Shell gives

yay14

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Hi i have a one year one month hermann tortoise and most of his carapace is hard but i noticed the bottom of it and the plastron still has some very slight give almost none though except for where the yolc sac where and at the little thin area at the bottom of the carapace where you can kind of push it down. Those are the only places you can se noticeble give the other places you can barely see it if even at all. Is this normal for the torts age and when will the rest of his shell completely harden. It's not soft in anyway it just has some give in some places.
 

yay14

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It's also noticable give at the bottom of the plastron around the bum but at all the rest of the shell accept for the places mentioned above and well the bottom of the plastron around the bum it's pretty much completely hard.
 

Tom

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The plastron should have some pliability to it until they get bigger. Its a gradual process. Babies should feel kind of like a plastic lid from a butter tub. It should not feel spongy.
 

yay14

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The plastron should have some pliability to it until they get bigger. Its a gradual process. Babies should feel kind of like a plastic lid from a butter tub. It should not feel spongy.
That’s how it is but I what about the rim on the carapace when does that harden if at all? Also is it a problem if the back scutes of the carapace has some extremly
Minor give like you can barely see it just feel it slightly if even that.
 

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That’s how it is but I what about the rim on the carapace when does that harden if at all? Also is it a problem if the back scutes of the carapace has some extremly
Minor give like you can barely see it just feel it slightly if even that.
Its normal for the whole ting to have some give to it.

If your diet, UV, and calcium supplementation routine are all good, then you shouldn't have any problem. Want to tell us about those three things and we can verify?
 

yay14

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Its normal for the whole ting to have some give to it.

If your diet, UV, and calcium supplementation routine are all good, then you shouldn't have any problem. Want to tell us about those three things and we can verify?
He has a diet of about 4 different weeds and some grocery store stuff right now because of climate I am soon also going to start giving him mazuri. During the summer months he gets a bunch of different weeds and flowers. His suplementation is regular calcium once a week and nutrobal once a week he also always has acces to sepia. For UV and heat I use HID and according to the people I bought it from it’s at a good hight and he’s getting good heat according to my IR gun and thermometer.
So that it still has some give is not because of former errors in husbandry which are fixed now and the vet said he’s perfectly healthy, it’s just normal for it to have some give?
 

Tom

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He has a diet of about 4 different weeds and some grocery store stuff right now because of climate I am soon also going to start giving him mazuri. During the summer months he gets a bunch of different weeds and flowers. His suplementation is regular calcium once a week and nutrobal once a week he also always has acces to sepia. For UV and heat I use HID and according to the people I bought it from it’s at a good hight and he’s getting good heat according to my IR gun and thermometer.
So that it still has some give is not because of former errors in husbandry which are fixed now and the vet said he’s perfectly healthy, it’s just normal for it to have some give?
Most of us have no experience with HID lights, and without a meter, you are just guessing. Other than that, it all sounds pretty good.
 

yay14

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Its normal for the whole ting to have some give to it.

If your diet, UV, and calcium supplementation routine are all good, then you shouldn't have any problem. Want to tell us about those three things and we can verify?
My Husbandry had some major errors before but where fixed and the vet said he was perfectly healthy. So since all is good now with lighting UV diet and suplmentation now that is started giving minerals it should be all good right even though they were some problems in husbandry before which are fixed now and a vet confirmed him as healthy. So the former errors in husbandry should not have worsened the mineral problem right and as long as i start giving Miner-All from this point forward i should not have to worry?
 
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Blackdog1714

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My Husbandry had some major errors before but where fixed and the vet said he was perfectly healthy. So since all is good now with lighting UV diet and suplmentation now that is started giving minerals it should be all good right even though they were some problems in husbandry before which are fixed now and a vet confirmed him as healthy. So the former errors in husbandry should not have worsened the mineral problem right and as long as i start giving Miner-All from this point forward i should not have to worry?
When you dial in the heat, light, and humidity- it puts less pressure on you so you can ensure proper feeding and soaking. If you spend 1 hour a day looking for help and then 2 hours getting what you need to fix the problem in 8 days that is ONE whole day. Just imagine a day without stress and that is what we are trying to help you achieve.
 

yay14

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When you dial in the heat, light, and humidity- it puts less pressure on you so you can ensure proper feeding and soaking. If you spend 1 hour a day looking for help and then 2 hours getting what you need to fix the problem in 8 days that is ONE whole day. Just imagine a day without stress and that is what we are trying to help you achieve.
ok i now the heat humidity diet and soaking is all good and the UV should be to so i am just gonna relax. I have a psychiatric diasese that makes me worry and gives me extreme OCD but i have to overcome it and just relax and stop overreacting so thank you :)
 

Blackdog1714

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ok i now the heat humidity diet and soaking is all good and the UV should be to so i am just gonna relax. I have a psychiatric diasese that makes me worry and gives me extreme OCD but i have to overcome it and just relax and stop overreacting so thank you :)
I went from NO reptiles to a Russian and Leopard that are thriving thanks to TFO! I got my enclosure first and dialed it in before I got my tort which is way less stressful when the only thing you can effect is a plant!
 

