Soft shell

[sum dude]

i have a spur thigh tortoise and he has become less active and i notised today his shell is quiet soft is this a calcium problem? i have tried putting it in his food but he wont eat it.
anyone have any ideas about what i can do.
i have also noticed something on one of his claws lokks like a red scab. i havnt given him anything red so i dont know what this is

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Darren:

In order for the calcium to work, you need to get the tortoise out into the sun. Without vitamin D from the sun, the calcium just goes right through and is pee'd out.

If you can't get sunshine, then you have to buy an expensive UVB light for your tortoise, and supplement with Vitamin D.

Also, quite a few people put too much calcium on the food. You just need to add a pinch. If there's too much, tortoises won't eat it. It must smell bad or taste bad.

This is a pretty bad problem, so you need to act on it right now. It would be a good idea to take the tortoise to the vet for a calcium/vitamin D injection.

 

[Tom]

I agree with Yvonne about all of that.

When you say spur thigh, which one are you referring to? I'm assuming you mean the Mediterranean one, but though I should ask, so we are all clear.

 

[bikerchicspain]

Hi Darren:

In order for the calcium to work, you need to get the tortoise out into the sun. Without vitamin D from the sun, the calcium just goes right through and is pee'd out.

If you can't get sunshine, then you have to buy an expensive UVB light for your tortoise, and supplement with Vitamin D.

Also, quite a few people put too much calcium on the food. You just need to add a pinch. If there's too much, tortoises won't eat it. It must smell bad or taste bad.

This is a pretty bad problem, so you need to act on it right now. It would be a good idea to take the tortoise to the vet for a calcium/vitamin D injection.

I second that Yvonne..
Have you tried giving him a whole cuttle fish,mine love to chomp on it..

 

[Laura]

you can try liquid calcium in the water soaks too..
this is serious and needs to be fixed/addressed quickly.

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

If he'll eat cactus pads, feed him those, as well as putting calcium into his soak baths, and get him out into the sun, for an hour or more, every day or as often as possible...most UV lights are a poor substitute for real sunlight and the weather is getting plenty warm most places

 

[sum dude]

thanks for all the advice
the weather here is rather crap any sun we do get its still cold outside. i thought it could be a calcium problem i have bought another uv bulb to see if this will help. i will also try putting calcium in his water and getting him a cuttle fish.
i will also phone around the vets tomorow and see about getting him some injections

 

[sum dude]

finaly got ahold of the reptile vet ( she was off work untill today) and she told me to try giving him zolcal d. there is injections she can give him but she said it would be 1 injection ever day for months.
when giving him the vid d (zocal d ) i nitiched his shell is verry soft and he peed/pooped out alot of white goo. is this normal?

 

[Laura]

The white stuff is probably urates. Urine. Make sure he gets plenty or water..
Is he still eating?

 

[sum dude]

not alot but i think hes moving around abit more since i put the new light in

 

[bikerchicspain]

The white stuff is definitely urates,
A soft shell is very serious as the bones could also be affected, so be careful when handling,
Your best bet is liquid calcium in a bath, soak for 20 mins max, i would do it 2 or 3 times daily.
And lots of UVA/B.

Keep us posted, good luck to you both..

 

[expiredgummiworm]

i got a cuttle, but mine wont eat it.
what can i do?

 

[bikerchicspain]

Mine love their cuttle fish,i often hear them grinding it,
For the smaller ones i Grate it up on a nutmeg grater and sprinkle on the food,

 

[Torty Mom]

I scrape the cuttle bone with the sharp edge of scissors and let the dust fall ontop of their greens. My hatchlings will not touch their food if calcium powder is on it. But they seem not to mind the cuttle bone. Might be worth a try!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I get liquid Calcionate from my Vet and put several drops into his mouth or on the food he is eating. It's sticky so they don't like it much, but I put several drops into his mouth everyday until the shell hardens up. It's easy enough to grab right behind his jaw then force open his mouth. If I can do it anyone can. I like Calcionate the best...

What kind of UVB bulb are you using? If it's a coil bulb turn it off now and get a better bulb. Coil bulbs make the tort lethargic and cause eye damage...

 

[expiredgummiworm]

im going to have to take back my statement. i literally just saw him take a huge bite out of it. i guess he needed it weathered like someone else said earlier