Newly Adopted Star - Sheldon - Weak Hind Legs

[Malaefic]

Picked up a new Star today. Owner gave him up for adoption because she is moving out of the country.

His diet used to contain only beans, iceberg lettuce, corn and cabbage.

Overall he is healthy and active with bright eyes BUT I suspect he suffered from some form of calcium deficiency as the dome of his shell is slightly oddly shaped (front is much higher than the back).

Anyway, as she used to keep him in a box lined with just newspaper, I think he grew up dragging his hind legs. He can move his hind legs except when he walks, he drags his hind legs around and just use the knees to help push himself forward. The owner said that she allowed him to crawl all over her apartment at night, but it's all flat flooring so he drags his legs too.

Do you guys know anyway that I can strengthen his hind legs so that he will walk like how a tortoise should?

Thanks,
Mal

Some pictures of Sheldon

 

[DemonDrug95]

yea my baby star is also dragging her/his legs i dont know why..shes healthy thou..

 

[egyptiandan]

It is, like you thought, a calcium defiency and also the problem of growing up with no traction. With nothing for the back legs to push against, they splay out.
Depending on what you can find, I'd go with either shredded aspen bedding or reptile carpet. They will both give good traction for the back legs to push against. It will take a while, but you can get the back legs working close to normally eventually.
Your going to need a change in diet also

Danny

 

[Malaefic]

yea my baby star is also dragging her/his legs i dont know why..shes healthy thou..

It's not good for them to drag their legs.
Don't keep them on a flat surface and ensure enough calcium if not your tort will grow up like Sheldon.

It is, like you thought, a calcium defiency and also the problem of growing up with no traction. With nothing for the back legs to push against, they splay out.
Depending on what you can find, I'd go with either shredded aspen bedding or reptile carpet. They will both give good traction for the back legs to push against. It will take a while, but you can get the back legs working close to normally eventually.
Your going to need a change in diet also

Danny

I'm changing the diet. Waiting for my usual vet to return so I can bring Sheldon just for a health check-up just in case.
Yeah, I added a bedding for traction and it's not on a flat surface.

 

[willy wonka]

Picked up a new Star today. Owner gave him up for adoption because she is moving out of the country.

His diet used to contain only beans, iceberg lettuce, corn and cabbage.

Overall he is healthy and active with bright eyes BUT I suspect he suffered from some form of calcium deficiency as the dome of his shell is slightly oddly shaped (front is much higher than the back).

Anyway, as she used to keep him in a box lined with just newspaper, I think he grew up dragging his hind legs. He can move his hind legs except when he walks, he drags his hind legs around and just use the knees to help push himself forward. The owner said that she allowed him to crawl all over her apartment at night, but it's all flat flooring so he drags his legs too.

Do you guys know anyway that I can strengthen his hind legs so that he will walk like how a tortoise should?

Thanks,
Mal

Some pictures of Sheldon

hi there...

congratulation on new star you have. i have two stars and i'm still learning about their diet, behavior and also enclosure. as i know through website and forum, not good to feed stars with iceberg lettuce. this lettuce has no nutritional value and most animals tend to enjoy it too much. They will refuse to eat anything else for long periods of time and essentially starve themselves until they receive this tasty lettuce. i usually feed them with green mustard, red choral, hibiscus and sometimes beans. i also think that your stars have a problem with their leg. pyramiding also not to balance. i also don't know exactly what to give your stars to make their leg strong. maybe you can give them calcium (supplement) because it also good not just to their shell but also to their bones. hope your stars have a strong leg in future. cheers...

 

[Malaefic]

hi there...

congratulation on new star you have. i have two stars and i'm still learning about their diet, behavior and also enclosure. as i know through website and forum, not good to feed stars with iceberg lettuce. this lettuce has no nutritional value and most animals tend to enjoy it too much. They will refuse to eat anything else for long periods of time and essentially starve themselves until they receive this tasty lettuce. i usually feed them with green mustard, red choral, hibiscus and sometimes beans. i also think that your stars have a problem with their leg. pyramiding also not to balance. i also don't know exactly what to give your stars to make their leg strong. maybe you can give them calcium (supplement) because it also good not just to their shell but also to their bones. hope your stars have a strong leg in future. cheers...

Thanks for your advice. I don't feed my torts any icebergs at all.
The diet listed was what the ex-owner fed it.

I feed my torts edible cactus, hibiscus (flowers & leaves), butterhead lettuce, oak leaves (red & green), red coral, water cress, endives, red & green romaine and Rose (flowers & leaves). I do supplement their diet with Mazuri pellets as well and I also add calcium and multi vits in their water once a week.

 

[Yvonne G]

You can get a liquid calcium from your vet. It might work faster on getting the bones strong than the powder on his food.

 

[J_Foster]

Hello, I think Sheldon is very nice looking. Definitely change his diet. As for his shell, the pyramiding is really quite minimal. In some stars it really seems to be passed down as several of mine already had the beginnings of it when I got them as hatchlings, meaning before a bad diet or environment had a chance to even cause it. That being said, do everything you can from here on out to correctly feed and keep him. If I were to say I saw anything unusual about his shell, it's that it seems too small for the size of his head and legs, but not drastic. Seriously, I'd be proud to own Sheldon. He's a beautiful tort.
- Jim

 

[Malaefic]

Hello, I think Sheldon is very nice looking. Definitely change his diet. As for his shell, the pyramiding is really quite minimal. In some stars it really seems to be passed down as several of mine already had the beginnings of it when I got them as hatchlings, meaning before a bad diet or environment had a chance to even cause it. That being said, do everything you can from here on out to correctly feed and keep him. If I were to say I saw anything unusual about his shell, it's that it seems too small for the size of his head and legs, but not drastic. Seriously, I'd be proud to own Sheldon. He's a beautiful tort.
- Jim

Well, I think Sheldon is also slightly stunted because his old enclosure is only around the size of a sheet of A3 Paper.

