# Tortoise attacked by animal, he's okay, but input needed



## OldManRivers (Jun 9, 2016)

Hello all. Here's the scoop. http://imgur.com/a/o37hF

We have a pet tortoise (i thought he was an African desert, but not 100% sure, need to ask my wife). He's about 1.5 years old or so.

We have an elevated garden bed / habitat that we put him in occasionally outside. It has a mesh netting for portection, and 2 large dogs that don't let anything in or out of that yard without lots of barking.

So i took the dogs to the park for 15 minutes and left Morty (tortoise) outside alone cuz i forgot about him. Got home and his habitat had been ravaged, like something was digging a hole in it, netting destroyed, Morty was upside down. It was really scary / sad.

I immediately brought him to his inside enclosure, and he was tucked into his shell and didn't come out for an hour. Upon further inspection the right rear of shell has been damaged! his legs are all fine, and this morning he was walking around, eating and drinking. he does a weird breathing thing i haven't seen before, like a frog when it's throat balloons up as he breathes.

My wife is taking him to the vet as we speak.

Can i get some input on the damage - is it bad? is he in pain? can we fix it? will it heal?

Can i get some input on WHAT THE HECK did this to my guy!? i'm scratching my head in shock as to what could have done this. First though - a raccoon or possum - This happened in complete daylight in a 15 minute window. Rac / pos are nocturnal. Was it stalking / hunting Morty? Waiting for the dogs to leave? Where did it come from? there are houses on every side of us! it would have had to crawl through several yards in the day light.

What animal could bite through his shell like that!?

Any input would be much appreciated, really scratching my head as to what could have done this. http://imgur.com/a/o37hF


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## Rue (Jun 9, 2016)

I'm afraid I won't be of much help, but I'm very interested in what the vet has to say.

They are very resilient. The shell will heal.


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## OldManRivers (Jun 9, 2016)

Thanks for the input. i'm glad his shell will heal. that's really the only physcial damage so far as i can tell. He was in shock for sure, but this morning he was out and about. i'll update after the vet.


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## Carol S (Jun 9, 2016)

Could a neighbor's dog got into your yard? What kind of wild animals do have where you live such as foxes?


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## OldManRivers (Jun 9, 2016)

No, i really don't think it was a neighbors dog. our fences our pretty tight, so our dogs don't get out. We live about a mile from the beach on the central coast of CA. I think there are coyotes in the hills, maybe foxes. It would be extremely brave of a fox or coyote to get into our backyard in broad daylight, with a 15 minute window. It's crazy. I have no idea and i'm really scratching my head here. A hawk seems a little more likelly, but i don't think it could have torn through the mesh without getting tangled, and i don't think it could bite through the shell.


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## Hector108 (Jun 9, 2016)

Some sort of bird could do such thing. They just pick the tortoise up and let it drop to crack the shell and be able to eat it. There is a high chance that a bird did this. As to coyotes and foxes..... They would have to go jumping fences to get to your backyard and if your neighbors have dogs then the coyote fox would've probably been scared off.


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## Hector108 (Jun 9, 2016)

How big is your tortoise?


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## Speedy-1 (Jun 9, 2016)

*I would put my money on a cat ! They can be pretty vicious for "domestic" critters ! *


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## OldManRivers (Jun 9, 2016)

Hector108 said:


> How big is your tortoise?


THere is a link in my original post with photos, but hes about 6" diameter.


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## OldManRivers (Jun 9, 2016)

See update to my original post. Went to the vet. Gonna need some love. i think it was our own dog


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## OldManRivers (Jun 9, 2016)

just talked to the Vet. he is going to need shots daily, topical cream and oral pain killers. Infection is a huge issue as the damage to the shell was extensive. Pretty sad. After considering all the facts, i think it was one of our own dogs that did it before i got home. I left the 2 dogs in the backyard with him, he was in his enclosure. I'm guessing one of the dogs thought he was a bone and tried chewing on him, as the shell is essentially a bone. really sad thing to think about right now. i would never have thought.


