MBD-Back Legs stopped working

lismar79

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Dizisdalife said:
lismar79 said:
Orchard and timothy. My family has horses so hay is easy for me to get. I have mixed it with pumpkin, mazuri, and normal food. Have tried wet and dry. He doesn't like oat grass either. I cut it in small pc but when I did it was not mixed with anything..... maybe I will give that a try!


I'm reading up on hay pellets.... any info or advice? Its one option I have not tried....
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I probably started by adding about 10% hay to the Mazuri and over a couple of months worked up to about 50% grass hay. This might help you work more grass into the diet and rely less on the produce.



I tried the hay pellet mazuri combo tonight. He took 3 bites. Its a start anyway. Thanks!

 

Laura

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get spring mix salad.. wet it.. place in a bag, chop up the hay, ad it, shake the bag so the lettuce is coated... and feed that.. place some more hay on the mixture.. he will 'accidently' eat the hay that way and learn its a food source.. .
Excersise is a must..
 

Tom

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Tortoises are creatures of habit. They often don't take to changes quickly. Start with a very small amount of the new stuff (finely chopped grass hay, or grass) and mix it in well to a whole bunch of the old favorite stuff. Very gradually up the ratio. This process could take months in a 10 year old tortoise. No need to rush. Start small and work your way up gradually.
 

bouaboua

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All I can say is Harley are very lucky to found a new owner like you. May God bless you, your family and Harley.
 

AnnV

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Wow, poor guy. Glad he has a new conscientious owner now!
When I first started to read, I thought maybe he was having a hard time with the rapid weight gain on what were probably very spindly legs. I guess he needs the body builder plan. :)
Is your hay second cutting, or better yet, 3rd cut if available? We got 3rds this year in CT so I would assume Ohio did too. By second cut, you are getting more blades and less stem. Third is even softer. Also, hopefully more robust nutrition since it is not as old. Just snip short pieces with scissors. Once soaked in warm water, it is nearly reconstituted to its fresh form. I have some 2nd and 3rd cut for my horses. I cut it up and soak it for my chickens in winter. They gobble it up.
You can get hay cubes, too (not alfalfa cubes-probably too much protein in them). Hay cubes will have more long fiber than the pulverized pellets. Though you may have to work up to the cubes. Those can be soaked and will break down and become soft as well. I mix everything in Mazuri and no one is the wiser.... hehe.
Good luck with your rescue. I'm sure the Xray was expensive. But worth it to know what is going on inside such a deformed body with unknown developments. Glad he has no serious issues.
 

lismar79

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Tom said:
Tortoises are creatures of habit. They often don't take to changes quickly. Start with a very small amount of the new stuff (finely chopped grass hay, or grass) and mix it in well to a whole bunch of the old favorite stuff. Very gradually up the ratio. This process could take months in a 10 year old tortoise. No need to rush. Start small and work your way up gradually.

Thanks Tom, I guess I was just giving up & see the error of that now. Tough Love time. We started last night with hay Cubes & I have Orchard Hay coming today. Appreciate it.


AnnV said:
Good luck with your rescue. I'm sure the Xray was expensive. But worth it to know what is going on inside such a deformed body with unknown developments. Glad he has no serious issues.

I got third cut Orchard coming today & ordered Timothy Cubes online as well as bought a small amount to try yesterday. I got three bites out of it mixed with Mazuri,
but at least its a start.

I asked for the X-ray to double check, to me the $ is worth it to give him a good quality of life. My hubby & I have rescued a lot of cats & dogs over the years, fixed them up & found them good homes... Harley was our first non "furry" & I absolutely love him :)
 
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