Gorgeous tort btw. Really nice patern.
Tort not growing.
- Thread starter Turbotort
- Start date
Gorgeous tort btw. Really nice patern.
Killerrookie
Well-Known Member
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- May 11, 2014
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Thank you! I love your Leopard Tortoise as well!! Leopards in general are beautiful.
Just keep doing the best you can 
Hello everyone,
I just wanted to give a quick update. My mazuri arrived saturday night so I was able to try and startfeeding it to my tort. He won't eat it by itself unfounfortunately. Although if I spread it on romaine he'll tolerate it but still try to go for the plain romaine. On monday he still weighed 34g. I found escrole so im trying to chop that with romaine and kale in a pile for him to eat.
On a good note his shell is starting to harden. It was a bit soft in places but after this last week its feeling better. So I think that's a good sign. Still not growing much but coming around!
Also is a humid hide really necessary if my setup keeps temps in the mid 80's to low 90's and humidity around 80% at all times? He never goes into it and prefers to burrow in moss?
Thanks!
I just wanted to give a quick update. My mazuri arrived saturday night so I was able to try and startfeeding it to my tort. He won't eat it by itself unfounfortunately. Although if I spread it on romaine he'll tolerate it but still try to go for the plain romaine. On monday he still weighed 34g. I found escrole so im trying to chop that with romaine and kale in a pile for him to eat.
On a good note his shell is starting to harden. It was a bit soft in places but after this last week its feeling better. So I think that's a good sign. Still not growing much but coming around!
Also is a humid hide really necessary if my setup keeps temps in the mid 80's to low 90's and humidity around 80% at all times? He never goes into it and prefers to burrow in moss?
Thanks!
Glad to hear your little tort is doing better! My humidity averages 85% in the new enclosure I just got but I still offer a hide. They both use the hide but sometimes choose to burrow in the moss thats next to it instead. I figure even if they only use the hide sometimes, at least they have the option. I know you said your tort doesn't like the powdered calcium, but you could try soaking him in water mixed with a bird calcium/vitamin supplement as most of those are water soluble. I did that when mine were experiencing some shell issues and it seemed to help. Also, is the bulb you are using a UV bulb? I'm not experienced with a lot of different bulbs but I know that not all bulbs that emit heat and light emit the UV rays the torts need. As soon as I switched to a Powersun MVB bulb, my torts began gaining weight like crazy.
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- Location (City and/or State)
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Turbotort, where in Florida are you? If you're near south Florida, There is a store in Davie...GRIFFS WESTERN that sell the 25 pound bags of Mazuri for not much more than those tiny, stale, ziplock bags cost on Ebay, etc.
How much time does he spend outside?
What lighting and heating equipment are you using inside?
What lighting and heating equipment are you using inside?
dandelion greens were my leos fav but now he's found opuntia cactus! He tears into a pad and has it devoured in minutes! I would still keep trying the mazuri. He may not recognize it as food yet but it is nutritious so keep pushing it. REGULAR mazuri not mazuri LS
Hey everyone,
I'm not currently using a uvb bulb. Its been about a month sense I took out the coil style. I try to put him outside for atleast 30 minutes a day. I am currently using the zoomed double dome fixture with a 75w basking bulb and a 100w che at night. I'm feeding him the regular mazuri pellets. He wouldn't eat the zoomed grassland stuff even ontop of romaine so it's a start. Im not sure where to get dandelion greens yet. Also I am living tampa.
thanks!
I'm not currently using a uvb bulb. Its been about a month sense I took out the coil style. I try to put him outside for atleast 30 minutes a day. I am currently using the zoomed double dome fixture with a 75w basking bulb and a 100w che at night. I'm feeding him the regular mazuri pellets. He wouldn't eat the zoomed grassland stuff even ontop of romaine so it's a start. Im not sure where to get dandelion greens yet. Also I am living tampa.
thanks!
You can find dandylions in yards just ask if you can pick them? Ask first if the yard had been treated with anything.
I think you're getting most of this under control. Just concentrate on getting him to eat the mazuri and continue weighing him weekly. Remember that his weights may go down a bit or up alot depending on 1.if he's full of poo or hasn't pottied in a couple days 2.if he just ate or not 3.if he's gorged on water or not. I weigh mine after they've bathed, eaten and (hopefully) pood.
2.if he just ate or not 3.if he's gorged on water or not. I weigh mine after they've bathed, eaten and (hopefully) pood.Well sense I live in florida I have trouble finding dandelion in the wild. It's usually sod or crab grass everywhere sense there is so much sand. I live in an apartment and I can't trust the grass outside. Also there are literally no weeds at all lol. I usually weigh him in the morning after a soak so he hasn't eaten and usually poo'd.
Where abouts you live in florida? We're looking for a place down there along the gulf coast. Somewhere between weeki wachee and cape coral. Bummer that dandylions don't thrive there but cactus does. They LOVE cactus pads. Try putting a pad near a favorite spot and see if he nibbles at it. The young new growth. You can ask all your neaghbors for a piece or two off their plants...
I've been to FL. There are weeds everywhere. You just have to learn which ones are good and which ones are not. A local nursery can help.
One way to know if a wild weed patch is okay is to look for bugs or evidence of bugs on the weeds. Aphids, caterpillar holes in leaves, spider webs, etc. If you see things things in a wild weed patch, you can be pretty sure no one is using pesticides in that area.
Here is a whole list of things you can grow or find. The thread was written for sulcatas, so just use less emphasis on grass for a leopard.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
One way to know if a wild weed patch is okay is to look for bugs or evidence of bugs on the weeds. Aphids, caterpillar holes in leaves, spider webs, etc. If you see things things in a wild weed patch, you can be pretty sure no one is using pesticides in that area.
Here is a whole list of things you can grow or find. The thread was written for sulcatas, so just use less emphasis on grass for a leopard.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
It won't hurt anything, but its not necessary.
Turbotort - those UVB coil bulbs are rough. I ultimately lost 2 of 3 before I caught on. My experience has been natural sunlight, high humidity hides and a good variety of foods (mine love prickly pear... won't touch the Mazuri pellets). Good luck with yours!
Yeah my tort is still struggling to gain weight. I have been spreading mazuri on romaine but he's still hardly eating it. Going on two weeks now I think of mazuri. I'm not giving up on mazuri yet because he will tolerate it so that's a start. Aside from that my tort seems fine now. Shell is pretty tough and he's active and eating. I just think the poor starting conditions for almost 3 months has really set him back and it'll just take a while to recover.
Hey everyone,
wanted to give an update. Unfortunately nothing is really working. My tort just isn't putting on any weight. He's around 32g currently and down from 34g again. He's been basically the same weight now for 3 months. I juat don't know what tp do anymore. Won't touch mazuri by itself and barely if I spread it on romaine. This is after atleast 3 weeks of trying. Is this just going to take months before he starts growing or do you think there's just something wrong with my tort? Daily soaks. Gets plenty of sun for a tort this young. He's plenty active. Doesn't sleep all day. Bleh I'm just at a loss. :/
wanted to give an update. Unfortunately nothing is really working. My tort just isn't putting on any weight. He's around 32g currently and down from 34g again. He's been basically the same weight now for 3 months. I juat don't know what tp do anymore. Won't touch mazuri by itself and barely if I spread it on romaine. This is after atleast 3 weeks of trying. Is this just going to take months before he starts growing or do you think there's just something wrong with my tort? Daily soaks. Gets plenty of sun for a tort this young. He's plenty active. Doesn't sleep all day. Bleh I'm just at a loss. :/
