Tort not growing.

[Turbotort]

Hey everyone,

So my tort just hasn't really been growing much sense I've had him. I picked Tort up on 3/22/15 and was told he was born around Christmas. He has a small black piece on his belly and had the little egg cracking spike on his nose as well. Not sure if the December date is accurate. Anyways I've made my fare share of mistakes so far. I.e. no variety, small tank, and no night heat.

But he's now in a larger enclosure that I can keep the humidity in the 80s at all times. 100w che at night and 75w basking bulb during the day. Its been two weeks sense I removed the harmful uvb bulb. Temps are in the 80s throughout the enclosure and 100 on the basking spot.

in the seven weeks sense ive been weighing him he's only manage a few grams. Its been up and down everyweek. He just loves romaine and doesn't want to eat anything else. Im trying to give him endive, radicchio, and zoomed grassland pellets. But it's basically like. Yo where's the romaine??? I actually spread the pellet mash on romaine and hand fed it to him trying to get him to eat the mash for nutrients haha.

Anyways I get him plenty of uvb outside sense im in florida. Any suggestions? I thonk that maybe this current weeks weight loss is him not eating the new menu and it may take a few weeks to finally eat other things than lettuce?

I'm adding some pics of him from today and my current weight chart.

thanks again!

I'm trying

 

[Tom]

How was this baby started before you got it? Wet or dry routine?

Take a look at this:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/

 

[Turbotort]

I have no idea unfortunately. I got my tort at repticon. And I wasn't given very good info. Probably there just to make money. He's active, eats and poops. Heck he's up looking for food before im even up to turn the lights on. But not gaining weight is frustrating. I know a lot must have to do with the poor diet I've given him.

 

[Turbotort]

I've read a lot of your posts in the last few weeks and obviously I'm worried because he seems like he's going through everything in your breeder failure syndrome thread. His shell is soft/squishy in some places so I want to get more calcium in his system. He won't touch the cuddle bone and hates powdered calcium on his food. Isn't there a liquid calcium I can almost force feed or add to his soaks to help with that?

 

[Tom]

If he has kidney damage from early chronic dehydration, all the calcium in the world will not help. Try to get him to eat other things by mixing in small amounts with the romaine. Chop up the new stuff super fine and then mix it in with chopped, wet romaine. It will take time, but this will eventully get him used to and eating the new stuff.

I hope he makes it.

 

[Jodie]

I wish you the best of luck if this is a dry started baby.

 

[Turbotort]

Well I appreciate it. I'll give that a try and do the best I can. I soak him everyday and ill keep trying to introduce other foods to add variety. Hopefully he'll pull through and ill see improvement in the next couple weeks. Cross your fingers!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Good luck.

 

[Big B]

Have you tried Mazuri tortoise pellets. A lot of good nutrition and most tortoises love it. Good luck.

 

[sj83508]

Have you tried giving them more exsersize on you're floor or outside? Giving them plenty of vitamin c, or maybe sent them to the nearest vet that looks at reptiles but only if they haven't grown by another week or so because there could be something wrong with it or them! If there is anything els just ask me!

 

[Killerrookie]

I got my leopard tortoise from repticon and has gone threw lots of problems similar to yours. I've been getting stressed out from her/him trying to gain wait. She is almost a year old now and finally is gaining wait!! I couldn't get her to get in the 80s in grams and I felt like I was a horrible pet keeper the entire time till one day I weighed her and she was 86s grams and last week she was 71 grams!! I had to change her diet from the zoo med grassland pellets and grass and weeds to mazuri and more of a variety of grass and some weeds. Now she's slowly gaining her wait which is great in my opinion.

 

[Killerrookie]

Oh here is the guys card that I bought it from. Maybe we got the same guy?

 

[fairuz]

Hi Turbotort,

Try Mazuri pellets.. I've tried it with my star tortoise, and now she's starting to gain weight unlike before..

 

[ZEROPILOT]

The weight of a baby will and usually does wildly fluctuate. don't stress out about week to week weight as long as the curve is generally towards heavier for the whole month.

 

[Neal]

Have you tried Mazuri? See if you can coax him to that by soaking it and spreading it on romaine. Mazuri often helps encourage appetite and growth.

It sounds like you have got him in a good set up now. If you don't mind, I'll tell you what I would do if I were in your position and if you think it's helpful, great. I would maintain the minimum temperatures a lot warmer...around 88 to 90 for a minimum 24/7. It has been my experience that warmer temperatures encourage more activity and more eating. Grow food in the enclosure so the tortoise always has something to graze on. Offer other types of food twice a day minimum (morning and night). Soak daily for 10 minutes minimum. Keep this routine up until the tortoise begins to improve, then change the temperatures to a more "normal" level.

 

[Turbotort]

Thanks everyone! I'm going to order mazuri tonight on amazon because it's been a week and he won't eat the zoo med grassland pellets still. I tried putting it on a leaf of romaine and I have to pretty much move it into his mouth as he tries to take a bite lol. I hope the mazuri isn't like that. I'll leave the tempts in the higher 80s for now. Humidity is 80% as well. Ill post a pic of the card I was given from the dealer. Out of south Carolina.

 

[Careym13]

Have you tried dandelion greens? Or opuntia cactus? Those are two of my tort's favorites.

 

[Turbotort]

Well I live in florida so its almost all crab grass everywhere. I live in an apartment so I won't pick anything outside for posibility of pesticides and dog pee and poo. I was thinking of buying a bag of testudo mix and growing that. I believe he would eat most of that.

 

[Careym13]

You can get dandelion greens at most grocery stores...and you can order the cactus pads online.

 

[Turbotort]

Yeah I'm going to look around and see what I can find. In the mean time just continue to do my best to give my tort a good environment and keep him hydrated. Maybe a massage would ease his nerves. Lol