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## Rue (Jun 9, 2016)

Not the best news, but I will keep my fingers crossed for him! Turtles and tortoises seem to be able to recover quite well from some horrific injuries. As long as he doesn't get an infection it should heal up.

Dogs and tortoises don't mix. And even trustworthy dogs aren't always so trustworthy. One of mine has gone after our horses (after years of no issues)...with some pretty bad injuries sustained to both animals. She doesn't get to run free in the yard anymore. Ever. Sad, but that's what we have to do to protect both the horses and her.


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## OldManRivers (Jun 9, 2016)

Rue said:


> Not the best news, but I will keep my fingers crossed for him! Turtles and tortoises seem to be able to recover quite well from some horrific injuries. As long as he doesn't get an infection it should heal up.
> 
> Dogs and tortoises don't mix. And even trustworthy dogs aren't always so trustworthy. One of mine has gone after our horses (after years of no issues)...with some pretty bad injuries sustained to both animals. She doesn't get to run free in the yard anymore. Ever. Sad, but that's what we have to do to protect both the horses and her.



Ya it's really sad. I'm thinking the dog thought it was a bone - the shell is essentially a bone, and from the damage it looks like it was chewed on. So sad. We love all our animals and it's sad thinking they could hurt each other. But yes, lesson learned, they are not to be trusted alone, or in general anymore.


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## meatball•the•tortise (Jun 9, 2016)

Hope he's okay. Here's my little guy. His name is meatball.



Hope we can be friends on this app. Subscribe to me plz


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## Jodie (Jun 9, 2016)

Your tortoise is a leopard tortoise. Sorry you had to learn this lesson the hard way. The shell will heal, but will not regrow. Poor guy. Hope he recovers.


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## Linhdan Nguyen (Jun 9, 2016)

Im so sorry, hope everything will be okay with his shell!


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## Yvonne G (Jun 9, 2016)

I'm sorry to have to clue you in, but YOUR dog did this, probably before you took them to the park. That's what dogs do. And that damage is typical dog chew damage.

Your tortoise is a leopard tortoise.


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## jockma (Jun 9, 2016)

Unfortunately this is very common, I always tell people NOT to allow their dogs to have any chance at getting close to their reptiles, no matter how trustworthy the dog is. It always happens to those that least expect it. I don't think the dog mistook the tort for a bone, remember dogs and cats are carnivores and while some of the hunting instinct has been bred out, they're always going to be hunters.

Up in the PNW when I was a little kid we saw a tortoise on the side of the road in the front yard of a house with a shell that was in pieces. Thinking he had been run over, we quickly brought him to the house, they said he had not been run over but attacked by their medium-sized, elderly, sweet-tempered dog. They said they doubted they could save him so they "set him free". The extent of the damage was so severe that I couldn't (and still can't) believe a dog had done it. The danger is so much worse than we can ever anticipate.


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## Linhdan Nguyen (Jun 9, 2016)

Not sure whats worse, the dog attacking the tortoise or the fact that the people "set it free" as it was injured.


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## jockma (Jun 9, 2016)

Exactly what my dad said. I was just crying and crying because it was such a horrible thing to see. My dad left him under a bush so he would be hidden from any other animals and I wouldn't have to watch him die. It's really just awful.


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## Linhdan Nguyen (Jun 9, 2016)

jockma said:


> Exactly what my dad said. I was just crying and crying because it was such a horrible thing to see. My dad left him under a bush so he would be hidden from any other animals and I wouldn't have to watch him die. It's really just awful.


Im so sorry. I think thats one of the appropriate times to put it out of its misery, if it was that bad. Now i feel terrible.


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## Gillian M (Jun 10, 2016)

So sorry. Hope to hear your tort is now better.


