How to get Tank energetic again and get a hard shell?

[Baby Leopard]

My baby tortoise, Tank, has been really lazy. When we first got him he wouldn't stop walking! Hes around 3 months old right now and we got him when he was 2 weeks old. His shell has slowly become softer and softer, and now even with the slightest pinch it will press inwards. The middle of his plastron has sunken into his belly as well. I've switched from powdered calcium to liquid calcium that I put in his water. His substrate is forest floor but I wan't to switch to half dirt half sand.

Any advice is welcome. Thanks for reading!

 

[Yvonne G]

Metabolic bone disease (soft bones and shell) is quite painful. All you can do is try your best at this juncture. He's quite far gone. You need sunshine in order to make all that calcium work. Without sun (or an expensive UVB light) the calcium he eats just goes out in the pee.

Will he eat? Feed him calcium-rich greens:

Collard greens, turnip greens, kale, mustard greens, okra, etc.

And sprinkle a tiny bit of calcium over his food three times a week. Don't use too much or he won't eat.

The vet can give him a calcium injection, but at his young age, I'm not sure I'd do that. Get his advice and see what he says.

 

[Tom]

Read this for an explanation of what is going on: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/

Here is what the breeder should have done: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-incubate-eggs-and-start-hatchlings.124266/

What not to do: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

How to raise babies: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/


Hope this helps.