Hi - I am a new Tort owner i have had harold (Horsfield) for 2 weeks now. I took him to the vet today to make sure all is ok.

The vet said he is in great health other than his shell being a little soft. He thinks this is due to lack calcium & the poor weather. He has given me some liquid calcium to put in his food? I know that the vet should know best i just wanted to check on here before i did it. Harold also has some skin which has started to shed on his neck. The vet said this maybe because he is growing ( he's only 3 years old) but advised me to put some olive oil on him?

Has anybody heard of this or have any other ideas?

Other than that Harold was really funny in the vet - he couldn't get enough of the vet stroking him and even nudged his hand when he stopped!!! Bless him.

Anyway hope somebody can help me i just want to do whats best for my little H!!!

Hi and to RFUK.

Is the liquid calcium in a spray bottle? If so that should be easy enough to put on his food. What calcium and other supplements are you using on a regular day to day basis? Does the tort have uvb? What are you feeding?

I've heard of using olive oil for wiping grit away from eyes (it's sticky so works well for that) but it shouldn't be needed for normal shedding. A soak in some lukewarm water (up to the bottom of their shell) once a day will help and will encourage the tort to poo and pass urates.

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Hi - Yes it is the liquid calcium in a spray bottle. The only other calcium supplement i have been giving him is Tort dust on his food. After reading a few posts on here i have only fed him the dry formula once and then mixed with some veg one other time. He doesn't really like it anyway.

He eats a varied meal everyday. His favorite is cabbage , courgettes , cauliflower. But he is in the garden all day and loves to munch on the wild clover and geraniums.

He doesn't have a UVB lamp as the reptile centre said he will ok in an outdoor closure until september time. Do you think i should buy one and what type would i be best to buy.

To keep him warm on cloudy days i have build him a poly tunnel for is outdoor enclosure and he also has a large ouse with straw where he goes and burys himself for a snooze.

I will give the olive oil a miss then. He does have a bath everyday and absolutely loves it. I sometimes think he is almost smiling as i take him towards his bowl!!!

Thanks so much for your help!!!!!

Sorry, Tort Dust isn't something I'm familiar with... what's in it?

He'll be fine without uvb if he's outside all the time. I'd recommend you buy a uvb and basking lamp (or a combined mercury vapour lamp) for when you bring him inside when the weather gets cooler though.

The best fresh diet you can feed is edible plants and weeds, the clover and geraniums are good. This will give you a link to a good list of edible plants:

Untitled Document

As much variety of these as you can is best. You can also order mixed weed seeds for torts from sites on ebay which you can scatter and grow in the enclosure. If you need to supplement with supermarket greens the best is chicory, watercress or the bags of Florette mixed leaves. If you get some limestone flour and scatter this into the soil of anything you grow it will increase the calcium in the plants and you can lightly scatter this on his food too - after you've finished the spray.

There's a thread in the newbie section on med tort care with some links you might find useful:

MED TORTOISES... useful links

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He is outside all the time for now but i will be bringing him in for when the weather gets cooler ( am sure we are waiting for summer still though!!!)

Where is best to buy the lights from?

Tortoise dust is what the reptile centre gave me you just sprinkle it over all the food and will give extra vitamins and calcium.

Thank you so much for your advice!!!

This is a good site for lamps:

Kimbos Reptile World | Supplies | Equipment | Housing | Lighting | Cleaning - Hygiene | Suffolk | Ipswich

It also has supplements and hides, thermometers etc for when you set up your indoor housing.

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If the tortoise is eating and is active... you/the tortoise have a chance.

Soft shell is the result of poor calcium metabolism. I know... silly... obvious.

Hydration... the most important point... Heat... actually is before hydration in terms of importance.

Sounds like a commercial... use T-rex tortoise diet.

Ed

i personaly dont like the dry food prefet the weeds and calcuim powder,
if he is utside you dont need uv but inside you do,he will benefit more outdoors than in tho,poly tunnels are good they hold the heat and torts love them,my torts like bath time although my largest is like trying to bath a elephant and she aint that big compaerd to opthers on here,

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home sweet home

Think Kristy has already tried a dried food and the tort didnt like it....

Weeds and wild flowers are great, subsituted with Florette salad bags.

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Our new foster dog Tag is here http://www.freewebs.com/manytearsres...ngforhomes.htm

My Pets2 Hermanns & 2 Marginateds1 Rottie, 1 Springer Spaniel1 Border Collie, 1 Shih-zhu6 cats6 rabbits, 5 guinea pigs

The tortoise didn't like it ... or you didn't give it a chance.

Please consider the dogma carefully...

ed