# Is my tortoise dead? :(



## undercover (Aug 10, 2014)

my tortoise was exposed to direct sunlight for about 2 hours and it was around 90 degrees today, came to find him retracted all the way in his shell, is it dead? i soaked him in water and electrolyte mix for an hour now and still no movement at all :'(
legs are not dangling nor moving when touched.
please help me


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## sageharmon (Aug 10, 2014)

Probably not. Let it be....it's probably just shocked and scared


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## undercover (Aug 10, 2014)

hopefully, i started to freak out it's been like that for 7 hours now (


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## Blakem (Aug 10, 2014)

I am hoping for the best for you. 


———-------------------------
(This is my signature)
Here's some great plant identification websites I use. 

http://www.tlady.clara.net/TortGuide/diet.htm#plantlist

http://africantortoise.com/edible_landscaping.htm

http://m.thetortoisetable.org.uk/m/plants_19.asp


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## christinaland128 (Aug 10, 2014)

Aw poor guy. Is he breathing at all?


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## tortoisetime565 (Aug 10, 2014)

Look at his eyes. Are they bruised looking. When they die their eyes bruise and sink into their head.


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## Raymo2477 (Aug 10, 2014)

I'm sorry but I think your little one passed. I had three that were left out in the sun all day by a well meaning spouse and one did not make it. He just looked like he was sleeping and felt hollow. Though if it was only two hours you shouldn't give up all hope!!

Let the tort be for the night, it may be in shock.


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## Mommyof4 (Aug 10, 2014)

I hope he's ok!!! Keep us posted!


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## Tom (Aug 10, 2014)

Just to be clear, you left your tortoise in direct sun, with no shade for two hours? Not too many tortoises are going to survive that on a hot summer day. This is why we all emphasize having shade available at all times. The way to definitively check for life is to touch the corner of the eyeball and look for a blink. No blink = no life.


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## wellington (Aug 10, 2014)

I sure hope your little one is okay. Let us know what the outcome is.


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## Laura (Aug 10, 2014)

picture doesn't look dead.. but not good.. verdict?


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## D3sirable (Aug 12, 2014)

Tom said:


> Just to be clear, you left your tortoise in direct sun, with no shade for two hours? Not too many tortoises are going to survive that on a hot summer day. This is why we all emphasize having shade available at all times. The way to definitively check for life is to touch the corner of the eyeball and look for a blink. No blink = no life.


Why is 90 degrees under direct sun bad? My basking spot is 90-95 degrees and my tort likes to stay under it almost all day.


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## Tom (Aug 12, 2014)

Because on a 90 degree day things in direct sunlight get MUCH hotter than 90 degrees. Do you have a temp gun? Wait for a day near 90 and go temp some rocks or objects that have been sitting in full sun for a while. I've gotten temps as high as 183 on a dark colored rock. Temps of in the 160s are normal here. Much too hot for a tortoise. That is why they stay out of the sun on hot days. So they don't over heat.

Indoors we set our bulbs so that it never gets too hot directly underneath them, and even then the tortoise can move out from under the bulb when it feels warm enough and go to a cooler section of the enclosure. Outside in full sun, with no shade, they will just keep getting hotter with no way to cool off. *ALL* outdoor enclosures need to offer shade. Especially in the summer months.

If your tortoise is sitting under its lamp all day, you have a problem. Basking temp might be too cool, or your ambient room temps might be too cool. Indoor heat bulbs emit very high levels of carapace desiccating IR-A. It is a necessary evil, but things should be warm enough that they don't want to hang out under the bulb all day. Failure to heed this warming will likely result in a pyramided and disfigured carapace on your tortoise.


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## ratio88 (Aug 12, 2014)

How is he?


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## D3sirable (Aug 12, 2014)

Tom said:


> Because on a 90 degree day things in direct sunlight get MUCH hotter than 90 degrees. Do you have a temp gun? Wait for a day near 90 and go temp some rocks or objects that have been sitting in full sun for a while. I've gotten temps as high as 183 on a dark colored rock. Temps of in the 160s are normal here. Much too hot for a tortoise. That is why they stay out of the sun on hot days. So they don't over heat.
> 
> Indoors we set our bulbs so that it never gets too hot directly underneath them, and even then the tortoise can move out from under the bulb when it feels warm enough and go to a cooler section of the enclosure. Outside in full sun, with no shade, they will just keep getting hotter with no way to cool off. *ALL* outdoor enclosures need to offer shade. Especially in the summer months.
> 
> If your tortoise is sitting under its lamp all day, you have a problem. Basking temp might be too cool, or your ambient room temps might be too cool. Indoor heat bulbs emit very high levels of carapace desiccating IR-A. It is a necessary evil, but things should be warm enough that they don't want to hang out under the bulb all day. Failure to heed this warming will likely result in a pyramided and disfigured carapace on your tortoise.



