laramill
Member
Hi All-
I've been lurking about since September (and on Twitter), but thought I should finally register and introduce myself and my little Russian buddy, Wilson.
Wilson and I became associated just 6 months ago. It's a bit of a long story how we met, but in a nutshell (and even the nutshell version will be long!), he was listed on Craig's List by the parent of a 15yr old that had too many pets and didn't seem to be able to invest enough time into him. The teenager had gotten him about a year before at some reptile show (she was sort of vague about details)-- but either way, he has had a hard life. He is missing several toes and had shell rot. She had no name for him. When I asked what she was doing to treat the rot, she said she fed him calcium.
Needless to say... even though I had never had a tortoise before and was really not looking to get a tortoise (and honestly, had no equipment for one-- Like I said-- I very much fell into this-- pushed a bit by a friend), I couldn't leave him there, so I drove about 45 minutes each way to go give her the money for him and try to give him a better life. When I got him he was very dehydrated (his poop looked like teeny dried out green straw bales and his eyes were puffy. She said she spritzed him every day, but did not have a water dish for him or a soaking place. She also had him in a glass 40 gal. tank. I think she was doing the best she could, but at the same time, sometimes I feel like with all the resources online, there is little excuse for ignorance. When she first sent me photos of him, it appeared he may have been living with some sort of lizard-- I don't know lizards, so I couldn't tell you what kind.)
When I got him home, I had to dump my son's summer clothes out of an under-the-bed type sweater box so I had something for Wilson to live in a for a couple days until I could get him a more suitable enclosure.
After a couple trips to the hardware stores and a few orders from Amazon, I had all the lighting and substrate (I actually kept him on newspaper until I got the rot under control-- that's still a puzzle to me-- it seemed like wet-rot, but he was dehydrated. Seemed contradictory, yes?) and a new cement-mixing tub.... and within a couple weeks, I was able to build him a second story with a ramp and plant one corner of the enclosure with strawberries (right before they froze outside) and spider plants. I have a potter friend that let me construct a special water dish from clay (it looks kind of like a painting tray) and she fired it for me. (I have been looking at other people's enclosures online and have been sketching a larger indoor enclosure that I am hoping to build this spring as well)
After 6 months, he is doing much better-- all the spots of shell rot are healing, he's eating, basking, getting soaks, pooping normal, his eyes are clear and bright and I think we're doing pretty well!
I hope this summer to construct a safe outdoor enclosure for him, but until I'm able, when it was warmer (and if it ever gets warmer again), I take him out to let him stomp around and I follow him. (Honestly-- and I'm saying this not only because it's true, but also because I like how ridiculous it sounds-- I play my ukulele to my tortoise as he walks around outside.) It's amazing how far that little bugger will walk before he hunkers down somewhere to take a little snooze!
Who knew that I'd find this whole little situation so totally entertaining?!? Wilson was, after all, a complete pity-purchase. I have a feeling he is a pet-store (therefor wild-caught-- which I abhor the idea of) tortoise that has probably already been through a few owners, and I'm hoping I will be his last and will try to make his unfortunate situation (of being a wild-caught tortoise) as pleasant as possible. I know he is making our lives a little more pleasant, too.
Attached are some photos-- One of when I first brought him home, then one of him outside during that first week. He actually looked the worst about a week or two after I got him home because parts of his shell began to fall off (and it smelled!) When I first got him, most of the rot evidence was on his bottom shell (there were parts missing and sort of scabbed over-- those actually look really good now and are nearly healed.) He had a few more rotty areas on his bottom shell that would have to be exposed, and then also on his sides and top of his shell. I know he will never be a smooth-shelled beauty at this point, with his discolored healed parts, areas still holey and healing, missing toes on 2 feet... but I think he's gorgeous. What a spirit to have survived, don't you think??
I've been lurking about since September (and on Twitter), but thought I should finally register and introduce myself and my little Russian buddy, Wilson.
Wilson and I became associated just 6 months ago. It's a bit of a long story how we met, but in a nutshell (and even the nutshell version will be long!), he was listed on Craig's List by the parent of a 15yr old that had too many pets and didn't seem to be able to invest enough time into him. The teenager had gotten him about a year before at some reptile show (she was sort of vague about details)-- but either way, he has had a hard life. He is missing several toes and had shell rot. She had no name for him. When I asked what she was doing to treat the rot, she said she fed him calcium.
Needless to say... even though I had never had a tortoise before and was really not looking to get a tortoise (and honestly, had no equipment for one-- Like I said-- I very much fell into this-- pushed a bit by a friend), I couldn't leave him there, so I drove about 45 minutes each way to go give her the money for him and try to give him a better life. When I got him he was very dehydrated (his poop looked like teeny dried out green straw bales and his eyes were puffy. She said she spritzed him every day, but did not have a water dish for him or a soaking place. She also had him in a glass 40 gal. tank. I think she was doing the best she could, but at the same time, sometimes I feel like with all the resources online, there is little excuse for ignorance. When she first sent me photos of him, it appeared he may have been living with some sort of lizard-- I don't know lizards, so I couldn't tell you what kind.)
When I got him home, I had to dump my son's summer clothes out of an under-the-bed type sweater box so I had something for Wilson to live in a for a couple days until I could get him a more suitable enclosure.
After a couple trips to the hardware stores and a few orders from Amazon, I had all the lighting and substrate (I actually kept him on newspaper until I got the rot under control-- that's still a puzzle to me-- it seemed like wet-rot, but he was dehydrated. Seemed contradictory, yes?) and a new cement-mixing tub.... and within a couple weeks, I was able to build him a second story with a ramp and plant one corner of the enclosure with strawberries (right before they froze outside) and spider plants. I have a potter friend that let me construct a special water dish from clay (it looks kind of like a painting tray) and she fired it for me. (I have been looking at other people's enclosures online and have been sketching a larger indoor enclosure that I am hoping to build this spring as well)
After 6 months, he is doing much better-- all the spots of shell rot are healing, he's eating, basking, getting soaks, pooping normal, his eyes are clear and bright and I think we're doing pretty well!
I hope this summer to construct a safe outdoor enclosure for him, but until I'm able, when it was warmer (and if it ever gets warmer again), I take him out to let him stomp around and I follow him. (Honestly-- and I'm saying this not only because it's true, but also because I like how ridiculous it sounds-- I play my ukulele to my tortoise as he walks around outside.) It's amazing how far that little bugger will walk before he hunkers down somewhere to take a little snooze!
Who knew that I'd find this whole little situation so totally entertaining?!? Wilson was, after all, a complete pity-purchase. I have a feeling he is a pet-store (therefor wild-caught-- which I abhor the idea of) tortoise that has probably already been through a few owners, and I'm hoping I will be his last and will try to make his unfortunate situation (of being a wild-caught tortoise) as pleasant as possible. I know he is making our lives a little more pleasant, too.
Attached are some photos-- One of when I first brought him home, then one of him outside during that first week. He actually looked the worst about a week or two after I got him home because parts of his shell began to fall off (and it smelled!) When I first got him, most of the rot evidence was on his bottom shell (there were parts missing and sort of scabbed over-- those actually look really good now and are nearly healed.) He had a few more rotty areas on his bottom shell that would have to be exposed, and then also on his sides and top of his shell. I know he will never be a smooth-shelled beauty at this point, with his discolored healed parts, areas still holey and healing, missing toes on 2 feet... but I think he's gorgeous. What a spirit to have survived, don't you think??
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