haroldthehermann
Member
Feb. 15, 2019
I have mainly decided to start posting these "tortoise diaries" so I can look back on what happened and be able to help other people. So with this post I am not really wanting a response about how to care for hatching failure syndrome, but I do thank you all for the help you have given to me thus far.
So today had many ups and downs. One up is that for the most part he acted like a normal tortoise! He was active and his eyes were wide and bright. His squeaking has gone away and has been replaced with a clicking which I am very happy about. I also got him to eat tortoise food instead of lettuce, since it is very nutrient rich compared to lettuce.
But today wasnt all perfect. He did once go into what I like to call his "coma" states. Its where he is all tense and his eyes are swollen shut, and you can see him trying to move but he cant. If he magages to squint open an eye it appers he just gives up and falls back 'asleep'. This was right at feeding time and today I was determined to get real nutrients in him. I first just offered him the crushed softened pellets, and he just went back 'asleep' after squinting open his eyes. I had read that if sick babies went off food it meant they had given up. I wasnt taking no for an answer though.
I took a roll of ductape and placed a cloth over it to form a shallow cup. I propped my little baby up inside of it so he was sitting at an angle. I then squished up soaked pellets into a mush and loaded it on to the end of a q-tip without the cotton on it. After doing this a pushed it up against his beak a couple times and after about five minutes he opened his eyes and took a bite. It took a few more minutes of reluctant eating, but after that he was really into it. He would wiggle his leg up and down as he waited for me to load up the q-tip and then proceed to use my finger to pull himself towards the food. Once he was done (aka once he wouldnt sit still and was more interested in exploring) I put the cottony end of the q-tip into water and wiped up his face. My little tort is such a character.
Afterwards the results of that little boost was shocking! He wandered around and was even trying to get a drink without me putting him in the bowl! Later on in the night he had a calcium soak to help with his pyrimiding and afterwards crawled right into his heated "burrow" and went right to sleep at lights out. I really think he can make it. But it has been made clear from what I've read that I shouldnt get too excited too fast.
I have mainly decided to start posting these "tortoise diaries" so I can look back on what happened and be able to help other people. So with this post I am not really wanting a response about how to care for hatching failure syndrome, but I do thank you all for the help you have given to me thus far.
So today had many ups and downs. One up is that for the most part he acted like a normal tortoise! He was active and his eyes were wide and bright. His squeaking has gone away and has been replaced with a clicking which I am very happy about. I also got him to eat tortoise food instead of lettuce, since it is very nutrient rich compared to lettuce.
But today wasnt all perfect. He did once go into what I like to call his "coma" states. Its where he is all tense and his eyes are swollen shut, and you can see him trying to move but he cant. If he magages to squint open an eye it appers he just gives up and falls back 'asleep'. This was right at feeding time and today I was determined to get real nutrients in him. I first just offered him the crushed softened pellets, and he just went back 'asleep' after squinting open his eyes. I had read that if sick babies went off food it meant they had given up. I wasnt taking no for an answer though.
I took a roll of ductape and placed a cloth over it to form a shallow cup. I propped my little baby up inside of it so he was sitting at an angle. I then squished up soaked pellets into a mush and loaded it on to the end of a q-tip without the cotton on it. After doing this a pushed it up against his beak a couple times and after about five minutes he opened his eyes and took a bite. It took a few more minutes of reluctant eating, but after that he was really into it. He would wiggle his leg up and down as he waited for me to load up the q-tip and then proceed to use my finger to pull himself towards the food. Once he was done (aka once he wouldnt sit still and was more interested in exploring) I put the cottony end of the q-tip into water and wiped up his face. My little tort is such a character.
Afterwards the results of that little boost was shocking! He wandered around and was even trying to get a drink without me putting him in the bowl! Later on in the night he had a calcium soak to help with his pyrimiding and afterwards crawled right into his heated "burrow" and went right to sleep at lights out. I really think he can make it. But it has been made clear from what I've read that I shouldnt get too excited too fast.