My tortoise doesn't stay there exactly all day, said it a bit wrong, but very much. It is exactly 87 degrees under the basking spot and room temp is 75-80 degrees, is this fine?

And to undercover, I'm very sorry to hear about your tort


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## Tom (Aug 12, 2014)

D3sirable said:


> My tortoise doesn't stay there exactly all day, said it a bit wrong, but very much. It is exactly 87 degrees under the basking spot and room temp is 75-80 degrees, is this fine?



What species and age?


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## annastortoise (Aug 12, 2014)

Oh, I am so sorry. Again, looking for blinking and follow the other tips. Praying for you. Keep us updated...


 I <3 Russians


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## D3sirable (Aug 12, 2014)

Tom said:


> What species and age?


Russian, 2.5 years old


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## Tom (Aug 12, 2014)

D3sirable said:


> Russian, 2.5 years old


Room temps are fine, but your basking spot needs to be closer to 100. That is why your tortoise sits under it all day. It can't get warm enough.


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## D3sirable (Aug 12, 2014)

Tom said:


> Room temps are fine, but your basking spot needs to be closer to 100. That is why your tortoise sits under it all day. It can't get warm enough.


Wow I was afraid that hot would burn my tort, Im gonna put the basking light lower then. So I will try to put a rock under basking light, and measure the rock temperature that it gets 100, is that correct?


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## Tom (Aug 12, 2014)

D3sirable said:


> Wow I was afraid that hot would burn my tort, Im gonna put the basking light lower then. So I will try to put a rock under basking light, and measure the rock temperature that it gets 100, is that correct?


Yes. Then check it again at the end of the day after the light has been heating it all day. For russians I shoot for 95-100. 92 is adequate, 105 won't hurt anything.


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## D3sirable (Aug 12, 2014)

Tom said:


> Yes. Then check it again at the end of the day after the light has been heating it all day. For russians I shoot for 95-100. 92 is adequate, 105 won't hurt anything.


Okay thank you very much


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## taza (Aug 12, 2014)

How is he doing?


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## enchilada (Aug 13, 2014)

probably dead already.


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## sageharmon (Aug 14, 2014)

How's the tort?


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## AmRoKo (Aug 14, 2014)

I'm also interested in the outcome of this poor tortie?


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## Yellow Turtle01 (Aug 15, 2014)

IS HE ALIVE??


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## justino4444 (Aug 15, 2014)

Any movement yet??


~ Justin


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## Rob.harmon (Aug 15, 2014)

enchilada said:


> probably dead already.


Such an optimist!


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## ascott (Aug 15, 2014)

So irritating when folks don't reply....uggh.


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## Rob.harmon (Aug 15, 2014)

ascott said:


> So irritating when folks don't reply....uggh.


I knoooow


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## jeffjeff (Aug 15, 2014)

hope he turns out to be ok. plz let us all know.


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## Abdulla6169 (Aug 15, 2014)

The fact that he hasn't replied makes me think he died...


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## christinaland128 (Aug 15, 2014)

If I had my Tort for 2.5 yrs and developed a very strong bond with him, became part of the forum to provide the best care that I could, then made one little mistake that caused my tortoise to die, I would be absolutely devastated. 

If he did die, I'm sure it's very hard to talk about it. Please know that I'm thinking of you, and I'm very sorry. I'm sure it's hard.


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## mike taylor (Aug 15, 2014)

There's no reason to be rude! People make mistakes . If you can't say something helpful then don't say anything . This is a place to help keepers not trash talk them .


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## jaizei (Aug 15, 2014)

mike taylor said:


> There's no reason to be rude! People make mistakes . If you can't say something helpful then don't say anything . This is a place to help keepers not trash talk them .



Exactly. Rude comments make it less likely than someone will return to the forum, or that someone will share. We can all learn from bad experiences as well as good.


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## Rob.harmon (Aug 20, 2014)

jaizei said:


> Exactly. Rude comments make it less likely than someone will return to the forum, or that someone will share. We can all learn from bad experiences as well as good.


So....how is this baby little tortie???


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## TortFam (Apr 15, 2015)

My leopard tortoise Goomba (about 2-3 months old) barley eats and has a very soft shell. Yesterday we forced fed him through a syringe a mixture of natural human baby food carrot favor, blended sweet potato, and winter squash with calcium, D3 mix (repti cal). Today we took him out as we usually do under the sun, with a shaded area. After checking on him a few times I noticed that he hasn't moved, he was next to the water plate directly under the sun. When I picked him up he was fully in his shell and stiff.

He's still stiff, won't react to anything. Is he dead? 

We placed him in a Luke warm tube with electrolytes but he still hasn't waken up. His legs, arms, and legs, are tightly in his shell and his eyes are closed.

Pictures here : Help!!! My tortoise won't wake up or move


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