Tortoise body soft?

[Kevlar]

Hi all,

I have 2 leopard tortoise hatchlings.

One is around 3-4 months old and the other is around 8 months old.

Problem is, the 3-4 month old leopard's body is quite soft but the shell is not that soft just slightly. I don't know if this is normal because my other tortoise's body is rock hard and I keep them in the same enclosure.

I don't think its my enclosure, because i have a uvb lamp and basking spot + a cooler humid side.

Both of them eat good greens with calcium but the 8 month old tortoise tends to eat more than the baby one.

Any ideas?

 

[Jlant85]

Well first of all, something i would suggest, separate enclosure. When i get a new tortoise, i always separate them for a minimum of 3 to 6 months to ensure that both torts are not sick. Just because they both look healthy, you cant really tell what tortoise carries what. also, this way, you can monitor the hatchling a little closer.

 

[Lancecham]

The shells of baby tortoises are pliable at a young age. And will harden up as they get older. As long your husbandry is correct and the tortoise activity level including behavior and feeding is ok, then things should be good. The shell should harden up more in the next few months.

 

[wellington]

As already suggested, separate enclosures would be a good start. The littler one may be getting bullied by the older one and that's why he isn't eating as much. Also, what is your cool side and humidity? The temps should be no lower then 80, with humidity of 80% and a basking of 95+. Take a read of Toms threads below in my post for proper housing of a leopard. The thread about sulcatas is the same as for leopards. If you give us all the details of the diet, temps, humidity, substrate, enclosure size, light used, soaking, etc, we can better help with what might be the problem.

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Oh, if you can, get him outside for some good sunshine. Just be sure he has shade to get under and water available that he can get in and out of easily.