baby redfoot- how long before plastron hardens?

[Mantissa3]

Hi All you redfoot breeders and companions (N2Torts...):

My baby hatched on January 23, 2016.

The "seam" healed fine, and he's growing - I draw around him and weigh him every 7-12 days and he's gaining weight and his lopsided shell is evening out now.

Having said that, with just a bit of pressure on his plastron, it feels a bit "springy" or "flexible" - is this normal, given he's not even 4 months old yet?

If so- is there anything I can do to "help" such as a calcium supplament dusted on his lettuce?

If not normal, please let me know what we may be facing, and what other symptoms I should be looking for in my little, dear hatchling?

Thank you in advance!

 

[MPRC]

I believe it is normal for babies to be springy. My two year old has a bit of flexiblity in her plastron when she sneezes or spooks I can feel it flex.

 

[Pearly]

My babies were this same but I don't remember the timeline on the hardening. They are about 11 months now. I don't dust the calcium on their food bcs they wouldn't eat it. Instead I just mix it in with their favorites, like finely chopped cooked shrimp, or mango. They devour every bit of it. Also for a while they nibbled on their cuttlebone. I still keep it in their enclosure but haven't seen them fool with it in a while. I don't supplement with calcium very often. Once a week or more like every 2 wks, but I'm pretty confident in their diet. Those babies eat VERY well and their food is very diverse. They are almost yearlings but I still spend time chopping things up for them into almost "ground" consistency. They love their meals which is a great relief after having experienced dealing with "non-eating" baby tort. I put bigger pieces of whatever food they get and they do experiment with it but their main nutrition comes from what I spend time preparing for them. I'm glad to hear you've got a new baby. Will have to look for your threads and curious to see pictures congratulations on your new addition

 

[Mantissa3]

My babies were this same but I don't remember the timeline on the hardening. They are about 11 months now. I don't dust the calcium on their food bcs they wouldn't eat it. Instead I just mix it in with their favorites, like finely chopped cooked shrimp, or mango. They devour every bit of it. Also for a while they nibbled on their cuttlebone. I still keep it in their enclosure but haven't seen them fool with it in a while. I don't supplement with calcium very often. Once a week or more like every 2 wks, but I'm pretty confident in their diet. Those babies eat VERY well and their food is very diverse. They are almost yearlings but I still spend time chopping things up for them into almost "ground" consistency. They love their meals which is a great relief after having experienced dealing with "non-eating" baby tort. I put bigger pieces of whatever food they get and they do experiment with it but their main nutrition comes from what I spend time preparing for them. I'm glad to hear you've got a new baby. Will have to look for your threads and curious to see pictures congratulations on your new addition

Thank you! I really appreciate this care information. I have only had half-dead rescues in the past. Having a brand new, REALLY teeny little baby that is healthy, active and thriving- oh, and HUNGRY all the time is such a wonderful experience! Scary too, because I simply don't know what he "should" be doing after my little rescues who have taken between 1-3 years of constant nursing care in order to gain weight and an appetite...