Almost three years old and still tiny

[acalirobin]

Hi all,

I thought I had been taking good care of my tortoise but he/she hasn't grown much. I got it Dec 2013, I make sure one side of the tank is 70 degrees and the other is 90 degrees. There are several hiding places in the tank and on 90 days it goes in my outdoor enclosure. I soak him/her every night and provide fresh water outside in a dish. There's always hay/grass in it's tank and I feed him a "salad" of mixed greens (collard, mustard, khale, spinach and lettuce) I also give it water crest. I sprinkle calcium on the salad.

It's just not growing, still very active and hides a lot. The only thing I can think that we haven't been doing is providing one of those cuttle bones or another calcium supplement and I didn't know the tank needed to be humid. I hope I didn't mess up the poor thing.

Is this usual? Should we go to a vet? Thank you for so much for your help.

Best wishes,

Robin

 

[Nmcgowan]

I would definitly take it to a vet. They may be able to figure out why it isn't growing. Yes they should have around 80% humidity in their enclosures. The only thing that I could think may be causing this is that it has some sort of parasite. But like I said only a vet would be able to tell you. Best if luck

 

[acalirobin]

Hi, Thank you for writing, I was thinking parasite as well.

I was thinking about buying this for my tank, would it be too much humidity?:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CO9582Y/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Robin:

I don't think you'll find a vet who is well-versed in tortoise husbandry, and it's probably your husbandry that's the culprit. Re-read the care sheet and make any adjustments that need to be made to your husbandry.

Except for the size, the tortoise looks great.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/leopard-tortoise-care-sheet.63792/

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Your temperatures are too cool for a leopard hatchling. Bring that 70F end up to 80F. What is the nighttime temperature?

 

[wellington]

If you read the caresheets for leopards on this forum and change everything up that your doing you should see a big change. Also, your tort should be able to go out side on days that the temps are 75 and above with shade provided and even on lower temp days like 70 if it's sunny out.

 

[acalirobin]

Thank you everyone! I'm going to the orchard supply to change up it's habitat. I made an appointment for the vet on Thursday but I think I'll cancel and wait to see if the little guy improves.

 

[Alexio]

Agreeing with Sarah and adding should be no lower than 80f day or night. Also your diet is okay but not they best. Feeding just leuttuce is basically just giving them solid water. The other foods your feeding are higher in protein than in fiber which is what they really need.
I would only feed the kale and spinach in moderation. I wouldn't bother with leuttuce. Mustard greens are good collards greens are okay but i would also be leery on feeding them heavily. Endive and escarole are good alternatives I also like turnip greens and they lovee dandelion greens.
Your setup also looks very dry. Are you monitoring the humidity? If so what is it ?
Humidity should be also at around 80 day and night at a minimum. I have not seen many people using straw or hay as a substrate. (It molds when it gets wet and stays damp) Was that your indoor enclosure?
What are you using for your day and night heat and daytime uvb?
Once you make adjustments to the diet humidity and temperature you will definitely see improvement.

 

[Kasia]

Thank you everyone! I'm going to the orchard supply to change up it's habitat. I made an appointment for the vet on Thursday but I think I'll cancel and wait to see if the little guy improves.

At least take a poo sample for exam - fresh one. Where do you live??? Is he an import or captive breed? If the poo is runny and not solid it could be either bad diet or parasites (or both). Change his diet and check for parasites.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome.

Sounds like you've been following the old advice for housing and feeding. As you are seeing, it doesn't work very well. Please read these:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

This one is good too, but it was written for sulcatas. Leopards don't need as much grass, and some won't eat grass at all. Just scroll down to the plant list for some better foods.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

Problems that I see that you need to address from your first post:
1. Your temps are too cool. 70 is too low on the cool side and 90 is not warm enough for the basking area.
2. You've got the wrong substrate. Its way too dry.
3. Wrong diet. Lettuce, spinach and other grocery store greens are not the best diet. They need weeds, leaves, succulents and flowers.
4. You humidity is much too low.
5. What is your outdoor enclosure like and how much time does the little one spend in it? Too much outside time is not good for little ones.
6. What do you mean "on 90 days" your tortoise goes outside? If you are talking about temperature, your tortoise can go outside when temps are 70 plus, its dry and not too windy. Use a temp gun to check ground temps out there.
7. Other than checking a fecal sample for parasites, there is not much a vet will do for your tortoise. Most of them will be happy to take your money though.

If you post pics of your two enclosures, we can offer more tips for improving things. Please feel free to ask lots of questions and for more explanation on any of this. We are happy to help and we all love talking tortoises.

 

[acalirobin]

Hi All,

Thank you again for writing to me.

I've got his tank set up differently now, it's more humid and full of dirt, peat moss and bark. He was really happy last night and ate a lot.

I'm going to the store the replace the bulbs and get another heat source as well a humidity gauge. I couldn't find the endive only the belgian endive, but I picked up some organic dandelion greens and some escarole for tonight's dinner. They didn't have the turnip greens, just the bulb part. They have a packet of flowers but I wasn't sure which flowers, I've put succulents in the tank before but he just snubs them. Is there a certain kind to get?

I'll order some seeds online to start growing some food in his tank. I cancelled the vet appointment.

I feel so bad, I feel like I've been torturing the poor guy, hopefully he'll turn around after all of the changes.

Thank you again for the support and information! I'm so happy I found all of you guys.