AboutMark Adkins Expertise I will be glad to help with your tortoise- and turtle-related questions. My specialty is Red-foot and other Tortoises, but I can help with many aspects of turtle care.
Understand- I am not a vet, and the more information you can give me, the more accurate my answer can be.
(Because of the number of questions I get, I reserve the right to direct you to a good website that will help rather than re-inventing the wheel.)
Experience Tortoise and other reptile keeper since 1964.
Member of the Nebraska Herpetological Society.
Author of books and articles on tortoise care.
Currently own five Red-foot Tortoises.
Expert: Mark Adkins Date: 7/17/2008 Subject: Metabolic Bone Disease in my baby leopard tortoise
Question I adopted a baby leopard tortoise a few months ago and have followed the care sheet I was given to a tee. She's about 6 months old now and a few days ago I noticed that her shell was softening on the sides near the bottom. I did some research on the internet and picked up the powdered calcium supplement that was suggested. She is about 3" and I keep her in a 20 gallon reptarium with a UVB light and a heat basking spot light on one end of the tank. I use reptile bark substrate, give her fresh water and fresh greens and grass daily and change out her substrate once a month. I was never aware of the vitamin D deficiency threat. I began giving her the supplement 2 days ago, sprinkled on her food, but she is not wanting to eat. I put some of it in her water dish, but she doesn't want to drink. I tried letting her soak in the water dish, but she climbs out. She seems to be getting worse and I don't have any Vets in my area that specialize in reptiles. Last night, when I got home from work I noticed that she was still resting in the exact spot she was when I left that morning. She seems very lethargic so I've been getting her out of her tank and supervising her outdoors so she can get some natural UVB and a change of scenery. I also noticed lastnight as I was handling her that her shell seems to be coming apart at the seems near her head. I am at a loss.... I don't want her to suffer and certainly don't want her to die. I just can't think of anything else that I can do that I'm not already doing for her. Help!
Answer I am sorry for your baby. It needs more help than I can offer, and I think it needs it fast, so I would like to point you to a forum where you can find experienced keepers for Leopards to help. http://www.tortoiseforum.com
When you post your question there, you can pretty much cut and paste this one, but provide more details about diet- what kinds of grass and lettuce.
Also, be aware right now, that tortoises heal kind of slowly- you may not see a lot of change for a while.
Sadly, it sounds like the first care sheet you got was poorly done. The housing, substrate, diet, etc. all sounds a bit 'off' from what most experts recommend.
