Coconut Oil

Elnewman622

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I've been looking for coconut oil that's right and I know that it should be extra virgin but does it have to be cold press ?
 

glitch4200

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Expelled pressed is efficient mechanical pressed oil which means it can reach temperature exceeding 99 degrees. It looses some crucial vitamins like vitamin E. Which is one of the moisturizing properties of extra virgin coconut oil. Cold pressed doesn't exceed temperature of 60 degrees maintaining crucial vitamins. So the answer to your question is close, but preferably you want cold pressed. It must say Cold pressed too.
 

glitch4200

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Expelling pressed vs cold pressed
 

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Elnewman622

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Expelled pressed is efficient mechanical pressed oil which means it can reach temperature exceeding 99 degrees. It looses some crucial vitamins like vitamin E. Which is one of the moisturizing properties of extra virgin coconut oil. Cold pressed doesn't exceed temperature of 60 degrees maintaining crucial vitamins. So the answer to your question is close, but preferably you want cold pressed. It must say Cold pressed too.
So I can use it ?
 

glitch4200

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The point of this experiment is to observe and minimize the moisture loss in the Shell and skin due to indoor lights, mvb, uv, uva, heat lamps etc. As well as the possibility of healing effects at the cellular level. but would be extremely difficult to observe and prove without the proper equipment to test that. But again observation, pictures and writing notes down definitely helps me build my case.
 
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Maggie Cummings

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Without going into any details, I was very sick for months and had neighbors help care for my animals when I couldn't. None of the people who helped me know a darned thing about chelonia.
I have not mentioned this in a thread but...Nobody seemed to notice that Bob grew taller and his light had slipped a bit. He has a 160 watt MVB that was about 4 inches above his carapace when I was well enough to notice. His carapace is ruined. His new growth is burned black and I can flake off pieces of his carapace with my bad fingers. So that should be weathered enough for your discussion. An expert suggested I put extra virgin olive oil on it to moisturize it. When I went to the Vet to weigh him, (see a different thread), she said to use vitamin E oil. So I had already used the olive oil and when I first put it on, it soaked in like water in the Sahara. But I have a tendency to over do everything. If a little is good, a lot is better good...So I gave Bob warm oil massages nightly for about a week. He looked like a grease ball. Then dirt started sticking to him, and when the falling leaves stuck too I figured I might be using too much oil.
So the night I decided to give him a warm soapy bath to get rid of the oil, he decided he was done with me messing with him, and he no longer fell for the distract with Mazuri trick, so he went into his sleeping box, unreachable to me. But the next day I caught him outside and soaped him up. He did that stutter jump thing at me, so funny. He really got irritated so I guess I'm lucky he didn't ram me. Anyway...Vitamin E oil is thick as hell and you just use drops of it. So I dropped all kinds of E oil all over...Ended up with another soapy bath, by now Bob is emailing members on TFO for help. My sis tells me to use a Q-tip and just lightly put in on the needed areas, and wipe off excess. So I'm going with the Vitamin E oil over the olive oil or the coconut oil. Used correctly, there's not a greasy mess all over and the Vet says it has better healing properties. When I went to give him another soapy bath he called 911, so I'm pretty sure he's done with this messing with his carapace.
Bob's carapace will always be wrecked, it will be a long time before there's any difference. But my goal is to fix the dryness, hence the oil; I run a vaporizer in his shed daily, and I have added a sprinkle of calcium to his food and I am going to buy a fresh UVB bulb for the winter...and it's raining like hell, so Oregon is helping with the moisture...
Poor Bob, between the two of us, we've had a pretty crappy time lately....:)
 

leigti

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Without going into any details, I was very sick for months and had neighbors help care for my animals when I couldn't. None of the people who helped me know a darned thing about chelonia.
I have not mentioned this in a thread but...Nobody seemed to notice that Bob grew taller and his light had slipped a bit. He has a 160 watt MVB that was about 4 inches above his carapace when I was well enough to notice. His carapace is ruined. His new growth is burned black and I can flake off pieces of his carapace with my bad fingers. So that should be weathered enough for your discussion. An expert suggested I put extra virgin olive oil on it to moisturize it. When I went to the Vet to weigh him, (see a different thread), she said to use vitamin E oil. So I had already used the olive oil and when I first put it on, it soaked in like water in the Sahara. But I have a tendency to over do everything. If a little is good, a lot is better good...So I gave Bob warm oil massages nightly for about a week. He looked like a grease ball. Then dirt started sticking to him, and when the falling leaves stuck too I figured I might be using too much oil.
So the night I decided to give him a warm soapy bath to get rid of the oil, he decided he was done with me messing with him, and he no longer fell for the distract with Mazuri trick, so he went into his sleeping box, unreachable to me. But the next day I caught him outside and soaped him up. He did that stutter jump thing at me, so funny. He really got irritated so I guess I'm lucky he didn't ram me. Anyway...Vitamin E oil is thick as hell and you just use drops of it. So I dropped all kinds of E oil all over...Ended up with another soapy bath, by now Bob is emailing members on TFO for help. My sis tells me to use a Q-tip and just lightly put in on the needed areas, and wipe off excess. So I'm going with the Vitamin E oil over the olive oil or the coconut oil. Used correctly, there's not a greasy mess all over and the Vet says it has better healing properties. When I went to give him another soapy bath he called 911, so I'm pretty sure he's done with this messing with his carapace.
Bob's carapace will always be wrecked, it will be a long time before there's any difference. But my goal is to fix the dryness, hence the oil; I run a vaporizer in his shed daily, and I have added a sprinkle of calcium to his food and I am going to buy a fresh UVB bulb for the winter...and it's raining like hell, so Oregon is helping with the moisture...
Poor Bob, between the two of us, we've had a pretty crappy time lately....:)
I'm sorry to hear that Bob got burned.wow, I would have been I rate! People mean well though.when I got my tortoise the vet told me she has what looks like a burn on her show also.I have not done much except I tried vita Shell a couple times, and I tried olive oil a couple times.I am seriously considering the coconut oil.and I will have to restrain myself to not put too much on also :)my tortoise has to be in during the winter under UV lighting and heat lamps.
 

