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    Need Help; tortoise making too much noise!

    My tortoise is definitely well fed in terms of freshness an variety. He eats catus pads as well as grass I grow in trays (sulcata mix from a tortoise supplier) and fresh plants that I buy from the farmers market (potted flowers /whole plants that I lay on their side and let him "find" in the...
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    Need Help; tortoise making too much noise!

    I have a 5-6? year old leopard tortoise that's been my pet since he could fit in the palm of my hand. Now he/she is about 9 inches in length. The problem is that he has way too much energy and no amount of space seems to be enough to make him happy. Despite the fact that he now has almost...
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    Tortoises and Train Travel

    I was wondering if anyone knows anything about traveling with your tortoise aboard a train (i.e. amtrak)? I know amtrak's official policy according to their website is "no pets", but if they don't search my baggage, I can't imagine that they'd care if I have my quiet, hypoallergenic little baby...
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    UVA/UVB & heat bulb distance

    I purchased a 100W "Powersun" UVB/UVA & heat bulb for my young leopard tortoise (by zoomed). However, the product does not give any exact specifications as to how far the the light penetrates from the bulb and merely says it should be used for "20 gallons or larger terrariums". Consequently, I...
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    tortoise skin darkening

    Well, I think you can rule out the 'wet coconut coir' because my leopard is housed with dry timothy hay bedding...that's how I knew right away that it must be the actual skin darkening and not dirt since there is nothing like that in his enclosure... What kind of UVA/UVB light do you use...
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    tortoise skin darkening

    In the past couple weeks I've noticed that that the skin on the nose/face and forearms of my young leopard tortoise (less than 1 year old) appears to be darkening in color. I'm not sure if this is normal or possibly a sign that something is wrong? His health and appetite appear otherwise...
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    Tortoise Flipping itself over

    So today I went home for lunch and found my little leopard tort stuck on his back pitifully waving his feet in the air. I waited a coupled minutes to see if he would be able to right himself and then finally helped him get back on his feet. I have absolutely no idea how he managed to flip...
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    Anybody do their own fecals?

    Yes, I've done it several times, however, I'm also a Phd student in Microbiology and worked for two years as an intern in a vet office. It is relatively simple- for most parasites you just need a microscope, slides, PBS solution and a little know-how. Unfortunately, if you do detect a problem...
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    Shell Hardening

    The temperature in the room has only fallen below 78 F a couple times and has pretty much remained at 80 or above ever since he arrived. He has a 'zoo-med Powersun UVA & UVB bulb that provides a basking spot of 95 degrees. The humidity is very low- definitely less than 20 percent. I'm...
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    Shell Hardening

    Thanks. Do you know where I can get liquid calcium carbonate?? He has a UVB/full spectrum light that is on 12 hours a day and I try to take him outside when I get a chance.
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    Shell Hardening

    Given correct lighting, diet and hydration; does anybody know how long it takes for a young leopard tortoises shell to harden? I received my baby leopard tort a little over two weeks ago and when I got him I noticed that his plastron had some give to it (nothing major, but noticeable). I...
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    Gazania

    Gazania is not only safe but was on a recommended foliage list for desert tortoise grazing enclosures. My leopard tort's favorite treat are the big yellow gazania flowers and he also loves the succulent leaves. These plants are pretty hardy to; I've been growing them indoors with just a bit of...
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    Which grass and weed mix is best?

    I ordered the seed mix from sulcatafood.com and my leopard loves it. It grows super fast! I planted mine in shallow dishes with a little bit of potting soil; kept the soil moist and within 3-4 days i had grass 4-5 inches tall. This seed mix also contains a variety- yet everything in it is...
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    Giving tortoise medication

    How long have you had him? If just recently (within 2 weeks or so) you can expect lower activity levels because the tortoise is still getting used to you and the enclosure. You say he's 3.25" , is it a Pardalis, Pardalis and Babcocki? If Babcocki that puts him over a year old. I'd say...
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    Giving tortoise medication

    Thanks for the advice! It sounds like you had to deal with the same hassle. How old was frankie at the time? I tried once to 'grab' his head before he retracted it because he's so small I'm afraid of breaking his neck. I have also heard that you have to get the syringe pretty far down their...
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    Giving tortoise medication

    Does anybody know how to get a very tiny tortoise (about 3.25" long) to eat his coccidia (Albon) and flagellates (flagyl) medication? He is very shy and can pull his head completely into his shell and then cover it with his front legs so it seems impossible to make him do something that he does...
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