yay14

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When you dial in the heat, light, and humidity- it puts less pressure on you so you can ensure proper feeding and soaking. If you spend 1 hour a day looking for help and then 2 hours getting what you need to fix the problem in 8 days that is ONE whole day. Just imagine a day without stress and that is what we are trying to help you achieve.
In reality i don't know why i am stressing out his heat is good, his humidity is good, his diet is good and now recently suplementation is also good he should be getting good UV, his shell is good, hes strong, eyes and nostrils clear and nothing weird in his mouth. Hes also active and eating and even though there were problems in husbandry before those are all fixed now and the vet said he was healthy last time i went in Novemeber. He also register 0.19 on the jacskon ratio so hes a good weight, hes 1 year 6 cm and 41 grams so in reality everything should be good with him and i need to stop worrying. The only thing that got me a bit extra worried is that it looked like he lost a few grams from the last time i measured but i am pretty sure it's the scale becuse it registers thing a few grams heavier than they are sometimes so i probably just thoght he was heavier than he actually is. And also i heard soaking and eating and stuff can change a few grams when their so small so it should be all good. But it's hard to be calm and not worry becuse of a pshyciatric diasese i have but i will try and be as calm as possible becuse deep down i now everythings fine. :tort: :) also what do you mean by dial in?
 

Blackdog1714

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In reality i don't know why i am stressing out his heat is good, his humidity is good, his diet is good and now recently suplementation is also good he should be getting good UV, his shell is good, hes strong, eyes and nostrils clear and nothing weird in his mouth. Hes also active and eating and even though there were problems in husbandry before those are all fixed now and the vet said he was healthy last time i went in Novemeber. He also register 0.19 on the jacskon ratio so hes a good weight, hes 1 year 6 cm and 41 grams so in reality everything should be good with him and i need to stop worrying. The only thing that got me a bit extra worried is that it looked like he lost a few grams from the last time i measured but i am pretty sure it's the scale becuse it registers thing a few grams heavier than they are sometimes so i probably just thoght he was heavier than he actually is. And also i heard soaking and eating and stuff can change a few grams when their so small so it should be all good. But it's hard to be calm and not worry becuse of a pshyciatric diasese i have but i will try and be as calm as possible becuse deep down i now everythings fine. :tort: :) also what do you mean by dial in?
The scales are a pain in the butt since they don't advise you when they are malfunctioning just do. I suggest an ancient measurement system that is foolproof (from the all wise YvonneG) get a pencil and blank sheet of white copy paper. sit your tort in the middle and trace around the shell, add a legend in the corner with date & weight. Now to check hold two sheets up together in front of a light and compare the outlines. I havent weighed mine in ages I just measure how grumpy my Russian is - 10+ he will shell bump me if I put my hand down. My leopard I use the hand method- one hand can barely pick him up so it may be two hands soon! BTW both are males and I sadly have visual undeniable confirmation. Sometimes my Russian likes to hump his plant container while staring at me to show his dominance.
 

yay14

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The scales are a pain in the butt since they don't advise you when they are malfunctioning just do. I suggest an ancient measurement system that is foolproof (from the all wise YvonneG) get a pencil and blank sheet of white copy paper. sit your tort in the middle and trace around the shell, add a legend in the corner with date & weight. Now to check hold two sheets up together in front of a light and compare the outlines. I havent weighed mine in ages I just measure how grumpy my Russian is - 10+ he will shell bump me if I put my hand down. My leopard I use the hand method- one hand can barely pick him up so it may be two hands soon! BTW both are males and I sadly have visual undeniable confirmation. Sometimes my Russian likes to hump his plant container while staring at me to show his dominance.
Hahah ok i will try that but btw do you think my tort sounds healthy?
 

Tom

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My Husbandry had some major errors before but where fixed and the vet said he was perfectly healthy. So since all is good now with lighting UV diet and suplmentation now that is started giving minerals it should be all good right even though they were some problems in husbandry before which are fixed now and a vet confirmed him as healthy. So the former errors in husbandry should not have worsened the mineral problem right and as long as i start giving Miner-All from this point forward i should not have to worry?
There is no way for me to know the answer to your questions based on what I can tell from your posts on the internet. If all is good, then you should be on track to a healthy tortoise.

Three things:
1. Vets don't know tortoises, and a vet looking at the outside of your tortoise and proclaiming it "healthy" then handing you a bill, doesn't mean much
2. We don't know that your UV output is good, because you don't have a meter, and none of us have any experience with the type of bulb you are using to draw from.
3. The MinerAll, in combination with a good, varied, high calcium, high fiber diet should help to stop the rock eating behavior in time.
 

yay14

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Most of us have no experience with HID lights, and without a meter, you are just guessing. Other than that, it all sounds pretty good.
Or well this summer he did not get much variety since i was not well educated and got almost only dandelion greens and flowers and maybe some others weeds and flowers to but mainly dandelions. So when i said during the summers he gets a bunch of weeds and flowers i was more reffering to next summer. But since his diet is good now do you think he was affected during those months from about june to october when he got very little variety or should it not have made an impact on health since he has good varity and diet now?
 

Yossarian

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Or well this summer he did not get much variety since i was not well educated and got almost only dandelion greens and flowers and maybe some others weeds and flowers to but mainly dandelions. So when i said during the summers he gets a bunch of weeds and flowers i was more reffering to next summer. But since his diet is good now do you think he was affected during those months from about june to october when he got very little variety or should it not have made an impact on health since he has good varity and diet now?

To be honest a tort could be fed a lot worse than just dandelion greens. Dandelions are a near ideal food for them so the temporary lack of variety shouldnt be a problem.
 

yay14

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To be honest a tort could be fed a lot worse than just dandelion greens. Dandelions are a near ideal food for them so the temporary lack of variety shouldnt be a problem.
Ok thats a relief
 
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