mangococonut
New Member
Hello,
This is a long post and I apologize in advance, I'm just confused and really want to make sure I'm doing everything right.
We have 2 new baby leopard tortoises that we brought home from a show last week. Unfortunately it was at the very end of the show and rushed we came home with them in a wooden turtle house table with cypress bark and I was confused exactly on how to house them with that (we were almost taking a bigger russian then switched for the babies, I'm still confused why but a little girl walked by and told my daughter how good the little ones were so we switched). I also think getting two was a problem as I'll explain further down We also bought a powersun lamp, the mini lamp holder (she said it was all she had left and there were no hangers or clamps so I was told to put on the wire top of the wooden box cage), the good food (starts with M - sorry she was kind and dumped some in a bag and let me buy it but I read the name on this forum so I'll know for re-ordering), 4 dishes, and cactus. I have no idea how old they are, I contacted them to ask but still haven't heard back, also had some housing questions but haven't heard back on those either (best way to keep warm at night, keeping one or two wet areas, etc.).
Anyway, on the way home both were in the same container and one seemed to walk all over the other and kind of knock him around. I didn't think much about it at the time just that he would be more of the alpha of the two. The first morning they woke up cold to the touch in their little box. I turned off the mercury vapor lamp at night because it had been on for 10 hours. The house was 70 degrees.
I fed, soaked in the bowl the first day and everything seemed good. I went to the pet store to buy the coconut coir because that's what the babies at the show were on and he told me the wooden box was a fire hazard and I should buy his ex terra low medium terranium, he was also out of the light holders and told me I could put the light on the wire. The box stayed very warm with the light on, and I had read posts about the glass aquarium being bad on yur site so I just left with the coconut coir and more confusion (that's when I texted the people who sold him to me again). That night I kept the lamp on as long as possible to make sure they were as warm as could be. I checked on them at 10ish, then went back again at 2am and found one of the babies (the one that usually gets pushed aside for eating, etc.) UPSIDE DOWN DIRECTLY UNDER THE HEAT LAMP NOT MOVING. I almost had a heart attack so i picked him up, he was extremely warm to the touch but moved his leg, blew on him a bit and ran him to the bathroom and started to make the water luke warm baby bath temp to soak him but nothing too cool bc I didn't want to totally shock him, I then gradually took it to more of a luke warm. I soaked him for quite some time until he started to walk away. I brought him in my room with me and kept him with me until morning in a plastic container box that I put a massage heating pad under only on one side with the coconut coir (not damp). That was three days ago. I have no idea how long he was upside down or how it actually happened. It wasn't right at the edge or corner, but was near one of their dishes (I have double everything in the cage). Each night since I've checked the cage constantly and he's not climbing and haven't had issues. He was definitely climbing the walls when we brought him home and is much more the explorer than the other.
The next day I went back to the pet store and bought the exo terra terranium. I had read on your site about not trapping humidity, tables, etc. so I thought I was set.
Today I read the post from Tom about ending pyramiding and now I'm even more confused as I believe they need to be in a more higher walled aquarium with much higher humidity than this new cage permits. I'm happy to buy whatever necessary, but I want to do it right. The new glass cage not nearly as warm as the previous wooden box. I've put that outside and sunned them today for a few hours with food and water (it has a hide for shade). I've attached the heat strip he sold me a strip to the bottom of the glass for the hide area (he sold me a half log that is quite large) but it's just not that warm. He told me not to put the plants or rocks they didn't need it, and not to use the sphagmum or to wet the cage because they would get sick and die (the other lady told me to add a cup of water to their hide to keep it moist and a cup in the corner in the outside area) but instead have a corner with the hay which I bought.
If Tom or anyone can direct me in proper place for care I would appreciate it. I read all 36 pages of the ending pyramid'g post but there were three older links on feeding care that no longer worked. I also am curious if anyone can tell me if having them under the MVL all week without humidity has caused pyramid'g and if my little baby who flipped over will have any issues long term. I called the vet and he told me to give it time, there wasn't much they could do if he was eating, pooping, drinking normally which he was. I read several posts all night that night on your site where it happened to others and many turned out fine, one passed away that I read about a week later after being fine all week so I'm just doing my best.
I don't want them cold at night, I want the right humidity, I want them to eat properly (been giving the mizuno food everyday soaked slightly and they won't touch it - they just gobble the spring mix and the cactus). I googled what is the "protein" everyone keeps talking about is that they need and I can't figure it out specifically.
I know that was a ton of info, I was hoping to read it all on my own but I'm even more confused now if I'm doing this correctly and I don't want more time to pass and I do things wrong.
