Recent content by Markw84

As @maggie3fan stated above, it is an older Russian tortoise that a good soaking and cleaning would also help us see what is going on better. I think what you are referring to is that apparent "cracks" forming around each scute. IF that is new, it would be new growth, As the bone below grows...

Bene-Bac Reptile is a good one.

Trichomonas is an extremely common flagellate found in tortoises. Most experienced tortoise vets consider them a normal part of gut flora and non-pathogenic - unless numbers get extremely high. So unless other symptoms such as weight loss, runny or mucous laden stools, lethargy are present...

Jeff; I just can't get myself to trust the Bulbs from China. We still see issues from the compacts and CHE's made in China. Just not the quality control there to assure to my satisfaction that there is not too much UVC being emitted by the bulb. I am testing the SurSun. Sold by Vivatek...

They burn extremely hot and put a a larger amount of near-IR because of the heat. That is very desiccating on the tortoise carapace and contributes to pyramiding. Because of the heat they also will overheat any decent closed chamber type of enclosure. IF you have a good enclosure to hold...

Not sure how to answer your question as I don't know what you mean by a "standard Fluorescent bulb". Height mounted above the substrate is the factor in what level of UVI you get a tortoise level for all UVB bulbs. With the bulbs I am testing now, at 16" I get about 3.0 UVI in a circle about...

Hay is a blessing for a large sulcata owner. I went through a couple of bales a year for my large sulcatas. It was probably over 50% of their diet along with grasses they grazed on in their enclosure. The long fiber is actually good for their digestion and moving things along in their gut...

There are indeed now some pretty promising LED UVB bulbs. I am testing some now in some of my enclousures. I am really liking what I see so far. Eliminates the heat problem with the HO T5s. Screws into a standard E26 E27 socket. Gives a smaller basking zone of 3.0 at about 18" height, but I...

Really would recommend the rear leg. We always microchip in rear left upper leg. Easiest to microchip when they are between 1500g - 3000g. Do a search for my post on our vacation and the Galapagos Tortoise Alliance. Pictures of me microchipping some Galapagos there

Both pinworms and flagellates are considered normal gut flora in tortoises. Most of the best tortoise vets consider them as possibly beneficial and certainly commensal. I personally would not treat unless there were other symptoms, particulaly inability to gain weight, lethargy. When I get...

I agree with @Yvonne G . Looks chewed on. I don't see any active infection there. It looks like it is healing. You need to check and see how something (rat/dog) could have got to your baby tortoise. That tortoise is too small to be out where something can get to it.

Here's a photo of some of my spotteds basking. The male is easy to see with all the females. A couple of juvenile males there, but the old male is really easy to see with that black face. Zoom in and see if you can find him! The second one up from the water on the log is also a male about 9...

Looking male to me, but still a bit young to be sure. I would be 90% sure male at this point. The tail is looking male as the opening is now well past the edge of the carapace. The real easy defining characteristic of spotted males is they develop a black face. That normally happens about...

As of a few days ago, @NorCal tortoise guy had 9 left and that was it for the year. He has great sulcatas and they would be a good choice for you. Message him and see if he is shipping. Really do think though the process of housing a large tortoise in the New York winters. It takes a very...

I would not. The brumation process involves varying degrees of sleep and low levels of activity. However, I would not try to change that by moving or soaking - thereby artificially increasing activity levels above what the tortoise may be really capable of in its current state. If set up...