Trouble with baby Leopard

[LIttleGreys]

Hi All,

I am getting frustrated with my new baby leopard. I got her July 3, she was very ill when I got her, the other one that came with her died July 4, it was septic. That is a whole 'nother story. Anyway, we treated this baby for pneumonia, she had several shots of Baytril, and some nasal drops. She seemed to perk up after about 10 days. She was getting more active, eating better, etc.
Now she is not as active, and picky eating. About the only things she likes is kale and some lettuce. I try giving her the spring mix, she will eat some. She will not eat anything when I have her out in the sun in the yard. She just cruises around in the sun. I try to get her outside a minimum of an hour or two a day. I just got a 10.0 UVB bulb last week and put that on her. Her shell is getting very soft. I have calcium powder, but if I put it on her food, she will not eat. It also has D3, so I am not sure if that would be too much D3 if she gets natural sunlight? I soak her every day or every other day. She poops a lot, sometimes it is OK, sometimes a bit soft.
She is in a 6 foot rubbermaid tub with coconut coir/playsand 50/50 bedding. She has a heat light (just a regualr light bulb), and a infrared heat light at night, plus the UVB light now, on about 14 hours a day. She has 2 flower pot hides, I keep one dry and one moist. She does move around some, but just seems lethargic compared to what she was a couple weeks ago.
I am trying so hard to keep her healthy, I really fell in love with the little bugger! I'm really worried about her, whether she is OK or not. How active SHOULD a baby leopard be?
Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance for any help!!

 

[Lil' Tortie]

Hi LittleGreys,

I'm not an expert on torts but I can sympathize with you since 2 of my leopards died, and another one, Moca, is probably in a worse situation than yours. She/he sleeps too much and not much eating or any activity. I'm trying to stimulate him/her back in action with my other torts. I guess it does take lots and lots of patience, especially with the sick ones, otherwise, they are very enjoyable in their normal activities. I hope our leppies get better soon.

 

[egyptiandan]

Hi,
It sounds like she is not getting enough calcium. With her not eating it on her food and her main diet being kale which is high in oaxalic acid which binds calcium and makes it unavailable to the tortoise.
Try to just stick with the spring mix and fresh grass clipping and any weeds you can find. Try a different calcium supplement until you find one she likes. Might want to have some cuttle bone in the enclosure for her to nibble on. Seeing as she's pooping alot, that means she's eating good.
You might want to turn off the infrared light at night. She really doesn't need the extra heat at night, at least during the summer.

Danny

 

[Lil' Tortie]

By the way, if you ever getting more tortoise I recommend Woodys Reptiles. They are a very good dealer/breeder and their torts are very healthy. Cheers!

 

[LIttleGreys]

Hi,
It sounds like she is not getting enough calcium. With her not eating it on her food and her main diet being kale which is high in oaxalic acid which binds calcium and makes it unavailable to the tortoise.
Try to just stick with the spring mix and fresh grass clipping and any weeds you can find. Try a different calcium supplement until you find one she likes. Might want to have some cuttle bone in the enclosure for her to nibble on. Seeing as she's pooping alot, that means she's eating good.
You might want to turn off the infrared light at night. She really doesn't need the extra heat at night, at least during the summer.

Danny

Thanks for the reply. I do have a cuttlebone, I see her sitting on it, but I have never seen her nibble on it. Can I put calcium powder in her water? She always drinks when I have her in there soaking.
I will get another kind of calcium as soon as I can.
I just got a piece of kale for her and rubbed the calcium in, and she is eating it. I think she is eating enough, since she is pooping good, but she hasn't gained much weight, although I don't know how much how fast they should gain.

 

[terrypin]

Hi,
It sounds like she is not getting enough calcium. With her not eating it on her food and her main diet being kale which is high in oaxalic acid which binds calcium and makes it unavailable to the tortoise.
Try to just stick with the spring mix and fresh grass clipping and any weeds you can find. Try a different calcium supplement until you find one she likes. Might want to have some cuttle bone in the enclosure for her to nibble on. Seeing as she's pooping alot, that means she's eating good.
You might want to turn off the infrared light at night. She really doesn't need the extra heat at night, at least during the summer.

