Smiller515
New Member
Hi Everyone, A week ago I wrote about my sick baby tortoise, Zeus. I was able to get him into the vet and he has stayed there for a week and has made it through and doing better, but it is a slow process.
He is opening his eyes and moving around more and I was able to take him home last night after a week. Vet says he was dehydrated and needed calcium and vitamins.
She believes he was shipped too young and when it was too cold. He has signs of a respiratory infection and she gave him some antibiotics and injections of calcium and vitamins daily and his shell has gotten stronger. She's been tube feeding him and he has been refusing to eat on his own and still has not pooped in a week. Any suggestions for me at home to help keep him on the mend and to get him back to eating and pooping. I accept that this will be a long process as he is still just about 4 months old and will need to fight through this. I have him on paper towels in a large plastic storage bin, and a mercury vapor bulb for head and uvb. Keeping humidity lower as the vet did (20-30%) and temps from 93-78 as she said to keep him warmer.
The vet had a heat pad, a heat light, and UVB strip, but I found the heating pad made my enclosure way too hot and it was hard to control the temps.
I've noticed my tortoise won't open his eyes much now under the uvb but he will when I hold him away from the direct light. Should I switch to two different bulbs for heat and uvb? Could it be te Mercury bulb that is causing problems? I'm a tortoise newbie and doing all that I possibly can to keep this little guy going.
As for feeding I've tried soaking in baby food and vitas ok and nothing is working. Please help!
He is opening his eyes and moving around more and I was able to take him home last night after a week. Vet says he was dehydrated and needed calcium and vitamins.
She believes he was shipped too young and when it was too cold. He has signs of a respiratory infection and she gave him some antibiotics and injections of calcium and vitamins daily and his shell has gotten stronger. She's been tube feeding him and he has been refusing to eat on his own and still has not pooped in a week. Any suggestions for me at home to help keep him on the mend and to get him back to eating and pooping. I accept that this will be a long process as he is still just about 4 months old and will need to fight through this. I have him on paper towels in a large plastic storage bin, and a mercury vapor bulb for head and uvb. Keeping humidity lower as the vet did (20-30%) and temps from 93-78 as she said to keep him warmer.
The vet had a heat pad, a heat light, and UVB strip, but I found the heating pad made my enclosure way too hot and it was hard to control the temps.
I've noticed my tortoise won't open his eyes much now under the uvb but he will when I hold him away from the direct light. Should I switch to two different bulbs for heat and uvb? Could it be te Mercury bulb that is causing problems? I'm a tortoise newbie and doing all that I possibly can to keep this little guy going.
As for feeding I've tried soaking in baby food and vitas ok and nothing is working. Please help!