leopard death

[kathypeter]

thankyou lynn I will try abidec.and for the photo details. will give it a try
kate

[ziggy's owner]

Yeah I know that, some just don't make it others do its life

[kathypeter]

I was looking for suggestions that I could try to help the remaining one .I didnt want all that this has caused. who bred them should never had come into it. i have no problems with who bred them amd never had. just wanted other ideas to treat the one I have left.I have the reptaboost and abidec and will try what helpfull suggestion have been made,I have 11 tortoises 6 raised from 11grams to 520grams (hermans and leopards) so I must be doing or had done something right. I did take in 2 that were soft from a couple who hadnt given them calcium and these 2 I took to chris to help as my husband has a disabling illness that affects his hands and fingers and I struggled to get their months open to get their medicine in and I was concerned I would fail them.i am glad they are starting to recover.this I am gratefull for.
I hope I will be in contact with the breeder again and that this has not spoilt everything.

[Easter Bunny]

Must be horrible when you have a tortoise die on you.

Take what Stells said, that it just happens sometimes and isn't no ones fault.

If you know you done your best, then hold your head high and carry on looking after the rest. Good luck with the other one

[kathypeter]

thank you lynne,

[onarock]

Kathy, I read your posts and did not see where it was warranted that the breeder should toss you under the bus.

People that know me here know that I have produced a couple of leopards myself. And, I have learned a few things along the way.

For the most part I take responsibility for lost animals that I have produced... up to a point. Its the breeders responsibility to make sure he/she is giving their hatchling the best start possible. Proper hydration, nutrition and overall husbandry is a must when starting hatchlings. I believe some of the problem is replicating the breeders husbandry technique when obtaining young animals. I try to ensure that my hatchlings are offered a varied diet that consists of a formulated pellet as well as weeds, grasses and succulents. I also dont believe in keeping hatchlings temps in a narrow window. I expose all my leopard tortoises that hatch early in the spring to temps as low as 14-15c durring the night to temps as high as 30-31c durring the day. I feel its really important to expose tortoises to a wide range of temps at a young age. Here is the kicker... I also dont breed any of my captive born leopards unless they are 15 years of age. I noticed when breeding younger animals that I had smaller clutches, smaller eggs, less fertile eggs and hatchlings that were more likely to not thirive. I have done some reading on leapard tortosies growth in the wild and when I cross reference it with documented growth of captive raised leopard tortoises, in many cases, captive raised tortoises are growing 2 to 3 times faster than their wild counterparts.

Having said all of that... I couldn't tell you why those tortoises failed. It could be a number of things. But, if they were tortoises that I produced, I would be taking a long look at my husbandry technique. Anyone can put 2 tortosies together and get eggs, but in my experience, very few do it right.

[kathypeter]

hi omarock
many thanks for you helpfull thread.Your day temp is as I have it set but nights were 19c which I will lower so i will reduce it. . they are both on stats, other wise I feed the same as you including the oputunia cactus, powder and chopped up. I couldnt think what I had done wrong to get such a roasting but never mind, I have moved on. I hope to hear from the breeder soon.it hasnt put me off raising hatchlings although I will think seriously about breeding when mine get older. I have a few years to go yet.
kathy

[onarock]

Kathy, I hope you have not misunderstood me. I am not recommending that you drop the low temp down even further. I was just stating that as newly hatched tortoises I expose them to low temps. My point about breeders that keep their hatchling tortoise temps in a narrow window is that if you do not keep the tortoise in the same temp window you may have problems early on.

[kathypeter]

Ok will leave temps as they are as the other 2 are used to it. .
kathy

[kathypeter]

Originally Posted by burnt toast

The above action might help your little tort.

& This is how to post pictures:

http://shelledwarriors.co.uk/forum/s...ad.php?t=29355

Hi lyn
Great news,my little leopard is now 42 grams,up almost 10grams in 3 weeks, I gave her abidec in the bath as you suggested and did not change any other way she is being kept and she now has white growth lines on her shell.So I hope she will continue to grow and catch up with her siblings.many thanks for your helpfull suggestion.
Kathy