hi i have a tortoise who ive had for over a year.
she is a spur thighed, WC..
she was doing really well, but in the past 6weeks has gone down hill.
she hasnt eaten (or i havent noticed) in about 6 weeks.
i have force fead her about 4 times.. but she doesnt want to eat..
i thought she was missing, i hadnt seen her for 3 days, but i just found her, wedged in between some wood... she seems lathargic. but then other times she just seems normal.. as u can see im really confused..
she has grown this year,and had pput on weight,
but has lost about 30g, and i know people will say thats not aalot but i know my tortoise, and she has lost a bit of fat from her legs,..
is she avestating,,or teying to because she is wc.. i dont know the full history but i think she was brought in about 2 years ago..

any help..
ps, about 3 days ago i picked her up and she had wat looked like rns.. mucus in the mouth.. but that was gone the next day..
and still hasnt re appeared....

advise please...

hi id just like to add that she has just done a poo, which didmisses my worries about a blockage.......

you need to take the poo to the vets, ask them to check it for parasites. that would explain alot of the symptoms. it is pretty urgent too, as parasites can be fatal, especially in WC animals

do you keep your tortoise indoors? or just in the garden? if tis is a wild caught tortoise it will be used to much higher temperstures than the uk, so you should keep him indoors every morning under a heat lamp until he has warmed up. then he can go outside for the afternoon.

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my bright red hair is very SHORT........where did it go!

hi i think she is fine,i watched her for hours today and she was running around, but still not eating.. i guess that it is just that she would be asvestating in the wild at this time

They only estivate in the wild to cope with the heat and lack of food and water. As your tortoise isn't exposed to extreme heat, lack of food or lack of water then this won't be the reason she's not eating.

What percentage of weight has she lost? It's impossible to say whether 30g is a huge amount unless we know the actual weight of the tortoise.

Does she live outside all the time with free access to plants for feeding? If so does she have somewhere warm to retreat to which is heated? Do you bath her regularly? Has she been wormed since you had her? Was she hibernated?

People will need lots more information before they can advise.

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Seriously, go and get the fecal sample seen by a vet, my leopard has lost weight recently, and not seemed himself, low and behold, unfortunately i was right, and he has a protazoa infection which is now being treated. I dont take any risks with my animals health and they go straight down the vet if i think there maybe something wrong, it costs a lot less to put right if you catch problems early. Good luck

oh god protoza!!!!

i hope not..

ok she was 220ish g now 190g.. and is roughly 4 1/2 in
she was hibernated for about 1 1/2 to 2 months in the fridge because she didnt have much reserves, i woke her up
and she was flying, the weight went on, and started to grow.
she has an indoor enclosure but has moved outside about 6-8 weeks ago..
she has a tortoise run, but prefers the entire garden, so thats wat she has

yes my garden is planted with tortoise friendly plants.. and i throw down weeds or roman leyyuce about 1-2 times a week, and i bathe regularly

no she has nowhere heated to retreet, she digs down, or hides in her half buirred plant pot..or else hides in the bushes

She needs a basking area. It's not warm enough for her to heat up without a warm area for her to bask. If she's not warm enough she won't eat. You say she stopped eating 6 weeks ago which seems to coincide with moving her outside.

If you can't provide a heated area outside for her to be able to warm up then you need to bring her in and let her bask for at least an hour in the morning before putting her outside.

If she's never been wormed or had a faecal check done then you really need to. WC torts nearly always have some form of parasites. If this is the case this will also stop her eating.

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hi i have 2 testudo graeca graeca that are home bred by myself and 110mm they are both over 300grams they have been heavier but lose a little with being outdoors all day for the last 6 weeks i feel yours is underweight and may be suffering from some sort of parasite (potozoa or worms)i assume you have ensured it is well hydrated.
terry

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these are my own opinions do with them what you will


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