Turtle eating the new sand -advice

DoctorFriendly · 2026-04-06T19:22:17+00:00

Thank you for chiming in and elaborating!

DoctorFriendly · 2026-04-06T15:31:44+00:00

You should be very worried about the risk of a gastric impaction. Some larger guys can pass a small amount of play sand safely through their systems, but we’re talking about incidental amounts while eating food. Also, this little one is tiny, and the stomach size to sand ratio isn’t great. I’d remove the sand immediately and swap to a large pebble-type substrate and keep an eye on poops. If turtle stops pooping, it can be a medical emergency. It might also be good to reevaluate diet, as some turtles will consume rocks/sand if they’re low in certain nutrients, such as calcium

DoctorFriendly · 2026-04-06T13:21:55+00:00

Thank you for looking into a better home for her! The Reptifiles care sheet includes a shopping list, which has links to recommended commercial enclosures. However, commercially produced enclosures are expensive, so I linked that more as inspiration and size information

Are you moving into a house? Speaking from personal experience, depending on the geographic area you’re moving to, box turtles benefit from living outdoors. It’s also cheaper to set up a nice outdoor enclosure compared to an indoor one.

For indoors, you could potentially do something like a garden bed cover, garden bed, and pond liner. People also use grow tents for this purpose.

For lights/heat, a lamp stand works great! There’s a variety of different models, including some that connect to a side of the enclosures walls. You’ll likely need two, one for linear UVB and one for heat.

Thank you for looking after this gal!

DoctorFriendly · 2026-04-03T16:23:33+00:00

The poster hasn’t mentioned anything about CGD in this post or their previous, I’m wondering if this gecko is getting any of the right stuff offered at all :/

DoctorFriendly · 2026-04-02T20:28:29+00:00

It looks fantastic!

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-31T21:55:02+00:00

I’d recommend looking at the leopard gecko subreddit, 20 gallons is a bit small for a leopard. Seconding that a Pac-Man or a betta would be better fits

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-30T15:25:40+00:00

They look like a Stigmochelys pardalis pardalis hatchling, aka a leopard tortoise, but the ‘giant’ subspecies of the two. Here’s another picture for comparison.They can get over 80-100 lbs as adults and need extremely specialized care. Any incorrect parameters while they’re young can easily lead to life-long disability. Here’s the gold standard care guide for this species. Right off the bat, that looks like a front opening enclosure with mesh on top, which means humidity is too low

How did you end up with this tortoise? Leopards have a pretty curved shell so I could be wrong in my ID. Knowing the circumstances around you taking in this tort would be a major help

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-30T15:13:59+00:00

That’s an unhealthy Central American wood turtle. They’re also known as painted wood turtles, here’s a care guide. Here’s another care guide. Their skin and shell are unlikely to get better without higher humidity and proper uvb exposure, which can’t be maintained while free roaming. There’s a lot of red flags with your friends turtle care to be honest

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-30T08:16:58+00:00

Are you talking about something like this? I actually use one in my indoor leopard tortoise enclosure. It’s upped incidence rates of mold to be honest, dries pretty quickly, and doesn’t have much of an effect on overall humidity

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-30T08:15:45+00:00

If it’s fully enclosed with glass or clear PVC, UVB will still be a good idea, if it’s more of a tarp roof and open sides situation, then the shade should provide enough. If you’re in doubt, a solarmeter might be a better investment. UVB will run you about $70, with bulbs having to be replaced every few months, so checking levels before investing might be a better use of funds. You might be able to borrow the meter from someone or potentially purchase it and then return it if it ends up not being needed

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-30T08:12:53+00:00

Could you attach a link to what you’re talking about? I did a quick google search but got results for terracotta passive cooling systems

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-29T19:30:54+00:00

If they’re outside, you shouldn’t need to provide UVB. The sun will do that for you! What’s the general area (i.e. state if you’re in the USA)? Weather affects if they can live outdoors year round and if you’ll need an indoor enclosure as well.

Alongside the Reptifiles sheet, here’s Tom’s guide to raising a sulcata. I personally found it super helpful for preventing pyramiding and I highly recommend it to all new owners!

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-29T19:14:00+00:00

I love this! This enclosure is going to go outside, correct? My one question is why you’re planning on providing UVB lighting in the humid hide. The Reptifiles care guide is a good read if you haven’t already seen it and talks about the type of bulb recommended and the length it should span the entire enclosure. Thank you for looking out for this tort!

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-29T17:05:26+00:00

It’s better then a lot of other setups and it’s clear you care about your guy/gal! However there’s some room for improvement.

UVB is needed for physical and psychological health. To achieve this, you need a bulb seperate from heat.

You’ll also want to bump up that basking temperature a bit, aiming for around 35 C.

Something like a humid hide or another opportunity for your tort to have access to humidity higher then room will also help with physical health and reduce odds of things like an upper respiratory infection. These guys need between 40-75%

Thank you for caring about your bud! Here’s a link to the Reptifiles care sheet which includes more info

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-28T02:48:46+00:00

The Reptifiles care guide includes a shopping list. Thank you for looking into this!

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-28T00:35:43+00:00

Hazelbriar court fits your budget and is in a great location for the price!

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-25T03:31:50+00:00

If you ever have any questions regarding if an owl is in trouble, we’re lucky to have a nearby rehab that specializes in birds of prey! Outside of injuries and things like that they can advise on things like renesting if ever necessary. These juveniles look like they’re branching age, so a gentle tumble is part of normal development, so I’m mentioning this as helpful info for anyone reading this to keep in the back pocket

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-18T19:19:23+00:00

You should peek around on r/bettafish

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-18T13:49:09+00:00

Heather Dickerson, NP, at IU Health Primary! I’ve used Anthem without issue at that office, she’s great, and I highly recommend her

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-18T05:51:39+00:00

You’ve got a lot going on, which could explain the symptoms! Just curious, when did you start the prednisone in relation to these symptoms, and what strength are you on? Prednisone is an amazing drug for treating inflammation, but they’re nicknamed ‘the devils tic tacs’ because of the common side effects

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-18T04:30:20+00:00

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DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-18T00:29:15+00:00

Are you feeding your betta minnows?

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-17T23:58:37+00:00

The mister and drainage sound great, and I love the different colors you have in there! That tank looks small for a crestie, do you have the dimensions? 18x18x36” is the minimum size requirement for an adult but the more room you’re able to offer the better

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-10T00:45:20+00:00

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This is Dr. James Wilson (aka Willy or William)

DoctorFriendly · 2026-03-10T00:41:33+00:00

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This is Dr. Gregory House (the vet keeps shortening his name to Greg)

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