Recent content by zovick

Looking good! Best of luck with them.

It's a boy! And from the other pix you posted, he looks dehydrated and his enclosure's substrate is too dry as well. You should soak that guy daily for about 20-30 minutes in lukewarm water to help him stay hydrated. Make sure the water is only as deep as where the top and bottom shells meet...

Do you think you will get another one and try again? You should, because the growth on your tortoise was perfect with no signs of pyramiding at all.

Very sorry you lost such a beautiful tortoise. I'm sure you are grief-stricken. Unfortunately, I have no idea why or how that stone could have formed and grown to such a large size without the tortoise ever showing any symptoms.

Looks like you have a real beauty in the making there. Congrats on your project!

Even though it was difficult for you, this was a very wise decision. I commend you on your foresight.

American Desert Tortoises and African sulcata tortoises look quite similar. You probably should post a couple pix of your tortoise so that we may be sure exactly what it is in order to give you the best care info. Be sure to show the front part of the upper shell directly above the neck area...

Unfortunately, these new photos and the symptoms you have mentioned are indicative of a tortoise with metabolic bone disease (MBD), one of the possible problems noted by Tom in post #4. The case does not appear to be severe, but it is affecting the tortoise. You will need to be quite vigilant to...

Believe it or not, I am a general dentist. I graduated from the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery of the University of Maryland in 1971. I have not done repairs like this on tortoises, but I did a large amount of human oral surgery in the service during Viet Nam (even though I am not a...

I had a Radiated Tortoise female who had to have her front leg amputated due to cancer. It was performed at the UGA Vet School Exotics Department, and the amputation was done at what we would call the shoulder joint. An acrylic "skid" was screwed to the plastron just under that leg opening, and...

Where are you in CA? I know a good exotics vet in LA. She has treated tortoises of mine during her time at the UGA Vet School here in GA. Here is her info in case you are close to LA. If you decide to see her, tell her that you were referred by Dr. William Zovickian: Laila M. Proença, MV, DVM...

Are you sure that Sheldon is truly a male rather than a female?

It looks fine to me. I don't think it is overweight.

To me, it looks as though the leg skin may have been abraded against the marginal scutes, possibly when the predator was biting the foot off, or perhaps afterwards since with the foot missing, the leg may rub on the shell more than it did when the whole leg was intact. I don't really see...

Burmese Star Tortoises do well in GA. So do Radiated Tortoises. Adult Burmese Stars can reach over 12" in length; adult Radiated Tortoises are even larger and can reach 16"-17". Both species are fairly cold tolerant. I left my adult specimens of both species outdoors day and night in Dacula, GA...