newbie from Alberta, Canada

enad1999

New Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2014
Messages
16
unfortunately at the moment she is Mouth breathing and she has not gone to the bathroom in, I would have to say about 2.5 weeks that I have noticed. She seems to take the drops ok but every once in awhile they come out her nostrils I'm not sure what that is all about. If anyone has some explanation or advice for this, it would be greatly appreciated.
 

missmarilyn

Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2014
Messages
34
Location (City and/or State)
Barrie, Ontario
Oh I'm so sorry about Bubbles. :( But please don't blame yourself and feel guilty. All you can is move forward and you obviously care greatly. They are confusing little creatures for me too and I'm still learning. My little guy already had eyes problems and had to have antibiotic drops. It was most likely from the coil UVB I was using. I felt so awful about it too. But all we can do is learn as much as possible and do all we can to keep them healthy moving forward. It sounds like you are really trying.

Ormond's eyes seem to be fine now and he is eating and active. I hope your little one heals up quickly. Keep us updated. Take care.
Oh I'm so sorry about Bubbles. :( But please don't blame yourself and feel guilty. All you can is move forward and you obviously care greatly. They are confusing little creatures for me too and I'm still learning. My little guy already had eyes problems and had to have antibiotic drops. It was most likely from the coil UVB I was using. I felt so awful about it too. But all we can do is learn as much as possible and do all we can to keep them healthy moving forward. It sounds like you are really trying.

Ormond's eyes seem to be fine now and he is eating and active. I hope your little one heals up quickly. Keep us updated. Take care.


Hi and welcome to the Alberta newbie. I'm an Ontariio newbie, just hoping every day that i'm doing the right stuff for my tiny Hermann, Today was not a great day--he seemed to stop and just sleep wherever he walks. i gave him a soak, but he didn't eat. I think i'm a bit scared cuz he's so small and new.

By the way for substrate right now--i have a fairly large tort table and i have divided in half. He's only using half and it has spagnum moss mainly because it tends to hold moisture well. for the other half i have--finally--found a bag of topsoil with nothing added to it and a bag of playsand. hoping to put that part together soon.
i have a uvb light on a timer--comes on a 8 a.m. goes off at 10 p.m. iI also have a heat lamp EXO TERRA Infrared BAsking Spot 75W which seems to keep the temperature about right. i don't have to turn it off at night if it's a cool night because it is not a bright light.
Finally i have a very small humidifier that i like. i can turn it on and off any time. it's hard to keep the humidy as high as it should be but i'm working on it. if only i could get him to eat more of the great stuff i'm offering him.
 

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leigti

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Nov 2, 2013
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southeast Washington
I would not mix the Sanden. It can cause impaction for the Tortoise. If you want to add something else and you can add coconut
Coir it holds moisture well. You can buy it in bricks that you put in water let them expand and then squeeze out the extra water. Some brands are eco-earth or bed a beast. Good luck with your little Tortoise, I know how scary it is when they're not doing well.
 

missmarilyn

Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2014
Messages
34
Location (City and/or State)
Barrie, Ontario
I would not mix the Sanden. It can cause impaction for the Tortoise. If you want to add something else and you can add coconut
Coir it holds moisture well. You can buy it in bricks that you put in water let them expand and then squeeze out the extra water. Some brands are eco-earth or bed a beast. Good luck with your little Tortoise, I know how scary it is when they're not doing well.
This does start to get confusing. I've read from several tort owners that they use a mixture of 50% topsoil/50%sand. It does get hard to know what to do.
 

Jabuticaba

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Jul 12, 2013
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
Winnipeg, MB
Welcome! I'm in Canada, too. Good on you for taking her in! I have Hermann's torts, so I'm not the best person to give you advice on Russians. Good luck.


