Hi All,
Its been a while since I last posted, but unfortunately the circumstances are worrying!
I have two aldabras, Goldie and Shelly, both about a year old. Goldie is the big one, although only three months older is substantially larger (>2kg!). The both live indoors still (sorry!!) but in a very large custom made tortoise table. Needless to say, the both live in the same enclosure and the bedding is 1/3 coco coir, 1/3 apsen (for sleeping at night) and 1/3 ceramic tile floor for eating and drinking on. Their diet is approximately 60% hay, 40% dark leafy greens and 10% mazuri and the greens are rotated and I try my best to stay off some calcicum leaching veggies like spinach, kale, mustard green etc.
The are bathed every 3 days for around 15 mins (humidity is high where I am from) and have 3 seperate lamps (mecury vapour during the day for UVB and warmth, regular heat lamp during dinner time and a ceramic heat lamp for bed when it gets below 70F). They are supplemented with calcium and vitamin sups.
Both have been doing very well until yestersday. We noticed that Goldie appears to have trouble pooing last night (straining hard but nothing seems to pass aside from gas) and appears otherwise tired and luthergic. Tonight during dinner time, Goldie is normally first out the gate rushing towards the food eating his (and Shelly's) portion. Tonight, he was totally UNINTERESTED, and would only eat when I put the food right next to him, and even then he would take only a couple of bites and then call it quits.
Obviously, while trying not to overreact, we are INCREDIBLY WORRIED! Goldie and Shelly are our first tortoises and we are not sure what to do. We figured maybe its not environmental as Shelly's living arrangement is exactly the same (she appears to be totally fine). We have already booked an appointment with the vet tommorrow (there arnt any 24 hr exotic animal vets where we are) but we are just hoping that all your keepers can perhaps share your knowledge and experience with us very worried parents!
Any thoughts would be welcome, and we really would appreciate any feedback, advice that you may give.
Thank you very much everyone.
An incredibily worried and anxious Dad,
Badger
Its been a while since I last posted, but unfortunately the circumstances are worrying!
I have two aldabras, Goldie and Shelly, both about a year old. Goldie is the big one, although only three months older is substantially larger (>2kg!). The both live indoors still (sorry!!) but in a very large custom made tortoise table. Needless to say, the both live in the same enclosure and the bedding is 1/3 coco coir, 1/3 apsen (for sleeping at night) and 1/3 ceramic tile floor for eating and drinking on. Their diet is approximately 60% hay, 40% dark leafy greens and 10% mazuri and the greens are rotated and I try my best to stay off some calcicum leaching veggies like spinach, kale, mustard green etc.
The are bathed every 3 days for around 15 mins (humidity is high where I am from) and have 3 seperate lamps (mecury vapour during the day for UVB and warmth, regular heat lamp during dinner time and a ceramic heat lamp for bed when it gets below 70F). They are supplemented with calcium and vitamin sups.
Both have been doing very well until yestersday. We noticed that Goldie appears to have trouble pooing last night (straining hard but nothing seems to pass aside from gas) and appears otherwise tired and luthergic. Tonight during dinner time, Goldie is normally first out the gate rushing towards the food eating his (and Shelly's) portion. Tonight, he was totally UNINTERESTED, and would only eat when I put the food right next to him, and even then he would take only a couple of bites and then call it quits.
Obviously, while trying not to overreact, we are INCREDIBLY WORRIED! Goldie and Shelly are our first tortoises and we are not sure what to do. We figured maybe its not environmental as Shelly's living arrangement is exactly the same (she appears to be totally fine). We have already booked an appointment with the vet tommorrow (there arnt any 24 hr exotic animal vets where we are) but we are just hoping that all your keepers can perhaps share your knowledge and experience with us very worried parents!
Any thoughts would be welcome, and we really would appreciate any feedback, advice that you may give.
Thank you very much everyone.
An incredibily worried and anxious Dad,
Badger