glitch4200

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Without going into any details, I was very sick for months and had neighbors help care for my animals when I couldn't. None of the people who helped me know a darned thing about chelonia.
I have not mentioned this in a thread but...Nobody seemed to notice that Bob grew taller and his light had slipped a bit. He has a 160 watt MVB that was about 4 inches above his carapace when I was well enough to notice. His carapace is ruined. His new growth is burned black and I can flake off pieces of his carapace with my bad fingers. So that should be weathered enough for your discussion. An expert suggested I put extra virgin olive oil on it to moisturize it. When I went to the Vet to weigh him, (see a different thread), she said to use vitamin E oil. So I had already used the olive oil and when I first put it on, it soaked in like water in the Sahara. But I have a tendency to over do everything. If a little is good, a lot is better good...So I gave Bob warm oil massages nightly for about a week. He looked like a grease ball. Then dirt started sticking to him, and when the falling leaves stuck too I figured I might be using too much oil.
So the night I decided to give him a warm soapy bath to get rid of the oil, he decided he was done with me messing with him, and he no longer fell for the distract with Mazuri trick, so he went into his sleeping box, unreachable to me. But the next day I caught him outside and soaped him up. He did that stutter jump thing at me, so funny. He really got irritated so I guess I'm lucky he didn't ram me. Anyway...Vitamin E oil is thick as hell and you just use drops of it. So I dropped all kinds of E oil all over...Ended up with another soapy bath, by now Bob is emailing members on TFO for help. My sis tells me to use a Q-tip and just lightly put in on the needed areas, and wipe off excess. So I'm going with the Vitamin E oil over the olive oil or the coconut oil. Used correctly, there's not a greasy mess all over and the Vet says it has better healing properties. When I went to give him another soapy bath he called 911, so I'm pretty sure he's done with this messing with his carapace.
Bob's carapace will always be wrecked, it will be a long time before there's any difference. But my goal is to fix the dryness, hence the oil; I run a vaporizer in his shed daily, and I have added a sprinkle of calcium to his food and I am going to buy a fresh UVB bulb for the winter...and it's raining like hell, so Oregon is helping with the moisture...
Poor Bob, between the two of us, we've had a pretty crappy time lately....:)

I am so sorry to hear about your health. I hope a very speedy and well recovery for you, as well as continued health onward. Second, it made me tear up hearing about his incident. The only thing we can do now is care for his shell and prevent any infection and maintain moisture. How long ago did this happen? If he was burned that bad, using any oil more then 1x every 3 days, will be pointless. The keratin isnt able to handle the moisture that is present in either the oil or the vitamin E oil per burnt surface area of his shell. Anything more then a very very light coating to the shell will be more then enough. Let that sit for 2-3 days, it can only absorb so much. The one thing i am worried about, and i am not a vet but the possibility for infection with such a injury with his shell being so burnt. The vet is 100 percent right about the Vitamin E oil having better moisturizing properties, but that is essentially all you get in Vitamin E oil. it has some other benefits internally once absorbed but so little is being absorbed by the shell that a lot is wasted and alot of the benefits are gone too. Cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil works as a natural powerful sunscreen at an efficiency of 90%, preventing moisture from escaping the already rough shell during the daylight. Second, the antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties of EVCO will no doubt help prevent shell rot with such a damaged shell the increased chance of infection is present. The coconut oil has a high Oxidative Stability Index and exhibits strong anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Its lauric acid content have also been proven to help the immune system fight off infections. And last of course is its ability to retain moisture in hair and skin for days. Our hair is made up of a good percentage of keratin, as well as the skin. This is has been proven to improve long term moisture in hair and skin in humans which is made mostly of keratin. So can it be safe to say it can be applied to animals. I really hope the shell sees improvement. Please keep me updated on him, i hope i was atleast the tiniest bit of help in this convo.. Again i wish you both the best of health.
 

