Buster's vet visit.

[Mr Buster]

The vet estimated he is 5 years old and said he appears to be very healthy. Weight is .54lbs. Lab work and diagnosis for parasites and bacteria pending. Doctor said it is not surprising to find a high amount of parasites that are actually very common but harmless in the intestines. But we need to look for parasites and bacteria that can actually be harmful.

He told me that getting another tortoise that is a different species from another part of the world is very dangerous because each tortoise can carry virus that they are immune to but the other tortoise is not. You could end up with two very sick animals.

Buster's eyes are fine. he is eating like a horse now. I feed him a cup of spring mix and a cup of timothy hay and he gobbles it all up.

I thought Buster was way older, maybe even in his 30s but doctor says he is a healthy baby.

 

[dmmj]

I like that vet

 

[wellington]

Sounds like the vet might know what their talking about. The age though, that can only be a guess. Seeing they all grow at their own pace and lots depends on how they were cared for, etc, it's only a guess.
As for getting another species. Well that's true if they were housed together. Getting another species and not mixing them is done all the time and can be done safely. Mixing them should never be done. I would be more concerned if they were wild caught. Then you have no idea what they could have. One hatched by a breeder would be safer. But, still not to mix.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

I say ditch the grocery "spring mix". Any leafy green for humans is a poor substitute for fresh, organic weeds from your yard. Find yourself some dandelion, wide or narrow leaf plantain and go from there. They love them wild greens and will be so much the better from them. I keep my eyes open for those, and mallow to name a few. Ask and you'll get answers.

 

[Mr Buster]

I want to ad more weeds and roses to the diet. Currently we are in snow season here in Reno so none of the some 20 rose bushes I have are in bloom or have good leaves. What little were still out there he did eat when I first got him. I do have an euonymus bush that is hardy and has leaves year round and always pick Buster 5-10 leaves a day but don't want to over pick the bush. I don't know if they are good for him though, just that he likes them. The next time I go fishing on the Truckee I will see what is still growing and buy a little from the local garden nursery. But right now the spring mix, romaine, and cilantro will be the bulk of his diet.

 

[JoesMum]

Euonymus is "do not feed" on The Tortoise Table

You can see their reasoning here
http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plants_19.asp?st=true&mode=main&catID=114

They err on the side of caution and their decision seems to be due to the berries

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Here is a site to check out for safe plants or not:

http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plant_database_14.asp

They do tend to be over cautious though, so I use it while double checking the information provided.

 

[Mr Buster]

Thanks for the info. So sad that everything Buster seems to love (peas for instance) end up going into the waste bin.

 

[JoesMum]

Thanks for the info. So sad that everything Buster seems to love (peas for instance) end up going into the waste bin.

Children love candy. It doesn't make it good for their health to eat it though.

As the providers of food, we have to accept that we should be feeding healthy and not what they desire.

 

[DutchieAmanda]

I want to ad more weeds and roses to the diet. Currently we are in snow season here in Reno so none of the some 20 rose bushes I have are in bloom or have good leaves. What little were still out there he did eat when I first got him. I do have an euonymus bush that is hardy and has leaves year round and always pick Buster 5-10 leaves a day but don't want to over pick the bush. I don't know if they are good for him though, just that he likes them. The next time I go fishing on the Truckee I will see what is still growing and buy a little from the local garden nursery. But right now the spring mix, romaine, and cilantro will be the bulk of his diet.

Due to the weather I'm also largely depending on grocery store foods. I also buy endive, escarole, radish greens, and sometimes a little bit of the cabbage family (too much is not recommended). Maybe you can add different and more nutritious greens to the diet, even if you have to buy at the grocery?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

That sounds like a good vet.
Most want to treat for para$ites at the first sign of them. (And most tortoises have some.)
No. I didn't misspell parasites.

 

[Prognathodon]

At my local grocery store I can buy fresh dandelion, watercress, fenugreek greens, opuntia pads and chopped nopalitos, radicchio, leafy and Belgian endive, flat and curly escarole; and, if I wanted, about a dozen different brassicas, plus many different types of "exotic" fruits and fruit-we-treat-as-veg. One of the good things about living in a major metro area...

 

[Mr Buster]

One other thing, doctor told me not to rely on the presence of cuttlebone and Buster's instincts to eat it if he needs a calcium boost. So he will now get calcium powder with D3 dusted on his food.

 

[JoesMum]

One other thing, doctor told me not to rely on the presence of cuttlebone and Buster's instincts to eat it if he needs a calcium boost. So he will now get calcium powder with D3 dusted on his food.

A tiny pinch 3 times a week should be sufficient. You can overdo it.

Don't use too much at a time because your tort will refuse to eat the food dusted with the powder if it detects it. They're picky little wotsits.

 

[Mr Buster]

The lab results are back. He is free of parasites.