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## OldManRivers (Jun 10, 2016)

Thanks everyone. Ya, the dog is the most likely suspect. Pretty sure she did it. Morty was in an elevated habitat that was netted off, which we thought would protect him. Its sad that we were wrong. the next habitiat will be fully rigid with an electric fence around it. It will be bullet proof. 
THe vet said he's going to be okay. the shell was pretty damaged around the lower edge only, which is actually good news - could have been a lot worse. We have to give him needle shots for anti biotics daily for a little while, topical oinment, oral pain meds, keep him fully cleaned and out of the dirt. It's going to take a little bit, and he is pretty shooken up  but he is going to be alright.


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## Yvonne G (Jun 10, 2016)

I've seen my share of badly injured tortoises. They are remarkably resilient. Be sure to continue following your vet's directions and the tortoise should be fine. Remember to soak the tortoise daily to help flush out his kidneys during the administration of the antibiotics. Soaking will also help keep the wound clean.


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## OldManRivers (Jun 10, 2016)

Yvonne G said:


> I've seen my share of badly injured tortoises. They are remarkably resilient. Be sure to continue following your vet's directions and the tortoise should be fine. Remember to soak the tortoise daily to help flush out his kidneys during the administration of the antibiotics. Soaking will also help keep the wound clean.


Yes, good info, the vet said to soak him daily, which we will be doing. We will def be following all the vets instrucitons. We are going to make sure he gets better.


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## jockma (Jun 10, 2016)

Great news!! I'm glad he's doing okay. Sorry about my hijack, I forgot to specify that the tort I saw was in much worse shape than yours. Hope I didn't worry you.

Don't know much about leopards, but for other species it's a good idea to keep them warmer to boost their immune system and help those antibiotics along.

I wonder if a loose wire mesh on the top of the enclosure (widely spaced, wide enough to not block UVB) could be helpful just in case it IS a bird that did this.


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## Maggie Cummings (Sep 7, 2016)

Speedy-1 said:


> *I would put my money on a cat ! They can be pretty vicious for "domestic" critters ! *





No......most are afraid of tortoises '

cept my Roxie


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## Maggie Cummings (Sep 7, 2016)

@OldManRivers how's Meatball now?


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## Melissa Herman (Sep 8, 2016)

I just want to add that your meatball looks like a sulcata, not a leopard! But I am glad he is on his way to recovery, very cute


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## Marinated mamma (Sep 8, 2016)

jockma said:


> Exactly what my dad said. I was just crying and crying because it was such a horrible thing to see. My dad left him under a bush so he would be hidden from any other animals and I wouldn't have to watch him die. It's really just awful.


Horrific thing to witness even as an adult let alone a child! Some peoples ideas are beyond what I would like to call sane. Clearly!


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## wellington (Sep 8, 2016)

Melissa Herman said:


> I just want to add that your meatball looks like a sulcata, not a leopard! But I am glad he is on his way to recovery, very cute


The injured tort (Morty) in this thread is a leopard, not a sulcata. The pic another member posted of their own tort is of a baby sulcata.


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## wellington (Sep 8, 2016)

Just came across this thread. So sorry this happened. So glad he will be okay. About your dog. He was only doing what comes natural. Not his fault or yours. You had your tort protected, you thought and most of us would have thought the netting would have been enough too. Hope people that think torts and dogs can be together, will come across this thread and learn, that even with protection the dog was able to get to the tort. So that without protection, the tort is a meal waiting to be eaten.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery and he's back to normal acting soon.


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## Melissa Herman (Sep 8, 2016)

wellington said:


> The injured tort (Morty) in this thread is a leopard, not a sulcata. The pic another member posted of their own tort is of a baby sulcata.


Oooooohhhhh! Okay, silly me not using my eyes. Thank you for clarifying


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## dmmj (Sep 8, 2016)

the dog was just being a dog please don't blame it. you know the old saying Fish Gotta swim Birds gotta eat well dogs have to chew


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