hello forum members!
had the good fortune to stumble upon a cl post today advertising a juvie boxie that someone had taken from the wild after he inadvertently nearly killed it.
the person was truly a good samaritan and trying to do the right thing - so i'm not focusing on taking these little guys from the wild and having limited knowledge of proper care. i'm focusing instead on making this little guy better and need your insight and advice. (Please don't slog the person who gave me this little guy as he truly figured out something was wrong and knew he needed help!)
this little boxie is maybe a year and a half, not as big as he should be, was kept very dry, fed crickets and now has a shell so soft you could fold him in half with not much effort. he's fragile - but on the upside he's alert, moves around, has an interest in live food, eyes are clear, limbs seem to work ok, etc. if you just looked at him you might think his shell looks a bit flat and too oval. if you picked him up you'd definitely know something was wrong.
he's now in an indoor pen with really good uva/uvb, hide log, hiding places, correct humidity, deep moist substrate, hay, etc. his diet will alternate between live food every other day and fruits/veggies every other day. he'll have constant access to cuttle bone as well.
i've successfully raised healthy juvies with beautiful shells but have never had one this soft with mbd.
any tips from anyone who's successfully rehabilitated a boxie this young/soft/mbd plagued?
it breaks my heart but i'm going to do what i can!
thank you for any insight!
had the good fortune to stumble upon a cl post today advertising a juvie boxie that someone had taken from the wild after he inadvertently nearly killed it.
the person was truly a good samaritan and trying to do the right thing - so i'm not focusing on taking these little guys from the wild and having limited knowledge of proper care. i'm focusing instead on making this little guy better and need your insight and advice. (Please don't slog the person who gave me this little guy as he truly figured out something was wrong and knew he needed help!)
this little boxie is maybe a year and a half, not as big as he should be, was kept very dry, fed crickets and now has a shell so soft you could fold him in half with not much effort. he's fragile - but on the upside he's alert, moves around, has an interest in live food, eyes are clear, limbs seem to work ok, etc. if you just looked at him you might think his shell looks a bit flat and too oval. if you picked him up you'd definitely know something was wrong.
he's now in an indoor pen with really good uva/uvb, hide log, hiding places, correct humidity, deep moist substrate, hay, etc. his diet will alternate between live food every other day and fruits/veggies every other day. he'll have constant access to cuttle bone as well.
i've successfully raised healthy juvies with beautiful shells but have never had one this soft with mbd.
any tips from anyone who's successfully rehabilitated a boxie this young/soft/mbd plagued?
it breaks my heart but i'm going to do what i can!
thank you for any insight!