough shape either way! I’d say he does too looking at him.

I’d don’t suppose you’d mind sharing a little bit more about how you plan to house him? How long you planning to foster? I only ask out of curiosity with him being in such rough shape

He’ll be housed separately from your other sulcata?
What are your temperatures like? Ie basking temp(directly under the bulb), overall day temps, night temps?
What kind of basking bulb are you going to use specifically? Packaging photos are good if you have any
What’s your indoor uv type?
Will he be in a closed chamber? What humidity does your 1 year old have?
What kind of substrate?

A photo of the set up once up and running would be wonderful! In the meantime I’d love to see one of your current baby’s home

im not sure how long I will be fostering. They will not be housed together, new guys home will be a 9ft by 4ft shelf with a splash proof 90watt halogen bulb, and repti zoo T5 HO UVB, I will add a CHE for night time as a personal preference. I don’t have it set up yet as I’m getting everything in for him this Friday from amazon. He will also have freshly grown wheat grass, mustard greens, prickle pear, and freshly grown dandelion greens, he will receive daily soaks once home. My current almost 1 year old is in a closed chamber with the exact lighting above humidity is a steady 80, warm side stays in the 90s with basking 100s. He receives daily soaks. He’s actually getting a 6ft by 4ft by 2ft upgrade since he’s gotten bigger so there will be lots of fun changes for him as in a bigger pool and an added fogger, plants. Both are/will be on organic top soil mixed with Coco Choir. I don’t know if I’m missing anything in what I’ve said on their housing. When I get them both up and running I’ll send you pictures! thank you!

 

[Kaitbrow]

Hi!
He needs a lot of exercise, maybe more calcium supplements (2-3 times a week instead of 1). He isn't horribly dehydrated (eyes are clear and not sunken) but daily soaks will be benefecial. High humidity in the enclosure (a bit lower than for 1 year old tortoise) to smooth new growth a little.

How long will you foster him?

Not sure how long, or if he will become a Forster fail and we keep him! All I care about right now is making sure he’s happy and well cared from here on out once we get him

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you! I think he’s young enough to beat this, I thought his eyes looked good as well just unsure with everything else

im not sure how long I will be fostering. They will not be housed together, new guys home will be a 9ft by 4ft shelf with a splash proof 90watt halogen bulb, and repti zoo T5 HO UVB, I will add a CHE for night time as a personal preference. I don’t have it set up yet as I’m getting everything in for him this Friday from amazon. He will also have freshly grown wheat grass, mustard greens, prickle pear, and freshly grown dandelion greens, he will receive daily soaks once home. My current almost 1 year old is in a closed chamber with the exact lighting above humidity is a steady 80, warm side stays in the 90s with basking 100s. He receives daily soaks. He’s actually getting a 6ft by 4ft by 2ft upgrade since he’s gotten bigger so there will be lots of fun changes for him as in a bigger pool and an added fogger, plants. Both are/will be on organic top soil mixed with Coco Choir. I don’t know if I’m missing anything in what I’ve said on their housing. When I get them both up and running I’ll send you pictures! thank you!

Thanks so much for the in depth reply! Few minor things of note to give a heads up on, I’d strongly suggest going with an incandescent reptile floodlight for basking, halogen bulbs can actually contribute towards pyramiding which we especially want to avoid with this guy.
When you say basking 100’s, temperature directly under the bulb isn’t reaching over 100f is it?
Foggers aren’t recommended as they can actually cause respiratory issues.
I wouldn’t use any kind of top soils as there’s no way of knowing what kind of plants have gone into it unless composted yourself. With Reptisoils, they tend to have sand mixed in which also isn’t good for them, some have small white calcium bits which encourages them to eat the substrate, something you want to avoid.

Hopefully you might find this indoor housing thread I made useful for some pointers, it covers correct equipment(lighting, heating, uv), levels, importance of a closed chamber, appropriately maintaining humidity, substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better!

Leopard/sulcata starter

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information below on how I’d personally tackle an indoor starter set up for a leopard/sulcata until they’re bigger. Hopefully it helps give people some ideas!” I know it looks like a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes some other closed chamber options, id go large scale to last until ready for outdoor living

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one is also really good to familiarise yourself with, it explains a little more about the bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Hope they come in handy! Look forward to following your journey

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thank you! I think he’s young enough to beat this, I thought his eyes looked good as well just unsure with everything else

im not sure how long I will be fostering. They will not be housed together, new guys home will be a 9ft by 4ft shelf with a splash proof 90watt halogen bulb, and repti zoo T5 HO UVB, I will add a CHE for night time as a personal preference. I don’t have it set up yet as I’m getting everything in for him this Friday from amazon. He will also have freshly grown wheat grass, mustard greens, prickle pear, and freshly grown dandelion greens, he will receive daily soaks once home. My current almost 1 year old is in a closed chamber with the exact lighting above humidity is a steady 80, warm side stays in the 90s with basking 100s. He receives daily soaks. He’s actually getting a 6ft by 4ft by 2ft upgrade since he’s gotten bigger so there will be lots of fun changes for him as in a bigger pool and an added fogger, plants. Both are/will be on organic top soil mixed with Coco Choir. I don’t know if I’m missing anything in what I’ve said on their housing. When I get them both up and running I’ll send you pictures! thank you!

CHE is not just a preference - it's definitely a right thing to have (nighttime low temperature should be above 80F). For the 9x4ft you may need more than one. And "closed chamber" can be useful as well to make temperatures more stable (and keep humidity).

90W halogen light can be too desiccating (spectrum is different from regular incandescent flood lamps recommended here). However if your little tortoise is growing perfectly smooth, then probably it's fine. For some halogen lamps output charts look like a blow torch - the heat is very intense even at 3-4ft. distance. Also, be careful with ReptiZoo lamps - double-check the reflector position, don't forget to remove protective plastic film. When time will come to change the UV lamp try to get ZooMed (not ReptiZoo) or Arcadia lamp (fixture can stay the same).