# My Tortoise is stiff !!



## yaminiagarwal28 (Mar 30, 2021)

Hey guys, i have a tortoise who was healthy until yesterday and today in the morning i found him stiff and not moving at all. His head is half inside and his front legs is outside folded backwards and his legs in the back are half inside. His whole body is stiff and same from past 10 hours. His eyes are closed. I tried poking him and soaked him in water but he wont move at all he is just stiff. Please HELPP!!


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## Toddrickfl1 (Mar 30, 2021)

yaminiagarwal28 said:


> Hey guys, i have a tortoise who was healthy until yesterday and today in the morning i found him stiff and not moving at all. His head is half inside and his front legs is outside folded backwards and his legs in the back are half inside. His whole body is stiff and same from past 10 hours. His eyes are closed. I tried poking him and soaked him in water but he wont move at all he is just stiff. Please HELPP!!


Sorry but it sounds like your tortoise has passed away.


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## yaminiagarwal28 (Mar 30, 2021)

Toddrickfl1 said:


> Sorry but it sounds like your tortoise has passed away.


but it is said that the body loosens up on death. It is not the case here. and i read somewhere that it can be due to dehydration. What do you think?


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## Maggie3fan (Mar 30, 2021)

It sounds like he has passed. Sorry


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## AgataP (Mar 30, 2021)

Does it blink if blow on his eye? 
Does it hide his head when you touch it? 
Does it retract his legs? 
When you put it in one spot does it move?
When you put some water on his head does it react? 
When you flip it upside down does it wiggle - natural instinct to get back onto its plastron. 

If it’s a no for all chances are that your tortoise passed. I am sorry.


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## Aloysius Taschse (Mar 30, 2021)

This happened to my tort Kiwi, who passed away a few months ago. Wait 14 more hours though just to make sure though. Unfortunately it does sound like your tort has passed. We are all very sorry for your loss.


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## wellington (Mar 30, 2021)

So very sorry. I does sound like he has passed.
You can wait longer if you feel the need too. Soak in warm water daily and put him in a warm area of the enclosure but not under basking light.


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## ZenHerper (Mar 30, 2021)

yaminiagarwal28 said:


> but it is said that the body loosens up on death. ...


That happens later. "_Rigor mortis_" is the description of how a dead body gets very stiff (a complex interaction of bodily energy, specialized proteins, and minerals in the muscles). After all of the electricity dissipates and the muscle cells lose their tension, the body goes limp (this also signals that decomposition has begun, and there may be an odor).

In any case, it does no harm to try some emergency first aid measures (like warm soaking).

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. Let us know how we can help.


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## Ink (Mar 30, 2021)

I am sorry about your tortoise.


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## yaminiagarwal28 (Mar 30, 2021)

thank you guys for your help!


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## Gillian M (Mar 30, 2021)

Sorry to tell you that your tort is dead.


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