Metabolic Bone Disease in my baby leopard tortoise

Question
I adopted a baby leopard tortoise a few months ago and have followed the care sheet I was given to a tee. She's about 6 months old now and a few days ago I noticed that her shell was softening on the sides near the bottom. I did some research on the internet and picked up the powdered calcium supplement that was suggested. She is about 3" and I keep her in a 20 gallon reptarium with a UVB light and a heat basking spot light on one end of the tank. I use reptile bark substrate, give her fresh water and fresh greens and grass daily and change out her substrate once a month. I was never aware of the vitamin D deficiency threat. I began giving her the supplement 2 days ago, sprinkled on her food, but she is not wanting to eat. I put some of it in her water dish, but she doesn't want to drink. I tried letting her soak in the water dish, but she climbs out. She seems to be getting worse and I don't have any Vets in my area that specialize in reptiles. Last night, when I got home from work I noticed that she was still resting in the exact spot she was when I left that morning. She seems very lethargic so I've been getting her out of her tank and supervising her outdoors so she can get some natural UVB and a change of scenery. I also noticed lastnight as I was handling her that her shell seems to be coming apart at the seems near her head. I am at a loss.... I don't want her to suffer and certainly don't want her to die. I just can't think of anything else that I can do that I'm not already doing for her. Help!

Answer
I am sorry for your baby. It needs more help than I can offer, and I think it needs it fast, so I would like to point you to a forum where you can find experienced keepers for Leopards to help. http://www.tortoiseforum.com

When you post your question there, you can pretty much cut and paste this one, but provide more details about diet- what kinds of grass and lettuce.

Also, be aware right now, that tortoises heal kind of slowly- you may not see a lot of change for a while.


Sadly, it sounds like the first care sheet you got was poorly done. The housing, substrate, diet, etc. all sounds a bit 'off' from what most experts recommend.

By the way, a good Leopard site is http://www.africantortoise.com