glitch4200

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For anyone who views this thread and can at all relate to what I am trying to research and would like to participate in what I have have said about cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil, Please I implore you to look all this information up, reconfirm, or rebutt any information I have posted and do a little experiment on your little guy if you feel your tortoise can benefit from what has been discussed thus far. ONLY if you feel comfortable do I ask you to help me in my experiment and to see the authenticity of benefit of EVCO to our beloved tortoises. I highly respect the audience in this forum and I know some of you find this very interesting. I want your imput. :) it seems to me that after reading so much on here that we have gained much knowledge in the last 20 years, so that means in the coming future there needs to be more innovation and less fus over the basics (even though it's undeniably crucial to know the basics).
 

glitch4200

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I see a lot of talk on here. A lot informing one another, which is amazing.(the point of a forum I guess) But every once in awhile something comes along to change the whole game , a realization, a conclusion through experience , sheer luck, or data that has been analysed and researched to the t. In 20 years where would we be compared to now? I bet you there could be a lot of change in the the way we care for these beautiful creatures 20 years down the road but that includes trial and error. Hence my need for trial. But with something as a safe as this oil there is very little room for error. Only conclusion and data to be analysed by the people who are interested in taking that extra step. Idk maybe I am completely wrong. But what if u am not? I guess we shall see :)
 
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Maggie Cummings

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There is no 'wound'. It turned the new growth black and cased damage to several scutes, basically lifting them up. I'll find a couple of pix for you...
 

CindyWho4

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Okay, I'm curious on this one. My RT was adopted from a pet store (he was unable to be sold), and I'm certain he is wild-caught. His shell is not horrible, but it's not in the greatest shape either. I'm gonna try to attach a picture so you can see. The picture was taken on the car ride home from the store. Is this something you all would recommend for him?

 

glitch4200

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Okay, I'm curious on this one. My RT was adopted from a pet store (he was unable to be sold), and I'm certain he is wild-caught. His shell is not horrible, but it's not in the greatest shape either. I'm gonna try to attach a picture so you can see. The picture was taken on the car ride home from the store. Is this something you all would recommend for him?


I only recommend it if you feel comfortable with it. I will not tell you to do anything unless you feel 100 percent about it. I feel strongly for extra virgin coconut oil and it's properties thus I encourage you to try it out and do some research as well. Apply a thin coat to the shell and rough patches on the skin 1x every 3-4 days for a weathered, damaged shell, either use a qtip or your finger if they allow it. My little guy loves massage time. After a couple applications I have noticed that it takes on average 2-4 days for that oil to soak completely in to the shell till I see no longer see the shine that was present at beginning of application . To me that is an impotent piece to the puzzle, it tells me that it takes time to soak in which any application in my opinoin other then the time frame I said probably would be pointless and a waste of oil. I only do this 1x a week for my little guy , his shell is in pretty good condition.
 

glitch4200

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The grooves are deep



My finger is not pointing, it's IN a groove
View attachment 101132 View attachment 101133 View attachment 101135

Oh wow. These are some deep grooves. For this I would personally in my opinoin. Apply a liberal to each of grooves , paying attention to the the deep groves on the interior lateral edges of all The scutes. those lifted scutes gives infection a higher possibility. You want to make sure nothing gets under them. I would apply it personally every 3 days or 2x a week atleast. Don't put so much you need to bath him. The lightest coating does a lot and takes time to absorb. Vitamin E oil is a bigger molecule and doesn't absorb as well as coconut oil which means you need longer time for absorption. I really feel you will see results.
 

CindyWho4

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I only recommend it if you feel comfortable with it. I will not tell you to do anything unless you feel 100 percent about it. I feel strongly for extra virgin coconut oil and it's properties thus I encourage you to try it out and do some research as well. Apply a thin coat to the shell and rough patches on the skin 1x every 3-4 days for a weathered, damaged shell, either use a qtip or your finger if they allow it. My little guy loves massage time. After a couple applications I have noticed that it takes on average 2-4 days for that oil to soak completely in to the shell till I see no longer see the shine that was present at beginning of application . To me that is an impotent piece to the puzzle, it tells me that it takes time to soak in which any application in my opinoin other then the time frame I said probably would be pointless and a waste of oil. I only do this 1x a week for my little guy , his shell is in pretty good condition.

Okay, thank you. :) I worry about the condition of his shell. I don't know if it's okay or not. It doesn't look that bad to me, but the vet said he probably had some issues in the past.
 

glitch4200

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Okay, thank you. :) I worry about the condition of his shell. I don't know if it's okay or not. It doesn't look that bad to me, but the vet said he probably had some issues in the past.

Try it. The way I see it there is very very little risk with this. So why not. It's not hurting him at all even in the slightest bit as far as I have concluded
 

glitch4200

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Week 2: 2nd application.
It was his second bath time this week and I decided to throw a nice layer of extra virgin coconut oil on to him again after I noticed dryness on his wittle arms and legs. Of course he loved his massage . Again very little is sticking to him . He is extremely alert and active today. I made it a point to get the oil into all his soft little spots which he honestly didn't mind to much. Of course I wiped off the excess. I saw the biggest moisture improvement in his arms when I applied it . They look so healthy and colorful from just observation. I have also noticed it takes on average 2-3 days for an application of oil to absorb into the skin and shell. Lmao he smells so good I can almost eat him .. hahaha of course I would never but for real smells amazing.
 
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