When do shells harden?

[mamameg]

Thank you so much for all of your help @Anyfoot- I will keep you updated on her progress. I'm feeling a little better today than I was yesterday! Fingers and toes crossed.

@Anyfoot I think she is too small/young for pinkies. I did end up getting a natural chicken pack that I will try.

 

[Anyfoot]

@Anyfoot I think she is too small/young for pinkies. I did end up getting a natural chicken pack that I will try.

Have you tried earth worms?

 

[mamameg]

Have you tried earth worms?

@Anyfoot yes she sometimes eats them in the garden and in her habitat. She can never finish a whole one though. She has also taken a few bites of wax worms but I think they don't wiggle enough for her! She does like hard boiled eggs so I have been rotating with that and the wigglers.

 

[mamameg]

@Anyfoot this is what I gave her. Is it OK to continue? She devoured it!

 

[mamameg]

@Anyfoot does her underbelly look ok?

 

[Anyfoot]

@Anyfoot does her underbelly look ok? View attachment 216224View attachment 216225

The middle bit looks like scaring from the egg sack. I'm not so sure about the dark coloring on the rest of the plastron. I'll be honest, when i saw the 2nd photo in this thread I thought this tort could be a redfoot x yellow foot. Could be way off though.

@cdmay . Does this look normal to you?

 

[mamameg]

The middle bit looks like scaring from the egg sack. I'm not so sure about the dark coloring on the rest of the plastron. I'll be honest, when i saw the 2nd photo in this thread I thought this tort could be a redfoot x yellow foot. Could be way off though.

@cdmay . Does this look normal to you?

@Anyfoot I was looking back at pictures of her underbelly and it's definitely darkening down the middle, but I was most concerned about the two bluish spots on either side of her sac scar. I can see a vein on the left hand side and I'm worried about MBD. I had stopped giving her calcium due to the other meds/vitamins she was on and the difference in a week is apparent. But I'm not sure if it's because she's growing (almost 10 grams up since last Tuesday!) or if there is another issue surfacing. I can post a pic of her outside of the sunlight if that will help show what I am seeing. Today was the first day back out in a week, only about 30 minutes in the natural sun.

And yes I have always thought she was a bit light for a cherry head redfoot! Do you think she could be a mix of them both?

 

[mamameg]

@Anyfoot

 

[Anyfoot]

Yeah, that bluish colour was what I meant, I'm not sure why that is. A cherry head will darken as it grows, but the change in your first photo on this thread (15th Aug) to the latest photo is quite a change in such a short period of time.
Also the scutes are slightly sunken. Someone once told me this can be due to lack of vitamins. However yellowfoots have the sunken scute look as babies. That's what made me think it could be a hybrid.
Does the plastron feel soft like a sponge or does it flex like a margarine tub?
10g is some growth in a week. I take it she's feeding well now. Has she pooped yet?

 

[mamameg]

@Anyfoot it flexes like a tub. Is that good or bad?!!! She is eating 2x a day. She pooped on Sunday, but not since. I added calcium back in her diet today. It seems strange that it would darken that much in a week. I just don't understand this little tort! Any yellowfooters out there have some input?

 

[Redfool]

Yellow and brown are OK. The grayish is just the outer layer of the plastron.The grayish is actually looking through the plastron. I found this out the hard way years ago. I had a juvy rf roll over and fire ants got to it before I could. This rf had the same grey. I ended up cleaning the shell (after ants did most of it) and the spots which are usually in the center of the plastron scutes were thin,not quite see fhru. I have that shell lacquered and on my shelf to remind me to Amdro. With calcium and growth these turn yellow.

 

[Redfool]

Keep up with calcium D3 and diffused sunlight. Redfoots are forest dwellers and don't need a full sun bask, broken sun/shade and moisture is best.

 

[mamameg]

@Redfool my baby has just finished a round of antibiotics and a vitamin soak. Wondering if that has anything to do with it? I will be adding calcium back into her diet (started this morning) and her soaking bath. Any other suggestions? Just keep up on the calcium? She enjoys being under her plants in the light. See attached photo of her habitat. Humidity is 80-90% and temps are 83-87. Let me know if there is anything else I can do. I'm very worried, it has not been an easy tort.

 

[mamameg]

@Redfool her top is different than this picture- just FYI. Attaching that too. It is an old layout but the top is still the same.

 

[mamameg]

@Anyfoot I just soaked her in her night time bath which consists of (see attached photo) and cal+ D3 (which I just added to the mix tonight) mixed into 50% water 50% a pediatric electrolyte. It almost feels like she's swollen. Her shell feels like it's rounding out more. It's not quite plastic not quite sponge. More brown this week as well.

 

[Redfool]

Housing looks great. Keep up calcium, maybe lighter dose twice per week. Weigh (assuming you have a scale) before and after soak. You can't believe how fast these little guys can dehydrate. Don't worry, MBD comes from bad husbandry, dry conditions and stagnant diet. You seem to be an aware keeper and you should have this tort around for the next 50 to 75 years.

 

[mamameg]

@Redfool thank you for your kind words! I hope to have her written in my will one day

So you think just a light dusting of it twice a week? She went a week without it due to antibiotics and other vitamins, it just seems so quick to be a vitamin deficiency.

 

[mamameg]

@Anyfoot @Redfool I can see through her! Is this normal?!

 

[Anyfoot]

I've not encounted this before so can't help. All I'd say is carry on with what your doing.
The fact she's eating,pooping and is more active means things are changing for the better you would think.

 

[mamameg]

@Anyfoot thank you. I will continue to do what I have been doing. I have sent photos over to the vet for his opinion since we're not due back until next week.