thewhimsyturtle:

kpopfreaksgeneral submitted to thewhimsyturtle:

Thank you very much for replying <3

This is my brother’s turtle, Morten!

I did talk to my brother between the previous submission and this one.
He says Morten is allergic to UV lights, and that it almost killed him last time since he stopped breathing. Is that something that can really happen?

Hello, Morten!  What an awesome name and what a sweet grumpy face hehe.  <3

There must have been something wrong with the UV light Morten had before.  It was definitely not the UV itself that he was allergic to!  Having a proper source of UV light is absolutely CRITICAL for a healthy tortoise.  Not having UV leads to metabolic bone disease (MBD), a horrific and painful condition that is always fatal if left untreated.

We tortoises (and turtles) need a LOT of calcium to keep both our big shells and all our bones healthy.  But we can’t process calcium without vitamin D, which we get from UV light, just like humans.  When we don’t get enough UV, we become calcium deficient, which leads to soft and deformed shells (which causes deformed organs), brittle and unhealthy bones, and a myriad of health problems.  We cannot stress enough how critically important a UV light source is!!

Keep reading

Hey there, @kpopfreaksgeneral

We just wanted to second what Kirby and Whimsy said above. This is really good advice. They shared some of the best articles and places to find info with you too! ( Kirby is very wise for his age.)

Having UVB is perhaps the most important of the things Morten needs. Morten is definitely showing signs of MBD and quick changes to his home he will die 🙁

I can honestly say, and I tried to do more research after reading this to be sure, that it’s not possible for him to be allergic to UV lights.  That would mean Morten is allergic to sunlight and would not have survived long after hatching.  

Looking at the set up I’m guessing the UV lamp increased the temperature and dried out his enclosure. This creates dust and makes things like swallowing and breathing hard. This could have caused choking or him having trouble breathing.

Please check out the amazing links Kirby and whimsy shared! All of our go to info is there. You will need to change up the substrate and try a more open enclosure. That way it can be warm right under the lamp and he can move around when he’s too hot or cold, all while getting the UVB he needs to grow a strong shell.

Like they said, it seems like a lot but its totally doable, even if you don’t have that much money. I have done lots of tortoise home DIY with very little money. Things like old bookcases, big giant tubs you can get around Christmas… lots of ways to make it work. You can also find the lamps suggested on Amazon and the substrate as well.

We hope your brother gets Morten a lamp as soon as possible, and good for you for caring enough to ask questions!

TortTime

post/59491817837/if-i-knew-id-tell-you-my-baby-3 This turtle doesn’t look healthy! That beak is seriously overgrown. I don’t mean to rain on your parade or dump salt on what you do, it just makes me seriously sad to see pictures of sick or improperly cared for reptiles spread around and cooed at like this is totally okay. :( Potential metabolic bone disease isn’t too cute or win!

Hey Anon, 

Thanks for the message. You’re absolutely right. You aren’t raining on a parade or dumping salt on anything. You are calling attention to an important problem and I appreciate that a lot. I’m sorry. That beak definitely does look overgrown. I didn’t notice that when I queued up the picture. No excuse other than I’d fallen behind and queued up some things on my phone while away this past weekend. 

Still, we often get submissions and/or post pictures of animals taken in as rescues. I can’t claim to know the circumstances surrounding all the images i share but I do my best to share healthy and happy animals and accurate information as best I can with the turtle and tortoise community here on tumblr.  I also learn everything I can from others like yourself that point out things I may not notice, have more experience than I, and are willing to share that knowledge. So thanks for that.

I have no doubt that the aforementioned turtle owner loves their shell baby. In fact, I just got this message:

(The owner of the turtle with the overgrown beak just got him from a pet shop whose staff said he refused pellets and only ate boiled shrimp and chicken. It’s not poor care or neglect on the owner’s part, just in case anyone else was worried.)
 chairmeleon

In general I try and message people if I see poor husbandry or issues in pictures. I have found that to be the most effective way to help the turtles and tortoise, eliciting a proactive response from the individual. People get defensive and shut off when they feel attacked and thats no good for the turtles and tortoises at all. Or, as in this case, comments lead to information that can let us all rest easy about this shell’s fate. 

As for me, I don’t know everything, or even all that much, but I try my best to share what I know and help shells any way I can. I’ve learned so much in the last few years and I’m learning more every day. I want to share that, not perpetuate a problem. Tumblr is a great forum to share information and I hope that everyone who follows me feels free to point these things out! We need to share information openly and honestly so we can all be better care takers, turtle/tortoise lovers and advocates.

