Worried

[Mowze]

I have just been given a tortoise by a friend, he got the tortoise when he was young as many people do not realising the implications and has now been unable to care for him due to work commitments. I have a fair bit of experience keeping a lot of different animals and have been involved in the pet trade since I was 16 (4 years) I have mostly been involved in aquatics and have limited experience in keeping reptiles outside of work (and limited at work too) this is my first reptile.
The friend who gave him to me was very worried as the tortoise has been acting very depressed lately, he hasn’t eaten for 2 weeks and seems to have a very soft shell. He is also moving very slowly even for a tortoise although as I look at him not he has slowly walked from his house and then back into it only half an hour after being put in his enclosure (100x40x40) open top aquarium. I have read up on keeping tortoises quite a lot and have provided him with a 50:50 dry compost:sand substrate which I will also add some wood chippings too. As of yet I don’t really have suitable heating as I got him late this evening and I am temporarily using a 100w spotlight positioned over his also temporary cardboard box home which is currently at 22c and the rest of the enclosure 17c. I hope it doesn’t get any colder tonight and have turned the central heating in the room on full. I have given him a bit of banana and some other fresh veg which is apparently his favourite food and he instantly took an interest in it although he has not eaten any yet. I have also provided him with another cardboard box home at the other end of the aquarium away from the heat if he decides he is too warm. At the moment my main concern is to keep him warm, stress free and comfortable for the night until tomorrow morning when I can get some wood chippings and a heat mat in there.

The main issue is that his shell is very very light and soft around the edges and his back legs look very sunken and saggy which he is dragging behind him and not using at all. I’m pretty sure this is not right for a tortoise and I believe he has never been provided with any calcium supplements or UVB (also on my early morning shopping list.) I’m pretty sure he is suffering from a deficiency of both and need to nurse him back to good health but there may possibly be something else wrong?

I also have no idea what species he is but will post some pictures up tomorrow. Is there any advice anybody would like to give me as I honestly don’t know how bad the situation might be although I realise that tortoises can be a lot more sensitive and demanding than people usually think.

[Mowze]

I also thought I should probably add, the aquarium is also only a temporary enclosure as I will be building him a larger open top enclosure with a hear lamp and UVB strip light over the comming weeks when I have a little more money in the bank as well as another outdoor enclosure for the comming summer months. For the moment however I would much rather keep him in this aquarium in my room as I can keep a closer eye on him.
I should also add that the eyes seem to be clear and his nose dry and he is still having a little wander and looking around which I imagine is a pretty good thing. The main problem just seems to be the weak looking back legs, lack of feeding and soft shell. I dont really like taking on pets with limited knowlege and unsutible equipment and especially never take a pet on spur of the moment but this was I guess a rescue of sorts.

Edit: Again I should also probably add that his nails are very long and clear rather than white, not sure if this is another sign of defficency but a lot of pictures I see they seem to be an opaque white.

[donstapley]

your doing right by going out and getting him a Uv light, you may find he perks up a little with some good heat and light.
the first thing would be sorting out his diet and getting him some rather needed supplements (especially if he has a soft shell). dust all his food with nutrobal and maybe also another calcium powder (ie limestone flour) on alternate days.
remove the banana from his diet as fruit can be very addictive to tortoises, and banana contains way too much potassium.
get him onto weeds or if these are scarse try florrette crispy salad.
the other thing may be to get him checked out by a vet just to give him a general check over.
good luck with him

[Heth]

Hi there, I'll do my best to give you some advice however I am no expert whatsoever so I'm sure someone else will be along shortly to correct me if needs be!

First off is his diet, obviously without knowing what species he is it will be difficult to give you any really good advice. However I don't think that banana and veg will be too good for him. There is a sticky at the top of the shelled section call 'weeds-an illustrated guide'. Take a look at this and go for a walk to collect him some weeds instead, this will be far better for him. It took mine a few days to eat, the winner for me was to pick some nice dandelion leaves, put them in a bag with some chopped cucumber and shake them up so that everything tastes like cucumber

Suplements wise, generally people tend to sprinkle a suplement called Nutrobal onto the food every day and also keep a small bowl of limestone flour and a piece of cuttle fish in his viv all the time so that he can help himself. The Nutrobal will give him the vitamins he needs, the limestone will up his calcium levels, thus improving his shell and nails (don't worry too much about his nails being long, these will wear down when he goes outside) and the cuttle fish will also help with calcium and keep his beak trim.