Danny

hi i agree totally with Danny about her diet and feel items high in oxalic acid are best avoided particularly as you are giving a calcium supplement and when combined can become oxalates (crystals) these i believe can cause gout and kidney stones ,the kidneys may not be able to remove toxins from the blood efficiently and the body will remove calcium from the bones and shell to negate this thus causing soft shell and mobility problems.i really believe you should do as Danny has suggested with the diet and keep the animal well hydrated.
terry

 

[Jacqui]

One of my three hatchling Leopard's sounds a lot like yours. He didn't want to eat the food with supplements on it and the cuttle bone was ignored. Knowing that often torts have a thing with eating white rocks, I took some of the cuttle bone and made it into hatchling sized rocks/pebbles. I placed it in a couple of spots around the pen. It worked with him. He likes his "rocks".

Also as said by the others, I feed him a more careful diet trying to get calcium into him that way and yet trying to avoid things that might bind it up.

 

[agiletorts]

By the way, if you ever getting more tortoise I recommend Woodys Reptiles. They are a very good dealer/breeder and their torts are very healthy. Cheers!

Juvenile (or adult) leopards are much easier to maintain in my opinion, so I recommend buying juvenile vs. babies for higher survival rate.

 

[oswego tort lover]

i would suspect that what ever killed the first leo is now killing the other cagemate / clutchmate. a protozan infection would present as loose poop , eating less,hiding away from heat etc. a stool sample is needed. usually if untreated this will kill neonates in weeks if not sooner... see your vet again asap............ed

 

[LIttleGreys]

Thanks for all the replies. We did 2 stool samples, they looked good, so I don't think that is the problem. As for turning the red light off at night, I didn't think they were supposed to get below the 70's? This morning it was 49 degress here, so I am thinking she needs that on.
I took her outside for a few hours today, she always perks up in the sunshine. She ate about 3 leaves out of the spring mix. Tomorrow I will try that again, and try to get the calcium powder in her, too.

 

[LIttleGreys]

She seems much better today, thank you for asking!
Yesterday, we were back at the vets, we thought we would lose her during the night, she was lifeless yesterday, not eating, no movement at all, and her eyes never opened. The vet thought she was dehydrated, so gave her some fluids, and she is back on antibiotics. This morning, when I turned the light on, she woke right up and started eating like a piggy. She ate a whole bunch again this afternoon, and I saw her go to her water and get a drink on her own. I increased the humidity in part of her enclosure. I am very hopeful and still praying that she gets better. Today is a very good day, I hope the future holds more good days for her!

 

[Crazy1]

LIttleGreys, that is good to hear. I too hope she keeps up the improvement to perfect health. Know that Good thought are with you and your little Leo.

 

[K9KidsLove]

That is great to hear ! i hope she continues to do well

Just checking to see how your baby is doing.
Good luck
Patsy

 

[LIttleGreys]

My baby has died. We tried so hard, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. She died at the vet's office yesterday morning.

That is great to hear ! i hope she continues to do well

Just checking to see how your baby is doing.
Good luck
Patsy

 

[Crazy1]

LittleGreys, I am so, so sorry to hear that you have lost your little one. Babies in the wild have a high mortality rate. Babies in Captivity are hard to raise at best. We do what we know how to and hope. I hope you know you did everything you could for her and I am sure she knew she was loved.

 

[K9KidsLove]

I am so sorry your baby didn't make it.
Patsy

 

[katesgoey]

I'm so sorry for your loss - gentle hugs to you.

 

[alice]

im really sorry about your leo!

you did your best

xxxxxxxxx

 

[bacaraj]

Deepest sympathy for you in your loss.

 

[turtlemom]

Littlegreys,

I am so sorry . . . .

Donna