Leopard tortoise

Spoonerjr

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I got a baby leopard tortoise in march. Its now april and its health is rapidly declining. He sleeps all day, barely eats, never basks. I dont know what to do. I have sepia bones and put calcium in his food. I soak 2 times a day, feed a varied diet, temp is at 110 under the basking bulb, and about 85 on the cool side, humidity is around 70 or so. He was hatched in december and seemed fine when i got him but I dont know whats wrong. Shell is getting very soft and Im scared. Please help
 

wellington

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Search and read this thread.
Hatchling Failure Syndrome"
You may be dealing with a hatchling that got a bad start before you got him.
To help, change the basking temp to 95-100. 80 temps with 80% humidity. But while not feeling good leave temp at 85 but get humidity up to 80%
 

Yvonne G

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You'll need to read this thread:


Read it with an open mind, tossing out any pre-conceived ideas you may have had about raising a baby leopard tortoise. It's all new. We've been doing it wrong for decades. Your baby's life depends upon it.
 

Spoonerjr

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You'll need to read this thread:


Read it with an open mind, tossing out any pre-conceived ideas you may have had about raising a baby leopard tortoise. It's all new. We've been doing it wrong for decades. Your baby's life depends upon it.
Thank you, Im scared he has hatcling failure syndrome. Ive only had him just over a month. But im trying everything I can
 

Tom

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Thank you, Im scared he has hatcling failure syndrome. Ive only had him just over a month. But im trying everything I can
It sounds like you do.

What you must realize is that this is not your fault. Even if every single thing you did fro day one was 100% perfect, the damage was done by the breeder before you got the tortoise, and that damage cannot be undone. This particular type of damage, kidney damage due to dehydration, doesn't kill the baby for weeks or months. Everything seems fine, but its a ticking time bomb and nothing can stop it.

Share this info with the breeder and tell them to soak their babies daily and to keep them warm and humid.
 

Spoonerjr

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My local pet store sells electrolyte vitamin d3, and calcium additives. So i soaked taco(their name) in the for 10 minutes. The electrolytes really perkid them up. They seem to be doing better. Praying their shell hardens up. I dont wanna lose my baby
 

Spoonerjr

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It sounds like you do.

What you must realize is that this is not your fault. Even if every single thing you did fro day one was 100% perfect, the damage was done by the breeder before you got the tortoise, and that damage cannot be undone. This particular type of damage, kidney damage due to dehydration, doesn't kill the baby for weeks or months. Everything seems fine, but its a ticking time bomb and nothing can stop it.

Share this info with the breeder and tell them to soak their babies daily and to keep them warm and humid.
Well Im not sure what was wrong. My enclosure was perfect temps and humidity. Had a varied diet with cuttle bone and calcium supplements. The only thing i changed was i started giving him electrolyte and calcium d3 soaks. Seemed to perk him up. How long till the shell firms up? Any ideas? Should i continue with the electrolyte calcium d3 soaks
 

Tom

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Well Im not sure what was wrong. My enclosure was perfect temps and humidity. Had a varied diet with cuttle bone and calcium supplements. The only thing i changed was i started giving him electrolyte and calcium d3 soaks. Seemed to perk him up. How long till the shell firms up? Any ideas? Should i continue with the electrolyte calcium d3 soaks
No way for anyone to know how soon you will see improvement, or if you will see improvement. As I said before, if the baby was too damaged by the breeder and the dry conditions, no one and nothing can fix it. Its a waiting game to see just how bad the damage was/is.
 

Yvonne G

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I got a baby leopard tortoise in march. Its now april and its health is rapidly declining. He sleeps all day, barely eats, never basks. I dont know what to do. I have sepia bones and put calcium in his food. I soak 2 times a day, feed a varied diet, temp is at 110 under the basking bulb, and about 85 on the cool side, humidity is around 70 or so. He was hatched in december and seemed fine when i got him but I dont know whats wrong. Shell is getting very soft and Im scared. Please help
You don't mention UVB. The calcium requires UVB in order to make shell and bones strong - and not one of those compact fluorescent bulbs.
 
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Lyn W

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I'm glad your little one is doing better.
The mvb bulbs are convenient but not recommended anymore as they can dry and damage shells. Also it seems the uvb output doesn't last that long so they need replacing quite often - and they aren't cheap are they?
T5 or T8 tubes are mostly used now with a separate basking flood bulb (hardware shop bought).
The amount of uvb received is also affected if the bulbs are hung or placed at an angle with a clamp.
If you post a pic of your set up you'll get good advice on the position of your lamps.
 

Spoonerjr

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I'm glad your little one is doing better.
The mvb bulbs are convenient but not recommended anymore as they can dry and damage shells. Also it seems the uvb output doesn't last that long so they need replacing quite often - and they aren't cheap are they?
T5 or T8 tubes are mostly used now with a separate basking flood bulb (hardware shop bought).
The amount of uvb received is also affected if the bulbs are hung or placed at an angle with a clamp.
If you post a pic of your set up you'll get good advice on the position of your lamps.
They are hanging from a bar overhead. Im about to do a total overhaul of his enclosure so ill definitely get a t5 or t8 bulb thanks for tje suggestion
 

Lyn W

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They are hanging from a bar overhead. Im about to do a total overhaul of his enclosure so ill definitely get a t5 or t8 bulb thanks for tje suggestion
If you post some pics of what his enclosure looks like now we can tell you if there's anything you need to replace or can continue using. It will save you money - pet shops often sell unsuitable and unsafe equipment because they care more about profit than tort care.

I've had my leopard since he was about 4 yrs . He was too big for a viv or table even then so he has always had his own adapted heated room which he lives in all year around because of our climate, with access to the garden on warm summer days.....so be prepared, Leopards need a lot of space!!!!
 
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Spoonerjr

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If you post some pics of what his enclosure looks like now we can tell you if there's anything you need to replace or can continue using. It will save you money - pet shops often sell unsuitable and unsafe equipment because they care more about profit than tort care.

I've had my leopard since he was about 4 yrs . He was too big for a viv or table even then so he has always had his own adapted heated room which he lives in all year around because of our climate, with access to the garden on warm summer days.....so be prepared, Leopards need a lot of space!!!!
Im replacing most things. Ill try to remember to post pics after. I was told a shallow bin would work by the sellers. But humidity isnt high enough. So im moving to a more enclosed system.
 

Lyn W

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Im replacing most things. Ill try to remember to post pics after. I was told a shallow bin would work by the sellers. But humidity isnt high enough. So im moving to a more enclosed system.
Sadly pet stores, some breeders and even non tort specialist vets know very little about tort care, but if you follow the advice here from very members with decades of experience your tort will benefit greatly.
 

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