My past experience with turtles (FRTs & MataMata) is that if the tort is stunted, the head and legs tend to look bigger than the shell. I would think it applies to Stars as well.

Anyway, I've made an appointment with the vet for Saturday so I'll just bring him for a check-up and get him dewormed as well, just in case.

Yes I'm proud to own Sheldon and he is a very cute and pretty tort.

 

[Malaefic]

Ok, Sheldon definitely only likes to eat Tortoise junk food
He refuses to eat the food that is good for him and goes direct to the sweet juicy stuff.
Looks like I may have to starve him to change his diet.

The cute thing about him is that he seems to like to follow people around.
Last night he followed me all over the house, my other 2 just lumbered into a dark corner to sleep.

 

[egyptiandan]

You can mix in the good stuff with the junk food he likes to eat. Than every week add a bit less of the bad stuff to the mixture. So start out with mostly bad and just a little of the good stuff and go from there.

Danny

 

[stells]

You could also try the juice trick...

Rub the juice of the junk food all over the good food... they are usually easily fooled...

 

[Homerist]

Hi Malaefic,

i am using a product that's liquid calcium and vitamin D3 mix. it comes in a spray bottle called,
"Four Paws, Nature's Reptile"
It is for boosting the calcium and vitamin D3 intake, making the tortoise stronger and prevents / treats leg dragging.
Spray in on your tortoise's food, see whether there's any improvement.
If no signs of improvement, visit a vet. =)
Last but not least, remember that Star's diet should be:
-High in fibre
-Low in protein
-High in calcium
-Calcium to Phosphate ratio to be 2:1

the below link is the picture of the product.
http://www.petstore.com/ps_ViewItem...aws&idProduct=FW68000&IdCategory=RPHCVI&tab=2

 

[Malaefic]

Thank you everyone for the tips and advice.

Anyway here is a pic of Sheldon with his fav toy

 

[Homerist]

Looks cute with the ball!
oh ya remember to include some high calcium food for Sheldon.
One way is to place a piece of cuttlefish bone in their enclosure, when they feel like taking some calcium, they will bite on the cuttlefish bone.
i saw mine biting and breaking off some of the bone. ahah hungry!
oh by the way, this helps in keeping the beak in shape too.

refer to pic:
the "white thing" is the cuttlefish bone.

---

sorry missed the pic.

 

[elegans]

That tortoise has no pyramiding to speak of; to have less than that, you would have to starve it! The rear toenails are a little long, which could add to difficulty in walking. I suppose that it probably did not have the "optimal" diet of which their is not one. When "Preachers" here start producing more stars than me I guess I'll start listening to their preaching You can call me about your star tortoise if you have any questions. LMAO Douglas 786-281-0857 cell

 

[Luvthemtorts]

I've produced in the neighborhood of 200 Burmese, Indian and Sri Lankins between 2002-2007. Certainly not as many as some breeders but I can't complain. Do I qualify for my preachers certificate ?
By the way, the 4 little ones I got from you and Janie a few months ago are doing very well and really make me miss the collection I once had.

That tortoise has no pyramiding to speak of; to have less than that, you would have to starve it! The rear toenails are a little long, which could add to difficulty in walking. I suppose that it probably did not have the "optimal" diet of which their is not one. When "Preachers" here start producing more stars than me I guess I'll start listening to their preaching You can call me about your star tortoise if you have any questions. LMAO Douglas 786-281-0857 cell

 

[Malaefic]

Well the vet said to slowly change his diet, sprinkle Mazuri over his food and basically he is in good health except for the lack of calcium in some pt in his life resulting in the splayed out legs.

Oh yeah he needed to be dewormed too as he has parasites in him.

 

[elegans]

To "Luvthemtorts", I think I know who you are and yes you do get to preach if you are who I think that you are! LOL I try not to; but am so tired of people who do, with absolutely no real history to back it up. It happens sadly more than it should on sites like this, where many people do not disclose who they really are. Just some silly made up name, means nothing to me. And it should not to anyone else. I am glad that your new guys are doing well. There is really no reason to expect other than that when buying good animals. Sadly this is a lesson learned late or never by many. Douglas

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Well the vet said to slowly change his diet, sprinkle Mazuri over his food and basically he is in good health except for the lack of calcium in some pt in his life resulting in the splayed out legs.

Oh yeah he needed to be dewormed too as he has parasites in him.

What kind of parasites are you going to have to treat, this becomes critical. Usually a vet will also tell you on a sliding scale how serious the "infection" is? What are they suggesting that you treat with, and how often? Douglas

 

[Luvthemtorts]

Douglas,
I believe I am who you are thinking of since we know many of the same people. I was just going along with the joke because I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments.
I have no doubts that many are well meaning but have little working knowledge and only recite what has been read in a book or internet caresheet. Oftentimes its nearly word for word and it gives me a chuckle to be able to figure out which book they are quoting LOL.
Seems during my several years downtime due to illness a lot of the well respected keepers/breeders have come to the same conclusions and post very infrequently if at all. Good to see you here and spreading real world information.