So we went to our first vet visit- well it was Leo's vet visit, I was the driver. The waiting room was full of dogs who were interested in smelling the tortoise carrier- not a smell they find often, I would imagine!
I was really pleased with the vet- she was definitely confident in her reptile/tort knowledge and asked all the right questions. It was such a relief for a first time 'parent' to have someone look at him who has actually seen other tortoises before and could say if things were good or not.
All in all it sounds like he's well! He did test positive for pin worms.. which she said were pretty common - and not a surprise. Calcium levels were good, phosphorus levels were on the low side- but could be normal for him. Kidney levels were good, but liver was slt high- but again, could be normal for him.
All in all I was just glad to have him looked at and to get a baseline incase there are changes in the future. All the talk about the calcium, phosphorus, levels along with all the information I've been reading (on diet, health, habitat, do's/don'ts!) have been making me feel slightly overwhelmed with the whole thing- just want him to be a happy healthy little tort and I'm hoping we'll find our level of comfort and 'normal' so it'll be easier to keep track of what he needs and how he's doing.
Was anyone else overwhelmed with their first? Takes some time to build confidence, yes? I guess that's why they are listed as an intermediate-level pet!
I was really pleased with the vet- she was definitely confident in her reptile/tort knowledge and asked all the right questions. It was such a relief for a first time 'parent' to have someone look at him who has actually seen other tortoises before and could say if things were good or not.
All in all it sounds like he's well! He did test positive for pin worms.. which she said were pretty common - and not a surprise. Calcium levels were good, phosphorus levels were on the low side- but could be normal for him. Kidney levels were good, but liver was slt high- but again, could be normal for him.
All in all I was just glad to have him looked at and to get a baseline incase there are changes in the future. All the talk about the calcium, phosphorus, levels along with all the information I've been reading (on diet, health, habitat, do's/don'ts!) have been making me feel slightly overwhelmed with the whole thing- just want him to be a happy healthy little tort and I'm hoping we'll find our level of comfort and 'normal' so it'll be easier to keep track of what he needs and how he's doing.
Was anyone else overwhelmed with their first? Takes some time to build confidence, yes? I guess that's why they are listed as an intermediate-level pet!
