Hi and thank you for such a great, informative site! I am the new owner of a male Russian Tortoise, whom I've named Tsar.
Tsar has had a rough time of it. When he came to me his underside was flaking, his appetite was poor to nonexistant (according to previous owner), and he was not using his hind legs. A trip to an experienced vet showed normal bloodwork, but xrays revealed MBD. Given the conditions he was living in for the past many years, that was not surprising. The vet was actually surprised that he wasn't in worse condition! She sent us home with instructions to soak him 2x/day in lukewarm water for 15 minutes, and get him eating.
In just two weeks, he has perked up considerably though he has a long way to go. He started eating just a few days after the vet visit and has been eating every other day ever since (I've offered food every day but he's settled into the every other day pattern so that's what I'll do going forward). He is ga-ga over sweet potato! I mix in greens that I get from the organic CSA I belong to. So far I've tried dandelion, mustard, collard, romaine, and radicchio and he'll eat them all. My Rose of Sharon just came into bloom so that's on tomorrow's menu. I have purchased TNT from Carolina Pet Supply and have a Ca+D3 supplement to dust his food with a couple times a week.
He is housed in a 54 gallon Rubbermaid container with coconut coir substrate. He has a half-log hide and also a place under a plant. He has a ZooMed Daylight bulb, a Reptisun 5.0 CF, and a ceramic heat lamp. At the moment it's a little tricky because he isn't able to get around as well without the use of his back legs and is only using about 1/2 the enclosure. However, he is able to get under his hides and able to position himself under the basking lamp. I have also been closely monitoring the temps and adjusting use of the heat emitting bulbs accordingly.
I am wondering if anyone here has had experience with a tortoise that has lost use of limbs because of MBD, and whether it is possible for him to regain use of his back legs. Also, if there's any other feedback or advice I'd love to hear it!
Kerr
(I *think* I did this right... : )
1.0 Russian Tortoise, Tsar
0.1 America Box Turtle, Lily
0.1 American shorthair cat, Iboni
1.0 American shorthair cat, Mystery
0.1 Morgan horse, Jubilee
1.0 tolerant husband
Tsar has had a rough time of it. When he came to me his underside was flaking, his appetite was poor to nonexistant (according to previous owner), and he was not using his hind legs. A trip to an experienced vet showed normal bloodwork, but xrays revealed MBD. Given the conditions he was living in for the past many years, that was not surprising. The vet was actually surprised that he wasn't in worse condition! She sent us home with instructions to soak him 2x/day in lukewarm water for 15 minutes, and get him eating.
In just two weeks, he has perked up considerably though he has a long way to go. He started eating just a few days after the vet visit and has been eating every other day ever since (I've offered food every day but he's settled into the every other day pattern so that's what I'll do going forward). He is ga-ga over sweet potato! I mix in greens that I get from the organic CSA I belong to. So far I've tried dandelion, mustard, collard, romaine, and radicchio and he'll eat them all. My Rose of Sharon just came into bloom so that's on tomorrow's menu. I have purchased TNT from Carolina Pet Supply and have a Ca+D3 supplement to dust his food with a couple times a week.
He is housed in a 54 gallon Rubbermaid container with coconut coir substrate. He has a half-log hide and also a place under a plant. He has a ZooMed Daylight bulb, a Reptisun 5.0 CF, and a ceramic heat lamp. At the moment it's a little tricky because he isn't able to get around as well without the use of his back legs and is only using about 1/2 the enclosure. However, he is able to get under his hides and able to position himself under the basking lamp. I have also been closely monitoring the temps and adjusting use of the heat emitting bulbs accordingly.
I am wondering if anyone here has had experience with a tortoise that has lost use of limbs because of MBD, and whether it is possible for him to regain use of his back legs. Also, if there's any other feedback or advice I'd love to hear it!
Kerr
(I *think* I did this right... : )
1.0 Russian Tortoise, Tsar
0.1 America Box Turtle, Lily
0.1 American shorthair cat, Iboni
1.0 American shorthair cat, Mystery
0.1 Morgan horse, Jubilee
1.0 tolerant husband