Liebe's Picture Day

[RiverKentValley]

The weather today was nice and warm for Liebe to be outside, and the light was just right for taking pictures When I was taking picture, though, Liebe would don't stop moving! She was either ignoring the camera or trying to attack it XP

 

[l0velesly]

Great pictures... but also, it looks like her shell is pyramidding.. are you keeping her in really dry conditions?

 

[RiverKentValley]

Great pictures... but also, it looks like her shell is pyramidding.. are you keeping her in really dry conditions?

Yes, she lives in relatively dry condition. But I do live in Southern CA, so it is hard to keep her environment perfect. What do you recommend?

 

[wellington]

Great pictures... but also, it looks like her shell is pyramidding.. are you keeping her in really dry conditions?

Yes, she lives in relatively dry condition. But I do live in Southern CA, so it is hard to keep her environment perfect. What do you recommend?

80% humidity. Check out the threads at the bottom of my post. All of them works for leopards and Tom who wrote them, lives in CA, so it can be done. I would start ASAP and you will get the new growth growing in smooth. They also need water available 24/7 and you should be doing warm water soaks every day for 20-30 minutes. The dry way is old, outdated and not healthy for your tort.

 

[RiverKentValley]

80% humidity. Check out the threads at the bottom of my post. All of them works for leopards and Tom who wrote them, lives in CA, so it can be done. I would start ASAP and you will get the new growth growing in smooth. They also need water available 24/7 and you should be doing warm water soaks every day for 20-30 minutes. The dry way is old, outdated and not healthy for your tort.

Thank you very much Wellington, I didn't know that. I was taught 'the dry way' of talking care of Leos. So I shall make the necessary adjustments to unsure that Liebe has the best possible environment.

Question: is Liebe's shell too far gone for it to grow properly, since I have been caring for her the 'dry way' for so long?

 

[Neal]

I was taught 'the dry way' of talking care of Leos. So I shall make the necessary adjustments to unsure that Liebe has the best possible environment.

Question: is Liebe's shell too far gone for it to grow properly, since I have been caring for her the 'dry way' for so long?

How are you keeping her now? I had caught another one of your posts somewhere last night that said you are only soaking her once a week? I think the first change you should make is to soak her daily and provide a water bowl in her enclosure that she can access easily. Also, a humid hide can be beneficial if you do not already have one.

You should see the new growth come in smoother after increasing the hydration. Here's an example:

This picture is several years old, but you can clearly see the sudden change from pyramided growth to smooth growth. All of the darker smoother growth came in after I bought the tortoise. The only thing I had changed from the care it was receiving before (besides not using rabbit pellets) is that I soaked the tortoise daily or every other day. The previous keeper soaked the tortoise only once a week. I've done this same regimen with leopards I have purchased, and although the change from pyramiding to smooth wasn't as drastic in the leopards, increased hydration did influence better growth. The pyramiding that has already occurred will remain on the tortoise, but if you change some of your husbandry, the new growth can be better.

 

[RiverKentValley]

How are you keeping her now? I had caught another one of your posts somewhere last night that said you are only soaking her once a week? I think the first change you should make is to soak her daily and provide a water bowl in her enclosure that she can access easily. Also, a humid hide can be beneficial if you do not already have one.

You should see the new growth come in smoother after increasing the hydration. Here's an example:

This picture is several years old, but you can clearly see the sudden change from pyramided growth to smooth growth. All of the darker smoother growth came in after I bought the tortoise. The only thing I had changed from the care it was receiving before (besides not using rabbit pellets) is that I soaked the tortoise daily or every other day. The previous keeper soaked the tortoise only once a week. I've done this same regimen with leopards I have purchased, and although the change from pyramiding to smooth wasn't as drastic in the leopards, increased hydration did influence better growth. The pyramiding that has already occurred will remain on the tortoise, but if you change some of your husbandry, the new growth can be better.

Thank you Neal! I'm learning something everyday from this forum. I've started rearranging her enclosure, and I'm going see if I can buy a humid hide. What kind of bedding do you recommend? The bedding I was recommended and use when I first bought Liebe was Almond shell bedding -from petco.

 

[Tortus]

Great pictures. Looks like Liebe had fun. How old is he/she??

Many people here seem to prefer coconut coir or fiber for their young tortoises since it holds moisture. Keeping the enclosure fully or partially closed will also help. There are many ways to do it. I keep mine half closed with a humidifier and the humidity is good, especially high in the closed end where it sleeps. Between 80-90% when I take it out for a soak in the morning.

Right now drsfostersmith.com has Eco Earth on sale for $3.99 per three pack. I bought $50 worth and got free shipping. It's a good deal for anyone in the market for new substrate since I've seen single coir/fiber bricks go for more than that.

 

[RiverKentValley]

Great pictures. Looks like Liebe had fun. How old is he/she??

Many people here seem to prefer coconut coir or fiber for their young tortoises since it holds moisture. Keeping the enclosure fully or partially closed will also help. There are many ways to do it. I keep mine half closed with a humidifier and the humidity is good, especially high in the closed end where it sleeps. Between 80-90% when I take it out for a soak in the morning.

Right now drsfostersmith.com has Eco Earth on sale for $3.99 per three pack. I bought $50 worth and got free shipping. It's a good deal for anyone in the market for new substrate since I've seen single coir/fiber bricks go for more than that.

Thank you Tortus! I've been looking for good websites for substrate! I've been reading about different technique for Tortoise enclosures, and it seems like the Redfoot Tortoise style would fit a Leo pretty good. What do you think? Oh, and Liebe will be a year on Valentine's day.

 

[Tortus]

I don't know much about redfoots aside from they're a forest tortoise so the humidity would be higher. It seems the higher the humidity the better. All the new growth on my leopard has been smooth, and the first black growth rings that I thought were pyramiding are getting flat as it gets bigger.

But yeah, drsfostersmith.com has the cheapest price I've seen on zoo med eco earth coco fiber. If you get $50 worth like I did it's a lot...the shipping box weighed a ton. Someone on Amazon has it for slightly less but then you have to take into account shipping costs which make it more expensive. The sale ends on the 10th but it only goes up 1 more dollar, which still makes it cheap.

You'd pay 3 times more at least at a pet shop.