# Help! Tortoise sick? Won't move back legs, eats less, shell seems flatter?



## hycyanic (Jun 13, 2016)

My grandmother found this tortoise in her yard several years ago and has been taking care of it since (although the quality of that care may be dubious, she loves this tortoise very much). Today, she brought the tortoise to me believing it to be sick. She claims that for the last two weeks, it hasn't moved its hind legs much, it won't eat as much as it usually does, and its shell appears flatter ("less full" as she calls it) in the back than it was before.

I know very little about tortoises so I am unfortunately utterly clueless as to help out this poor fella. Insight would be greatly appreciated.

(Note: The small bits of red on the tortoise's leg in the photo are little bits of watermelon, not blood.)


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## CathyNed (Jun 13, 2016)

Hi hycyanic. You have come to the right place. There are lots of experienced tortoise keepers here who might be able to help you.
We will all need some more info in order to see if we can help you out though.
Where is this tortoise housed? Is it indoors or outdoors? What part of the world do you live in? 
Tortoises need uvb light in order to have healthy bones and shells. If it is warm enough for the tortoise to be outside they can get uvb from the sun. If they are living indoors they need special light bulbs to provide them with uvb. Does this tortoise have a sourse of uvb in its enclosure? Lack of uvb can lead to a condition called MBD. This stands for metabolic bone disease. One of the symptoms is that the tortoises bones and shell will not be in good condition and the tort may not have the strength in his bones to walk and/or lift up his body with his back legs.

Next item. Tortoises need to be warm in order to digest their food properly If he is not warm enough he wont eat. It is important to know the temperatures in your torts enclosure. What type of heat sources do you have for him? Does he have a basking light? What is the temperature under it. What is the temperature on the warm side of his enclosure? The cool side? And at night what is the temperature?

Does the tortoise have access to water at all times? Dehydration can cause kidney stones in tortoises. One of the signs of kidney stones can be the inability to lift back legs. It is a good idea to soak the tortoise twice a day while he is sick. Do it in a large container that he cant get out of or see through. Use warm but not hot water. Place enough water in the container to reach the point where the torts upper and lower shell meet. Make sure the tortoise can comfortably keep his head above the water without him having to stretch up. 
The more information you can give us the better chance we have of being able to help.


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## CathyNed (Jun 13, 2016)

P.s. I know the tortoise is not yours but im hoping you are familiar with his home and as much info as you can guve about his enclosure, lighting, heating and diet will be helpful.


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## dmmj (Jun 13, 2016)

unfortunately you seemn2 have several serious problems. so more info would be greatly appreciated what is its diet like and how is it being housedd indoor or Outdoors?


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## Yvonne G (Jun 14, 2016)

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

My guess is that Grandma doesn't understand how important calcium and sunshine are. The tortoise is very sick and needs to be seen by a qualified veterinarian as soon as possible. It is suffering from MBD.


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## wellington (Jun 14, 2016)

I second what Yvonne said and if you didn't know, MBD Is Metobolic bone disease. That's what is making the back part of the tort lower looking and also causing the leg problems.


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