Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a about a 4-5 month old leopard tortoise that I got from kingsnake classifided it came to me with a soft shell uper and lower very soft and looks like pyramiding help what can I do it has not grown at all Ihave another one that is growing fine.
Thanks for any advice.
BH

for a "HOT TOPIC" there certainly isn't much of a response.

at 4-5 months old, this isn't too surprising. get your tort under a good UVb source (not a cheap pet store bulb, but a good mercury vapor lamp such as mega-ray). if you live where it's warm, get it into the sun. make sure you're giving your tort plenty of greens rich in calcium (turnip, parsley, dandelion, etc.), mix in some ground up grasses (timothy, orchard, etc.). you can also use a calcium preparation, pick one with extremely low phosphorus (e.g. Miner-All). however, a good diet should take care of your tortoises calcium needs, but it must be a highly varied diet.

good luck,

matt

The previous post is great advice... Besides, I think you should take tort to the herpvet, just to be on the safe side. The softness could be metabolic bone disease and along with pyramiding is a reason to get him/her checked up by a vet knowledgeable about treating tortoises.

Good luck,

TT