In any case, metabolic bone disease is a big problem, as is the poor care, diet, and general ignorance when adopting a turtle or tortoise (or when in the care of negligent pet stores) lead to it. They aren’t too cute or win at all. Metabolic bone disease is common in captive turtles and tortoises and comes from poor diet, insufficient UVB, and inappropriate housing temperatures. Its an awful disease that worsens with time and poor care. It manifests as over grown beaks, pyramiding, joint fusing, softening of carapace and plastron, serious deformities and internal organ diseases. its no joke and is exactly why its so important to make sure to fully research the proper diet (to ensure the correct amount of calcium and lower amounts of phosphorus), and husbandry (ensure appropriate temperatures and and UVB exposure). Without UVB, calcium is not metabolized properly, and that calcium is best delivered via a quality diet appropriate for your turtle or tortoise. Try a google search if you want to see some pictures. They are quite disturbing and all too common. It won’t start out as severe as some of the images you’ll see, but will rapidly become that way with the continuation of poor care. Having a shelled friend in your care is a serious responsibility. We are the sole arbiters of their needs, having taken over for mother nature by bringing them out of the wild. The least we can do is make sure we collect as much knowledge as we can and provide them with what they need to maintain healthy happy lives.

I have no doubt that, for the most part, we shell parents have the best intentions when caring for our turtles and tortoises, but we have to accept that intentions aren’t enough and do something about it. Thank you for pointing this out Anon.  And please feel free to come off anon and message me. I promise I’m not mean or angry or anything like that. I really want to learn, share that passion, and I’m grateful for the help from you and everyone that follows me, posts about turtles and tortoises, and shares the love (and fear of the #turtpocalypse). 

Anonymous:

post/59491817837/if-i-knew-id-tell-you-my-baby-3 This turtle doesn’t look healthy! That beak is seriously overgrown. I don’t mean to rain on your parade or dump salt on what you do, it just makes me seriously sad to see pictures of sick or improperly cared for reptiles spread around and cooed at like this is totally okay. 🙁 Potential metabolic bone disease isn’t too cute or win!

Hey Anon, 

Thanks for the message. You’re absolutely right. You aren’t raining on a parade or dumping salt on anything. You are calling attention to an important problem and I appreciate that a lot. I’m sorry. That beak definitely does look overgrown. I didn’t notice that when I queued up the picture. No excuse other than I’d fallen behind and queued up some things on my phone while away this past weekend. 

Still, we often get submissions and/or post pictures of animals taken in as rescues. I can’t claim to know the circumstances surrounding all the images i share but I do my best to share healthy and happy animals and accurate information as best I can with the turtle and tortoise community here on tumblr.  I also learn everything I can from others like yourself that point out things I may not notice, have more experience than I, and are willing to share that knowledge. So thanks for that.

I have no doubt that the aforementioned turtle owner loves their shell baby. In fact, I just got this message:

(The owner of the turtle with the overgrown beak just got him from a pet shop whose staff said he refused pellets and only ate boiled shrimp and chicken. It’s not poor care or neglect on the owner’s part, just in case anyone else was worried.)
 chairmeleon

In general I try and message people if I see poor husbandry or issues in pictures. I have found that to be the most effective way to help the turtles and tortoise, eliciting a proactive response from the individual. People get defensive and shut off when they feel attacked and thats no good for the turtles and tortoises at all. Or, as in this case, comments lead to information that can let us all rest easy about this shell’s fate. 

As for me, I don’t know everything, or even all that much, but I try my best to share what I know and help shells any way I can. I’ve learned so much in the last few years and I’m learning more every day. I want to share that, not perpetuate a problem. Tumblr is a great forum to share information and I hope that everyone who follows me feels free to point these things out! We need to share information openly and honestly so we can all be better care takers, turtle/tortoise lovers and advocates.

