Hi everyone!

We are both new to these forums and were wondering if we could get some help and advice.

We brought two beautiful Leopard Tortoises on Friday. We have everything set up but are still getting used to life with tortoises.

The youngest tortoise we have, who is two and a half years seems rather ill.

We don't have much experience with Tortoises so everything may be fine. The older female who is three years old may just have a much livelier personality.

The younger has not eaten, toileted and has mostly slept since we received him. He seems very dry, weak and his muscle reflex is slow.

We have been bathing him, keeping him warm and trying to get him to eat. All he seems to want to do is sleep. There is minimal movement.

We have both checked him over for any other signs of illness but could not find anything other than slight gunge in the corner of his eyes.

Are we just being paranoid? Could it be a kidney disease? Do we need to give him time or seriously worry?

All opinions and advice are much appreciated.

Tamsin and Ellie x

Were did you get them and how are thay housed. Also wot are you feeding. Do the torts drink when you bath them.

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We brought them online from a seller recommended by Tortoise Trust.

I have them in a tortoise table at the moment. It has been too cold to let them outside.

We are feeding them Tortoise dry formula which we are not happy about but we are also feeding them different grasses, vegetables and fruit.

The female has been drinking quite a bit but the male has hardly drunk anything.

x

avoid the dry food it's high in protein which torts don't need. it will encourage rapid growth and shell deformities. Also avoid fruit as they have serious problems digesting it..when u say vegetables what vegetables exactley??? avoid spinach,kale as they have relatively high oxhalic acid levels..also avoid beans/seeds as they are high protein

A leopard should be fed on grasses and hays, mixed grasses should comprise of about 70-75% of the leopards diets.

Suitable grasses include: buffalo,couch, dallas, western wheatgrass,blue grama grass.

You should also supplement the diet with various flowers and weeds, such as dandelion, clover, hibiscus etc.

Lethargy,eye discharge and lack of movement sounds similiar to what my little one was like when i got her, she had to have antibiotic jabs,and probiotic paste, which i had to administer orally. I'd suggest u get them to a vet asap just to be on the safe side.. a possibility if they're sleeping alot is that they could be carrying a worm load, so it's worth asking the vet for some panacure. (U may want to get the vet to administer)

Also make sure you are dusting their food with limestone flour every day, and nutrobal about 3-4 times week to keep their calcium levels up.
Placing cuttlefish bone in their enclosure migth be an idea.. my little one loves it but the larger HATES it.

Bathe daily to keep them hydrated as if they're not drinking u dont want dehydration to set in..not eating is fine, its dehydration thats the killer in torts. When my lil one was ill she had twice daily baths, to keep her fluid levels up

What made ya choose a leopard as a first tortoise?? I'm just curious as most people seem to go for hermanns n horsfields..hope some of the above helped



Katie

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We were recommended Leopard Tortoises by a family friend, we wanted something a bit different.

Thank you for all the information, it has reassured us.

x

i'd love a leopard but don't have the space for them where i'm moving to..they get rather large..


Katie

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Aww I'm sorry, maybe you could get a couple in the future?

Yeah, they do grow rather large! They are adorable.

x

yeah lovely looking guys, good luck with yours.

It could just be that it's 'settling in' its just the younger ones symptoms sound very like mine when i bought her n i had to seek veterinary help to get her n the other one sorted.. hopefully it'll be nothing to worry about.

Make sure u bathe his eye to get the gunge out, obviously seperate water to the bath water.

give him a couple of days n if still worried i'd def get a vet


Katie

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Thank Katie,

You have been so helpful, its great to know we are not alone in this situation.

Best wishes,

Ellie x

I agree with Katie. I own a Leopard and it eats lots of grass. I give weeds but he only realt likes the plantain. Wot was the name of the online shop just out of intrest also was the totoises deliverd

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