Lighting... You need to get a UVB light in there (10%). I use a 100W megaray lamp for my boy, this is a combined heat lamp and UVB lamp and works very well. You should aim to get the temps at 32c directly under the lamp (his basking spot) and 22c at the cooler end. You wont need a heat mat, if your house is heated, which you've already said it is, you can turn all his lamps off at night as room temperature will be fine. I leave mine on for 12 hours, off for 12 hours etc etc.

I think you're aquarium should be fine whilst you're sorting his permanent home out, so long as you can get the temperature gradients okay he should be fine and the subsrate you have is perfect

One more thing, he will benefit from a 10-20 min bathing every day. Fill a container up to the bottom of his shell with luke warm water and let him paddle about for a while. This will encourage him to drink and help him hydrate, he will also probably have a wee and a poo (his wee will look a bit like white toothpaste so don't be alarmed! if it's of a gritty consistancy then he's dehydrated).

You say his eyes and nose are clear, which is great, also check that he is not wheezing. I think you're main aim is probably get some decent food and water in him, keep an eye on whether he is going to the toilet (mine goes once every day) and certainly get some calcium supplements and a UVB light ASAP. If you're really worried then I'm sure a visit to a good reptile vet wouldn't go amiss.

I hope this helps you, if I've missed anything off I'm sure someone else will be along shortly. If you need any help at all just keep posting, the people on here are very knowledgeable and I've leart pretty much everything from these guys!

Good luck!

PS Don't forget to post some pictures up and someone will let you know what he is so you can get some more specific details re the temps and diet.

[Heth]

I forgot to say, if you want to grow your own weeds etc at home for him then look on the shelledwarriors sight. Sarah has loads of different mixes for different breeds and she also sells nice big bags of bedding, supplements and different bits and bobs so these may be useful for you in the long run.

x

[Zoo-Man]

Well done for offering this tortoise a home!

What species of tortoise is it?

I would certainly make an appointment for this tortoise to be seen by a reptile vet for a check up, & maybe a calcium injection.

You could also use some Reptiboost in the tortoise's bath water, which may help get its appetite back & will give him a bit of a boost.

[Tortoise Trust]

From your description, this tortoise has extremely serious calcium deficiency problems. It really does need a professional assessment from a good reptile vet, who will be able to advise a comprehensive course of treatment. It is important to get x-rays in cases like this, as limb fractures are just one of the common consequences when things get this bad. Such severe cases often need more than just a good diet and oral supplements, at least initially. As Zoo-Man has said, calcium (possibly with D3) injections are sometimes required. Also, OP tubing and intensive care could be called for. Do not try and treat this yourself. Get to a good tortoise vet ASAP.

Andy Highfield
Tortoise Trust Web - Start Page

[Mowze]

Thank you all for your advice, I will get him to a vet as soon as my next pay comes through. Im going to take the dogs for a walk in a bit and have had a good look over the weeds thread so I will pick him up a load and then double check before dusting and feeding them. I moved the spotlight a bit closer this morning and he instantly woke up, came out of his house and is now basking under it at about 35c.
He slept in the cold part of the tank last night which I think was about 15c, I guess that was ok but at least he is up and moving about making an effort to control his temperature!
Will also grab a cuttlefish bone and UVB bulb whilst im out and give him a good bath when I get home.

[Tina]

Originally Posted by Mowze

Thank you all for your advice, I will get him to a vet as soon as my next pay comes through. Im going to take the dogs for a walk in a bit and have had a good look over the weeds thread so I will pick him up a load and then double check before dusting and feeding them. I moved the spotlight a bit closer this morning and he instantly woke up, came out of his house and is now basking under it at about 35c.
He slept in the cold part of the tank last night which I think was about 15c, I guess that was ok but at least he is up and moving about making an effort to control his temperature!
Will also grab a cuttlefish bone and UVB bulb whilst im out and give him a good bath when I get home.

Buy some nutrobal too and make sure you dust his food well with it.

If I were you I'd give the vet a call (make sure you take him to someone with good chelonia knowledge - if you don't know of one in your area have a look at the vet sticky or ask), explain the circumstances about you 'rescuing' him and ask if they'll see him now and organise a payment plan for you. It does sound like he needs to be seen as soon as possible.

Also.. try to get some pictures on here if you can so people can advise based on species as it can make a huge difference.

Good luck with him and well done for taking him on.

[courtneysmum]

Oh well done to you for taking the little fella on and giving him what already looks to be a very kind loving home..pics please then we can get to grips with your next steps to take...good luck..