In any case, metabolic bone disease is a big problem, as is the poor care, diet, and general ignorance when adopting a turtle or tortoise (or when in the care of negligent pet stores) lead to it. They aren’t too cute or win at all. Metabolic bone disease is common in captive turtles and tortoises and comes from poor diet, insufficient UVB, and inappropriate housing temperatures. Its an awful disease that worsens with time and poor care. It manifests as over grown beaks, pyramiding, joint fusing, softening of carapace and plastron, serious deformities and internal organ diseases. its no joke and is exactly why its so important to make sure to fully research the proper diet (to ensure the correct amount of calcium and lower amounts of phosphorus), and husbandry (ensure appropriate temperatures and and UVB exposure). Without UVB, calcium is not metabolized properly, and that calcium is best delivered via a quality diet appropriate for your turtle or tortoise. Try a google search if you want to see some pictures. They are quite disturbing and all too common. It won’t start out as severe as some of the images you’ll see, but will rapidly become that way with the continuation of poor care. Having a shelled friend in your care is a serious responsibility. We are the sole arbiters of their needs, having taken over for mother nature by bringing them out of the wild. The least we can do is make sure we collect as much knowledge as we can and provide them with what they need to maintain healthy happy lives.

I have no doubt that, for the most part, we shell parents have the best intentions when caring for our turtles and tortoises, but we have to accept that intentions aren’t enough and do something about it. Thank you for pointing this out Anon.  And please feel free to come off anon and message me. I promise I’m not mean or angry or anything like that. I really want to learn, share that passion, and I’m grateful for the help from you and everyone that follows me, posts about turtles and tortoises, and shares the love (and fear of the #turtpocalypse). 

TortTime

tortoise-adventures:

About George A’Tuin

George is a cute little boy who is about 6 years old and was rescued alongside phoebe in March ‘13. He’s a western hingeback tortoise (kinixys belliana nogueyi) and is part of a breeding pair as he lives with Phoee. He is very friendly, loves a head/chin scratch and likes to have his beak filed with an emory board as it was overgrown when i got them. He is not as greedy as Phoebe but can be very cheeky and cause trouble! He’s a teeny little guy at 600g and is a nice golden brown colour. He has a mild case of Metabolic Bone Disease which means he has somewhat weakened legs. His favourite things are his daily ‘spa’ treatments (aka a bath), warm spots and mushrooms. 

You are gorgeous George! I am glad you found a good home. Hopefully some good lighting and a proper diet will help you overcome that Metabolic bone disease. 

In case you aren’t aware, Metabolic bone disease occurs when a tortoise does not receive proper lighting and/or a proper diet. The combination of both is vital to proper growth and health of a tortoise. While most tortoise lovers know that pellets and some supplements aren’t actually the best for tortoises, its important to understand that feeding a proper diet without exposing our shelled friends to UVB will result in the MBD (metabolic bone disease) among other things. Similarly, UVB with an improper diet. While its less immediate than some side effects (like pulmonary disorders) its equally as detrimental. Tortoises need a proper diet (just like us) to acquire the right amount and variety of nutrients they need to grow healthy and strong, but their bodies are designed to take in this type of diet in a UVB rich environment. Calcium is vital to bone growth but Tortoise cant’ metabolize calcium without UVB! So make sure you are prioritizing both when caring for your shelled friends. 

tortoise-adventures:

About George A’Tuin

George is a cute little boy who is about 6 years old and was rescued alongside phoebe in March ‘13. He’s a western hingeback tortoise (kinixys belliana nogueyi) and is part of a breeding pair as he lives with Phoee. He is very friendly, loves a head/chin scratch and likes to have his beak filed with an emory board as it was overgrown when i got them. He is not as greedy as Phoebe but can be very cheeky and cause trouble! He’s a teeny little guy at 600g and is a nice golden brown colour. He has a mild case of Metabolic Bone Disease which means he has somewhat weakened legs. His favourite things are his daily ‘spa’ treatments (aka a bath), warm spots and mushrooms. 

You are gorgeous George! I am glad you found a good home. Hopefully some good lighting and a proper diet will help you overcome that Metabolic bone disease. 

In case you aren’t aware, Metabolic bone disease occurs when a tortoise does not receive proper lighting and/or a proper diet. The combination of both is vital to proper growth and health of a tortoise. While most tortoise lovers know that pellets and some supplements aren’t actually the best for tortoises, its important to understand that feeding a proper diet without exposing our shelled friends to UVB will result in the MBD (metabolic bone disease) among other things. Similarly, UVB with an improper diet. While its less immediate than some side effects (like pulmonary disorders) its equally as detrimental. Tortoises need a proper diet (just like us) to acquire the right amount and variety of nutrients they need to grow healthy and strong, but their bodies are designed to take in this type of diet in a UVB rich environment. Calcium is vital to bone growth but Tortoise cant’ metabolize calcium without UVB! So make sure you are prioritizing both when caring for your shelled friends.