May, Aussies, & THBs
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES
 

enad1999

New Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2014
Messages
16
Hi, update on Bubbles.... she is still about the same. She is still taking her calcium drops and I am still feeding her with a syringe and I have not noticed her going to the bathroom yet.... she has gained a bit of weight, so that's good. I soak her every day and she will only open her eyes if I put her outside in the grass. ? not sure what that is all about. We are moving in 3 weeks, so I am going to make her a new enclosure that is a bit smaller and hopefully easier to maintain the moisture and temperature. Not giving up on my baby!
 

enad1999

New Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2014
Messages
16
This does start to get confusing. I've read from several tort owners that they use a mixture of 50% topsoil/50%sand. It does get hard to know what to do.
Yes it is difficult and, I know first hand, that things take a long time to get noticed when they are sick. Just keep reading as much as you can and get as much advice from the forums. Good luck :)
 

enad1999

New Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2014
Messages
16
Oh I'm so sorry about Bubbles. :( But please don't blame yourself and feel guilty. All you can is move forward and you obviously care greatly. They are confusing little creatures for me too and I'm still learning. My little guy already had eyes problems and had to have antibiotic drops. It was most likely from the coil UVB I was using. I felt so awful about it too. But all we can do is learn as much as possible and do all we can to keep them healthy moving forward. It sounds like you are really trying.

Ormond's eyes seem to be fine now and he is eating and active. I hope your little one heals up quickly. Keep us updated. Take care.
Thank you. I am glad to hear that Ormond is doing well :) . Hopefully Bubbles will perk up... I know that it took a long time for her to get like this , so it will be a long recovery. I won't be giving up on her...
 

enad1999

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Jul 7, 2014
Messages
16
i think i'm losing my little Hermann. Feeling so sad. I'm trying all the advice i get but he is not improving.
If there is one thing that I have learned from all of this, it's that they are fragile but resilient creatures who cannot show you how to help them....but they can get better...with such a slow metabolism it will take a while for them to show signs of improvement. Don't give up...have you been to the vet yet?...best wishes and positive vibes for little Hermann..
 

missmarilyn

Member
Joined
Jul 6, 2014
Messages
34
Location (City and/or State)
Barrie, Ontario
If there is one thing that I have learned from all of this, it's that they are fragile but resilient creatures who cannot show you how to help them....but they can get better...with such a slow metabolism it will take a while for them to show signs of improvement. Don't give up...have you been to the vet yet?...best wishes and positive vibes for little Hermann..
I appreciate your encouragement so much. Trying not to be too anxious. I've had a lot of experience with water turtles in the past; this is my first tort so I guess I'm acting like a real newbie. Fragile but resilient: I think I'll write that down. :)
 

enad1999

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Jul 7, 2014
Messages
16
:( things are not going well...now it seems like she can't open her eyes and she still has food in her mouth from the last feeding...I still haven't noticed that she went to the bathroom yet either....is there anyone in north west Alberta on here who would be interested in nursing her? I am so afraid that I am just killing her slowly.... :(
 

missmarilyn

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Joined
Jul 6, 2014
Messages
34
Location (City and/or State)
Barrie, Ontario
:( things are not going well...now it seems like she can't open her eyes and she still has food in her mouth from the last feeding...I still haven't noticed that she went to the bathroom yet either....is there anyone in north west Alberta on here who would be interested in nursing her? I am so afraid that I am just killing her slowly.... :(
I'm so sorry you're having trouble. My little one died--just seemed to slow down gradually and stop. Now I have a feeling this is common with hatchlings only no one tells us that. i really hope you can find some help.
 

holleyakers

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Joined
Aug 11, 2014
Messages
14
I know it can be so frustrating. BUT, you did the right thing taking her in and you're on the right track, give yourself credit for that. I wish Bubbles a full recovery.
 

Lady Thompson

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May 14, 2014
Messages
169
I'm so sorry you're having trouble. My little one died--just seemed to slow down gradually and stop. Now I have a feeling this is common with hatchlings only no one tells us that. i really hope you can find some help.
oh no :( I'm so sorry. I just read this. I replied to another post you had written. So sad :( I think that sometimes this just happens.... and it is so hard to know what is wrong once they are sick. We can only try our best. I'm so sorry for your loss. hugs.
 

SChromik

Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2014
Messages
56
Location (City and/or State)
Edmonton Ab Canada
Hi, just read your post. I am also new to the forum. Just got a little Redfoot last Wednesday :). I also live in Edmonton, Not sure if I can help much but if you want to you can start a conversation and I can at least offer moral support and help in any way possible. I hope things are going better for little Bubbles.
 
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