TortoiseForum.org - newbie needs help

Hello

this is my first thread here.. and hope for some advice..

my little indian tortoise suddenly don't use it rear legs to move, just dragging itself with its front legs Sad

something is not right, isn't it?

please help me, what should i do

Regards
awang

hi awang. welcome to TFO!
the easiest way to help determine what might be wrong with your tortoise would be to post a couple of photos of him and the setup you have him living in.
if you can't take photos, try giving us a description of what his temperatures are like, what he's eating. what kind of area he's living in and on.
also, were there any other symptoms leading up to this? do his back legs move at all? what more can you tell us about his health?

josh Wrote:

hi awang. welcome to TFO!
the easiest way to help determine what might be wrong with your tortoise would be to post a couple of photos of him and the setup you have him living in.
if you can't take photos, try giving us a description of what his temperatures are like, what he's eating. what kind of area he's living in and on.
also, were there any other symptoms leading up to this? do his back legs move at all? what more can you tell us about his health?

Hi Josh,

thanks for your reply. Ok I can't take photos rite now.
I'm from Malaysia, the couple of mine living in my room inside a large aquarium (of course without water), with a spot light (set with timer) since 5 months ago(now almost 4inches). the diet..very greeny vegestables, sometime carrot.
the legs can move when I lift her up, but the legs just can't support the weight of my tortoise..or she may feel hurt or something when want to use that legs. any idea?

Regards
awang

awang Wrote:

the couple of mine living in my room inside a large aquarium (of course without water), with a spot light (set with timer) since 5 months ago(now almost 4inches). the diet..very greeny vegestables, sometime carrot.
the legs can move when I lift her up, but the legs just can't support the weight of my tortoise..or she may feel hurt or something when want to use that legs. any idea?

Regards
awang

You don't say anything about supplements. Tortoises are meant to live outside in the sun. If you keep them in the house, you need to provide calcium and imitation sun light. It sounds to me as if your little tortoise is suffering from a lack of calcium and her bones are getting weak.

If you can't afford to buy a UVB light, or if you can't find them in Malaysia, then you need to get your tortoise outside in the sun at least an hour a day. You can buy cuttlebone (its the skeleton of cuttlefish) at a pet supply store. It is packaged up to sell to bird people, but it is a good supply of calcium for reptiles too. If the tortoise won't bite into the cuttlebone, you can scrape it with a knife over the food. Or you can buy calcium in a jar in the pet store. You use calcium with vitamen D3 to use with no sun, and plain calcium with NO D3 for use with sun.

Yvonne

emysemys@pacbell.net Wrote:

awang Wrote:

the couple of mine living in my room inside a large aquarium (of course without water), with a spot light (set with timer) since 5 months ago(now almost 4inches). the diet..very greeny vegestables, sometime carrot.
the legs can move when I lift her up, but the legs just can't support the weight of my tortoise..or she may feel hurt or something when want to use that legs. any idea?

Regards
awang

You don't say anything about supplements. Tortoises are meant to live outside in the sun. If you keep them in the house, you need to provide calcium and imitation sun light. It sounds to me as if your little tortoise is suffering from a lack of calcium and her bones are getting weak.

If you can't afford to buy a UVB light, or if you can't find them in Malaysia, then you need to get your tortoise outside in the sun at least an hour a day. You can buy cuttlebone (its the skeleton of cuttlefish) at a pet supply store. It is packaged up to sell to bird people, but it is a good supply of calcium for reptiles too. If the tortoise won't bite into the cuttlebone, you can scrape it with a knife over the food. Or you can buy calcium in a jar in the pet store. You use calcium with vitamen D3 to use with no sun, and plain calcium with NO D3 for use with sun.

Yvonne

Hi Yvonne,

You have a good points there, mmm.. then i'll try looking for the calsium at my nearest pet store. thanks for ur help, i will update my torts status Smile