Thanks so much!!!
This is a long post and I apologize in advance, I'm just confused and really want to make sure I'm doing everything right.
We have 2 new baby leopard tortoises that we brought home from a show last week. Unfortunately it was at the very end of the show and rushed we came home with them in a wooden turtle house table with cypress bark and I was confused exactly on how to house them with that (we were almost taking a bigger russian then switched for the babies, I'm still confused why but a little girl walked by and told my daughter how good the little ones were so we switched). I also think getting two was a problem as I'll explain further down We also bought a powersun lamp, the mini lamp holder (she said it was all she had left and there were no hangers or clamps so I was told to put on the wire top of the wooden box cage), the good food (starts with M - sorry she was kind and dumped some in a bag and let me buy it but I read the name on this forum so I'll know for re-ordering), 4 dishes, and cactus. I have no idea how old they are, I contacted them to ask but still haven't heard back, also had some housing questions but haven't heard back on those either (best way to keep warm at night, keeping one or two wet areas, etc.).
Anyway, on the way home both were in the same container and one seemed to walk all over the other and kind of knock him around. I didn't think much about it at the time just that he would be more of the alpha of the two. The first morning they woke up cold to the touch in their little box. I turned off the mercury vapor lamp at night because it had been on for 10 hours. The house was 70 degrees.
I fed, soaked in the bowl the first day and everything seemed good. I went to the pet store to buy the coconut coir because that's what the babies at the show were on and he told me the wooden box was a fire hazard and I should buy his ex terra low medium terranium, he was also out of the light holders and told me I could put the light on the wire. The box stayed very warm with the light on, and I had read posts about the glass aquarium being bad on yur site so I just left with the coconut coir and more confusion (that's when I texted the people who sold him to me again). That night I kept the lamp on as long as possible to make sure they were as warm as could be. I checked on them at 10ish, then went back again at 2am and found one of the babies (the one that usually gets pushed aside for eating, etc.) UPSIDE DOWN DIRECTLY UNDER THE HEAT LAMP NOT MOVING. I almost had a heart attack so i picked him up, he was extremely warm to the touch but moved his leg, blew on him a bit and ran him to the bathroom and started to make the water luke warm baby bath temp to soak him but nothing too cool bc I didn't want to totally shock him, I then gradually took it to more of a luke warm. I soaked him for quite some time until he started to walk away. I brought him in my room with me and kept him with me until morning in a plastic container box that I put a massage heating pad under only on one side with the coconut coir (not damp). That was three days ago. I have no idea how long he was upside down or how it actually happened. It wasn't right at the edge or corner, but was near one of their dishes (I have double everything in the cage). Each night since I've checked the cage constantly and he's not climbing and haven't had issues. He was definitely climbing the walls when we brought him home and is much more the explorer than the other.
The next day I went back to the pet store and bought the exo terra terranium. I had read on your site about not trapping humidity, tables, etc. so I thought I was set.
Today I read the post from Tom about ending pyramiding and now I'm even more confused as I believe they need to be in a more higher walled aquarium with much higher humidity than this new cage permits. I'm happy to buy whatever necessary, but I want to do it right. The new glass cage not nearly as warm as the previous wooden box. I've put that outside and sunned them today for a few hours with food and water (it has a hide for shade). I've attached the heat strip he sold me a strip to the bottom of the glass for the hide area (he sold me a half log that is quite large) but it's just not that warm. He told me not to put the plants or rocks they didn't need it, and not to use the sphagmum or to wet the cage because they would get sick and die (the other lady told me to add a cup of water to their hide to keep it moist and a cup in the corner in the outside area) but instead have a corner with the hay which I bought.
If Tom or anyone can direct me in proper place for care I would appreciate it. I read all 36 pages of the ending pyramid'g post but there were three older links on feeding care that no longer worked. I also am curious if anyone can tell me if having them under the MVL all week without humidity has caused pyramid'g and if my little baby who flipped over will have any issues long term. I called the vet and he told me to give it time, there wasn't much they could do if he was eating, pooping, drinking normally which he was. I read several posts all night that night on your site where it happened to others and many turned out fine, one passed away that I read about a week later after being fine all week so I'm just doing my best.
I don't want them cold at night, I want the right humidity, I want them to eat properly (been giving the mizuno food everyday soaked slightly and they won't touch it - they just gobble the spring mix and the cactus). I googled what is the "protein" everyone keeps talking about is that they need and I can't figure it out specifically.
I know that was a ton of info, I was hoping to read it all on my own but I'm even more confused now if I'm doing this correctly and I don't want more time to pass and I do things wrong.
Thanks so much!!!