cmtortoise
New Member
Hi,
Yesterday my Sri Lankan hatchling passed away and I have been so depressed and barely could get out of bed today. I have/had a leopard hatchling, Freddie, and then the Sri Lankan hatchling, Franky. I got Freddie about 8 months ago from tortoise supply and he has always been super outgoing and adventurous, especially, for a leopard tortoise which I read tend to be shy and why not. Franky, on the other hand, has been super shy and laid back compared to my wild Freddie. I got Franky less than two months ago and am now questioning whether he was sick instead of being overly shy. The breeder sold him to me for at a discount of $450 because no one wanted him since a mice had gotten out of the snakes cage and chewed a small piece of the front of his shell. The breeder promised that Franky was healthy and active, despite the minor defect.
I moved to a new place last week but it was only 8 minutes away from my old place and I made sure to move the tortoises last and they stayed in their enclosures the whole time so I don’t think that has anything to do with it. Two days ago I noticed that Franky was moving even slower and barely eating so I made an appointment with the most highly rated reptile vet I could find in the Atlanta area where I currently live. They could not see me till the next afternoon and by then it was too late. The next morning I woke up and soaked Franky in warm water which is what I found to do when researching online. Then within two hours (5 hours before his appointment) I went back to check on him. He was pooping in his cage and I waited a few minutes till he was done to do another warm water soak. I went to pick him up and he was not moving…I started crying as I knew he had passed.
I keep them each in two separate temporary tubs that are 3 foot long and 2 feet wide as they are each only about 2-2.5 inches long. I always make sure they have a cool side of 80-85 degrees, a warm side of 85-90 degrees, and a basking area of 95-100 degrees. They each have 3 hides in their enclosures, 2 of which I make sure are humid, and fresh water changed 1-2 times a day or whenever they poop in it. I feed them 6 times a week with various foods (dandelion greens, clovers, chopped timothy hay mixed with greens, green and red lettuce, kale, etc but always use tortoise table before I feed them something). I think it is safe to say that I have done everything right and used very reputable information in my research process when caring for them. Now I am worried Freddy is sick but I dont know if I am being paranoid or not. I am just so discouraged because these little guys are super important to me and I spent so much time preparing to have them and making sure I do everything right. Is it common for hatchlings that we buy from breeders to be sick or am i doing something wrong? How do I ensure that Freddy doesn’t get sick and I lose him too? Also, the two of them hardly had any contact and I never soaked, fed, or housed them together cause they arent the same species. I am so sad about the loss of Franky and cannot lose Freddy too. If anyone has any advice please help.
Yesterday my Sri Lankan hatchling passed away and I have been so depressed and barely could get out of bed today. I have/had a leopard hatchling, Freddie, and then the Sri Lankan hatchling, Franky. I got Freddie about 8 months ago from tortoise supply and he has always been super outgoing and adventurous, especially, for a leopard tortoise which I read tend to be shy and why not. Franky, on the other hand, has been super shy and laid back compared to my wild Freddie. I got Franky less than two months ago and am now questioning whether he was sick instead of being overly shy. The breeder sold him to me for at a discount of $450 because no one wanted him since a mice had gotten out of the snakes cage and chewed a small piece of the front of his shell. The breeder promised that Franky was healthy and active, despite the minor defect.
I moved to a new place last week but it was only 8 minutes away from my old place and I made sure to move the tortoises last and they stayed in their enclosures the whole time so I don’t think that has anything to do with it. Two days ago I noticed that Franky was moving even slower and barely eating so I made an appointment with the most highly rated reptile vet I could find in the Atlanta area where I currently live. They could not see me till the next afternoon and by then it was too late. The next morning I woke up and soaked Franky in warm water which is what I found to do when researching online. Then within two hours (5 hours before his appointment) I went back to check on him. He was pooping in his cage and I waited a few minutes till he was done to do another warm water soak. I went to pick him up and he was not moving…I started crying as I knew he had passed.
I keep them each in two separate temporary tubs that are 3 foot long and 2 feet wide as they are each only about 2-2.5 inches long. I always make sure they have a cool side of 80-85 degrees, a warm side of 85-90 degrees, and a basking area of 95-100 degrees. They each have 3 hides in their enclosures, 2 of which I make sure are humid, and fresh water changed 1-2 times a day or whenever they poop in it. I feed them 6 times a week with various foods (dandelion greens, clovers, chopped timothy hay mixed with greens, green and red lettuce, kale, etc but always use tortoise table before I feed them something). I think it is safe to say that I have done everything right and used very reputable information in my research process when caring for them. Now I am worried Freddy is sick but I dont know if I am being paranoid or not. I am just so discouraged because these little guys are super important to me and I spent so much time preparing to have them and making sure I do everything right. Is it common for hatchlings that we buy from breeders to be sick or am i doing something wrong? How do I ensure that Freddy doesn’t get sick and I lose him too? Also, the two of them hardly had any contact and I never soaked, fed, or housed them together cause they arent the same species. I am so sad about the loss of Franky and cannot lose Freddy too. If anyone has any advice please help.