Back Legs- Highly Concerned with my Baby Russian

KarenSoCal

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Please try not to let this awful experience ruin the friendship between the two of you.
The full truth may never be known. It would be a double tragedy if that were to happen.
 

ScStange891

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Dec 5, 2017
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Pennsylvania
Please try not to let this awful experience ruin the friendship between the two of you.
The full truth may never be known. It would be a double tragedy if that were to happen.

I cannot, and will not let it ruin my friendship. My friend admits that his attention wasn't perfect, especially in regards to soaking duration, but to be completely honest, I feel as though this was one of those health issues that you don't see symptoms until it's too late. I quite literally followed the care sheet like a bible. I'm thinking some sort of free radical might have gotten into his system during travel that could've accounted for impaction, fluid in lungs, etc.

So sorry he didn't make it [emoji17]

I am as well, but this just goes to show me that, despite providing the best care I was capable of, there is always room for improvement. For one, if I were to get another one (which...big IF...I need some time), I would wait until I'm a bit farther away from a fairly major metropolitan area (I'm within Philadelphia city limits... probably would like to move out further). Second, I'm in an apartment, and while that was fine space wise with a baby, it was probably a hot box of infectants with the shared systems and air. I would wait until I had a house that I was in complete control over.

I'm hoping that this isn't goodbye for me, as the nine months I had with this baby tortoise was among the most rewarding periods of my life. But I have a highly emotional/"clingy" personality, so I need TIME to grieve. Maybe you will see me again with a new friend.

Peace and love.
 

daniellenc

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Jun 10, 2017
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I cannot, and will not let it ruin my friendship. My friend admits that his attention wasn't perfect, especially in regards to soaking duration, but to be completely honest, I feel as though this was one of those health issues that you don't see symptoms until it's too late. I quite literally followed the care sheet like a bible. I'm thinking some sort of free radical might have gotten into his system during travel that could've accounted for impaction, fluid in lungs, etc.



I am as well, but this just goes to show me that, despite providing the best care I was capable of, there is always room for improvement. For one, if I were to get another one (which...big IF...I need some time), I would wait until I'm a bit farther away from a fairly major metropolitan area (I'm within Philadelphia city limits... probably would like to move out further). Second, I'm in an apartment, and while that was fine space wise with a baby, it was probably a hot box of infectants with the shared systems and air. I would wait until I had a house that I was in complete control over.

I'm hoping that this isn't goodbye for me, as the nine months I had with this baby tortoise was among the most rewarding periods of my life. But I have a highly emotional/"clingy" personality, so I need TIME to grieve. Maybe you will see me again with a new friend.

Peace and love.
So sad but when the time comes it sounds like you’ll be prepared.
 

ScStange891

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Dec 5, 2017
Messages
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Pennsylvania
So sad but when the time comes it sounds like you’ll be prepared.

Lini had a full life in nine months. He was spoiled rotten and always comfortable. I pride myself on that.

However, yes, I have a lot of reading to do to make sure I’m up to the task of providing longevity. I’m not sure I’d get another hatchling though. It’s hard to say at this point. Maybe when my methods are more perfected and precise, I won’t lose another one to “Keeper’s Failure Syndrome”. But who’s to say.

For now I need to mourn. Then I need to learn.
 

ScStange891

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Dec 5, 2017
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
Pennsylvania
I’ll make a longer post later.

But I’m starting to think he had a chronic liver condition. Since the breeder starts his torts well, I’m assuming it was either genetic, or based on the fact that his humidity was low the first month I had him.

I think the condition was effectively masked by the fact that he was soaked every single day for the nine months he was in my care, so maybe it didn’t get any worse or display symptoms, but damage is damage, and livers don’t “recover”.

Then the week out of my care that he got dehydrated (which we now believe is because the temperatures weren’t properly checked and skyrocketed), it did further damage. 27 grams of weight loss damage.

Then after that, I think the medications he was given, while helping his symptoms, did the final damage, and he passed away the very next day. What’s most tragic is when I weighed the body, he had gotten back to his “regular” pre sickness weight of 154g.
 

ShirleyTX

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Nov 4, 2017
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Canyon Lake TX USA
I’m just so sorry for your loss. Your analysis makes sense. Torts are slow at showing symptoms so I can’t see how one week of adequate-but-not-perfect care would send a healthy tort to his death. Think how miserable he would have been with a keeper who wouldn’t spoil him as you did. I bet your care kept him comfortable with his chronic illness. I know I say this a lot, but I’ll say it again… I do think animals, including tortoises, can feel the energy we envelop them in. So he would have felt all that love.
 

ScStange891

Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2017
Messages
52
Location (City and/or State)
Pennsylvania
I’m just so sorry for your loss. Your analysis makes sense. Torts are slow at showing symptoms so I can’t see how one week of adequate-but-not-perfect care would send a healthy tort to his death. Think how miserable he would have been with a keeper who wouldn’t spoil him as you did. I bet your care kept him comfortable with his chronic illness. I know I say this a lot, but I’ll say it again… I do think animals, including tortoises, can feel the energy we envelop them in. So he would have felt all that love.

I’m also reading into his medical papers and he had hazy lungs. I’ll bet pneumonia played a hand in this as well. He was such a tough little guy though so he didn’t show a single sign.
 
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