- Joined
- Jun 4, 2012
- Messages
- 35
Thanks for your advice about Pearl's enclosure! I think I saw your thread about her and thought the same thing - they really do look very similar! Coleus is a great idea, I'll have to try it on my quest to get her eating plants.
Now, finally, some updates!
First off, I had QUITE the scare the other day - Jenny got her head stuck in her shell! Apparently it's happened once or twice before, and we were able to help her get it out (in the past and this time). It was a bit too far back, but the problem was that her head was down behind the part of her plastron that curves up (I'm not sure what that part is called). I've read that this can happen if their beak is too long, does hers look long enough to bet stuck? Any advice on preventing this in the future, or is it just a kind of freak thing we need to look out for? It was only stuck for about 15 minutes, so it's hard to say if she would have sorted it out on her own or if we really did need to help. How long should we wait to try and pull it out if it does happen again?
Her gait is also still pretty terrible. I took another video, sorry it's shaky. She still drags her plastron quite a bit. Is there anything I can do other than keep getting her out for exercise?
NOW - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J-58_HYk4U&feature=youtu.be
One month ago (for comparison) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFDZDaRGFM8
I might take another video of her on the carpet again this evening to compare more easily. Does it seem like she has had any improvement at all?
The rest of her condition is definitely improved. Her skin is almost a different color, and no more horrid sores on her neck thanks to the humidity outside and daily soakings! Her nose is still a little battered, and I'm worried about these cracks on her plastron, although they are not new and don't seem to be getting worse or anything. How does she look?
She's eating better, but any and all greens are a major work in progress. I put hibiscus leaves and flower on top of her mushroom & freeze dried food, only to find trampled hibiscus and an empty food bowl. She'll only eat it if I chop it up and literally stuff the mushrooms with hibiscus!
I also finally have an update on the ongoing enclosure renovations.
The angle makes it very difficult to tell the size, but it's MUCH better. She still barely moves while she's inside, but that's quite the habit to break. It's also obviously very barren for now - I'm going to put in more rocks & wood for climbing.
The substrate is coconut coir about 5" deep, and the warm end stays a little more than 80 degrees.
The current plan is to hook up a timed humidifier to a hide and set it up as her primary hideout, since I'm not really sure how else to go about getting the humidity up in this set-up. For now she's getting soaked daily and staying outside where the humidity is pretty high, but I'm worried about after summer ends. She does also tend to sit in the water once you put her in for a while, but I'm not sure if she soaks herself on her own. She goes in the water to use the bathroom at least.
I'm also going to put in a standing UVB light, with plants underneath, for once she's not spending all day out in the sun. Do you think she'll still get enough UVB if I only have a humid hide? Any other set-up suggestions for working out these two elements?
Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading and for all of your help so far and in the future!
Now, finally, some updates!
First off, I had QUITE the scare the other day - Jenny got her head stuck in her shell! Apparently it's happened once or twice before, and we were able to help her get it out (in the past and this time). It was a bit too far back, but the problem was that her head was down behind the part of her plastron that curves up (I'm not sure what that part is called). I've read that this can happen if their beak is too long, does hers look long enough to bet stuck? Any advice on preventing this in the future, or is it just a kind of freak thing we need to look out for? It was only stuck for about 15 minutes, so it's hard to say if she would have sorted it out on her own or if we really did need to help. How long should we wait to try and pull it out if it does happen again?
Her gait is also still pretty terrible. I took another video, sorry it's shaky. She still drags her plastron quite a bit. Is there anything I can do other than keep getting her out for exercise?
NOW - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J-58_HYk4U&feature=youtu.be
One month ago (for comparison) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFDZDaRGFM8
I might take another video of her on the carpet again this evening to compare more easily. Does it seem like she has had any improvement at all?
The rest of her condition is definitely improved. Her skin is almost a different color, and no more horrid sores on her neck thanks to the humidity outside and daily soakings! Her nose is still a little battered, and I'm worried about these cracks on her plastron, although they are not new and don't seem to be getting worse or anything. How does she look?
She's eating better, but any and all greens are a major work in progress. I put hibiscus leaves and flower on top of her mushroom & freeze dried food, only to find trampled hibiscus and an empty food bowl. She'll only eat it if I chop it up and literally stuff the mushrooms with hibiscus!
I also finally have an update on the ongoing enclosure renovations.
The angle makes it very difficult to tell the size, but it's MUCH better. She still barely moves while she's inside, but that's quite the habit to break. It's also obviously very barren for now - I'm going to put in more rocks & wood for climbing.
The substrate is coconut coir about 5" deep, and the warm end stays a little more than 80 degrees.
The current plan is to hook up a timed humidifier to a hide and set it up as her primary hideout, since I'm not really sure how else to go about getting the humidity up in this set-up. For now she's getting soaked daily and staying outside where the humidity is pretty high, but I'm worried about after summer ends. She does also tend to sit in the water once you put her in for a while, but I'm not sure if she soaks herself on her own. She goes in the water to use the bathroom at least.
I'm also going to put in a standing UVB light, with plants underneath, for once she's not spending all day out in the sun. Do you think she'll still get enough UVB if I only have a humid hide? Any other set-up suggestions for working out these two elements?
Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading and for all of your help so far and in the future!
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