Sulcata and Leopard Soft plastron

[ven]

Hello everybody!

I am new to the boards and Ive been having a lingering concern about my two torts. Both torts were hatched around September so they're almost a year old. Lately I've been noticing both their plastrons a little soft. While I'm not sure how soft is soft, i am worried. I soak them every day and I live in socal, and they get alot of natural sunlight. They eat and are very active. I dont feed them anything store bought. I usually let them roam and graze on weeds, etc for a couple of hours and they usually find shade. Sometimes it takes me up to 20 minutes looking for them under bushes etc. It seems that their plastron is almost transparent. Is this normal?

 

[Tom]

How were they started before you got them and how old were they when you got them?

You should not be having calcium deficiency or dehydration issues with that routine, so my suspicion is dehydration prior to you receiving them as your issue.

Mixing species and having them live as a pair isn't going to help anything either.

 

[ven]

Hey Tom,

I got them at maybe one month. I didnt really pay attention to their plastrons before. I must admit that they do look really under grown for how long i've had them compared to some other people. I do understand they have different growth rates. I will post some pictures and maybe a video of the plastron.

 

[ven]

Heres a video, watch near the end when theres a side profile. It seems like sometimes his plastron looks transparent, sometimes it doesnt.

 

[ven]

Heres the indoor enclosure

Heres his plastron

 

[ven]

I just filmed this. They eat and are active. Am I just paranoid?

 

[Tom]

The slow growth is likely due to the dry conditions, although yours is not nearly as bad as some. You have good substrate and a good size enclosure.

The "bruising" look to the plastron is cause for concern, but nothing you can really do about it. Offer them the best care possible and hope for the best.

Here are some changes I would suggest:
Much deeper substrate layer.
Added humidity. You'll need a closed chamber for this.
Lose the coil bulb. Those can damage their eyes and since yours get sunshine every day, they don't need it. Even when we have our winter cold spells here for two or three weeks in a row, they still don't need indoor UV if they get sunshine the rest of the time.

Its all in here:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

More tips:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Most breeders start them far too dry. That first month with the breeder, before the daily soaks you started, might be your problem. Check this out:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/

 

[ven]

Thanks tom!

Ive been reading about enclosures and humidity and from what i hear they say a open low box is better for air? I do soak the substrate with water from time to time. However, I do need more and it needs to be deeper.

I will be getting rid of the coil bulb.

I do think they're dehydrated. When I use to soak them they wanted to get out right away, now they both just sleep while soaking for a while.

Theres no way they lack calcium right?

For a humid hide, i'm going to use that bowl and just soak the substrate under more often.


Should I make another enclosure, or should I just divide the current one?

 

[ven]

Just an update on my two torts. I've been feeding them mostly Romaine Lettice mixed with grass and some collard greens and alot of dandelions and dandelion greens. Sprinkled with calcium and vitamin D. The leopard has experienced good growth with new white marks on his shell and a harder plastron. However my sully still has a almost transparent shell and almost feels like a bubble when i gently press on it. He still eats alot and is very active but its still got me worried.

 

[dmmj]

I would cut out the romaine, low nutritional value. The bruising on the plastron concerns me. Sadly at 1 year, all you can do is hope the little guy makes it.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm sorry to say, but when the shell reaches the point where it looks transparent, like your sulcata's does, there's little hope he's going to make it. All you can do now is get that calcium and sunshine into him and keep your fingers crossed. If you have a good tortoise vet you can take him to, you may be able to get a calcium injection or better advice.

 

[ven]

Hey Yvonne thanks for the input but i will never give up on these little guys. So i figured out the problem and i feel like a bad tortoise owner, but when i left them out to graze they really dont eat that much cept clovers. I changed their diet and fed them everyday since i move back to my parents place after graduating. I am happy to say that their plastrons are getting alot better. I guess they were just starving. I read somewhere that you dont need to feed them everyday and while I was in college i fed them maybe twice a week and let them graze. Apparently that was not enough and leaving food everyday in their enclosure has really helped.

I leave a mix of freshly cut bermuda mixed with collard greens and dandelion greens(they're quite abundant) everday. I can start to see new scutes on my sulcata and the transparency going away. Picture update soon!

Also, I've cut the romaine completely out.

 

[Peytons torts]

Good job!!!!!! I'm so happy for you!!

 

[ven]

Thanks Peyton! Its amazing how fast they can grow after changing their diets. I was wondering why they werent growing new scutes after turning one.