healing sulcata about 8 pounds 12 ounces

Sshrum11 · Aug 22, 2018

I posted before about adopting a sulcata that someone dumped near our house. She was badly injured. The vet thinks that she is getting better. It has been 4 weeks. However, she is still not eating well. Because she is healing she only goes out when we can be with her. But she just isn't eating well yet. She won't graze. I give her a 1/2" X 1/2" piece of homegrown tomato or a piece of watermelon that size to kind of get her interested and eating. Otherwise she is still quite lethargic. I soak her every day or two as well in warm water. The vet also suspects some paralysis in her back legs. She can move them and does wiggle back and forth when I pet her but she won't use her back legs to walk. She usually drags them or keeps one pulled up. Again the vet does think they seem to be getting a bit better but expect recovery to be slow. So she can't get around long long distances without seeming worn out.

Where I am finally headed is I have read that the tomato and watermelon aren't great for her so am looking for ideas of other items that might spark her. She seems to be quite attracted to color. It is often the only way I can get her to eat. She is being offered:
Turnip greens
kale
spring mix
Orchard grass hay
grass
Wheat grass
Dandilions
Endive
Arugula
Special pellets for Sulcatas

As I am learning as much as quickly as I can about sulcata's enclosure material etc. is all welcome.

Minority2 · Aug 22, 2018

Did the vet specifically tell you the cause of the paralysis in the tortoise's hind legs? These symptoms are often the cause of (the previous) owners giving tortoise a bad diet consisting only of store bought greens/fruits that plug up their intestines.

You may have already these links but please do so again just to be on the safe side:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/sulcata-diet-sheet.64290/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/african-spurred-tortoise-sulcata-care-sheet.52524/

If the injured tortoise is willing to eat, give them foods rich in calcium and plenty of sunshine. This may be a bit of a challenge in Washington. Build a large humid box for the tortoise and use a reptile heating panel to heat it.

Hutsie B · Aug 22, 2018

Good for you working with this poor girl. I don't have anything to add, just wanted to encourage you to keep at it. She is lucky you found her.

Minority2 · Aug 22, 2018

Maybe try feeding your tortoise more succulents in an effort to push out the blockage? That is if there indeed is one. And also make sure to keep them well hydrated while you attempt this method.

Yvonne G · Aug 23, 2018

Last year I took in a female Gulf Coast Box Turtle that had been hit by a car. She had a crack in her carapace that was weeping, and when she walked she dragged her back legs. However, if you touched a leg, she would withdraw it. So she wasn't paralyzed, she just dragged her back legs. She wasn't interested in eating either.

I set her up in a hospital tank and kept her there over the winter, trying everything I could think of to get her interested in eating. She eventually did start to eat, but never used her back legs.

The shell stopped weeping, she was eating, but the legs seemed useless. Then one day I saw her actually pull up a leg and push off with it. This was about May of this year. In a couple more weeks she was actually walking on all fours.

So don't give up hope. If your tortoise moves his legs when you touch them, she probably has a very bad bruise to the spine or nerves. She will eventually heal, but it takes time. In my turtle's case it took over nine months. Your tortoise is bigger, so a year doesn't seem outrageous to me.

Try cucumber. If she likes cucumber, then you can grate cucumber, add chopped up greens (the good stuff), and mix well until all the greens are coated in cucumber mush. If she eats that, then slowly, over time, decrease the amount of cucumber and increase the amount of greens until you have her heating the better foods. (if she doesn't like cucumber, then use your tomatoes or watermelon) Don't try to rush it. It takes time.

Sshrum11 · Aug 30, 2018

Yvonne G said:
Last year I took in a female Gulf Coast Box Turtle that had been hit by a car. She had a crack in her carapace that was weeping, and when she walked she dragged her back legs. However, if you touched a leg, she would withdraw it. So she wasn't paralyzed, she just dragged her back legs. She wasn't interested in eating either.

I set her up in a hospital tank and kept her there over the winter, trying everything I could think of to get her interested in eating. She eventually did start to eat, but never used her back legs.

The shell stopped weeping, she was eating, but the legs seemed useless. Then one day I saw her actually pull up a leg and push off with it. This was about May of this year. In a couple more weeks she was actually walking on all fours.

So don't give up hope. If your tortoise moves his legs when you touch them, she probably has a very bad bruise to the spine or nerves. She will eventually heal, but it takes time. In my turtle's case it took over nine months. Your tortoise is bigger, so a year doesn't seem outrageous to me.

Try cucumber. If she likes cucumber, then you can grate cucumber, add chopped up greens (the good stuff), and mix well until all the greens are coated in cucumber mush. If she eats that, then slowly, over time, decrease the amount of cucumber and increase the amount of greens until you have her heating the better foods. (if she doesn't like cucumber, then use your tomatoes or watermelon) Don't try to rush it. It takes time.

Thanks for the info.

EmeraldxxEyesx · Aug 30, 2018

How is she doing?

Sshrum11 · Aug 30, 2018

EmeraldxxEyesx said:
How is she doing?

She seems stronger. Her vet does think that her back legs will continue to improve. She doesn’t use them but she’ll use them to wiggle around when she’s getting petted. She eats pretty well but does need encouragement. I squeeze watermelon juice or a bit of tomato to get her started. Thinking she likely didn’t have the best care before she was so unceremoniously dumped off in our barley field. She’s had additional X-rays and nothing besides her shell was broken and no blockage. Definitely a girl.
She’s a sweetheart. Guessing it’s just going to take time.

EmeraldxxEyesx · Aug 30, 2018

Im sure it will take time. Maybe she didnt have a good variety before and thats why she takes some encouragement to eat? Im glad you guys are taking care of her and she seems to be on the mend!

healing sulcata about 8 pounds 12 ounces

Sshrum11

New Member

Minority2

Well-Known Member

Hutsie B

Well-Known Member

Minority2

Well-Known Member

Yvonne G

Old Timer

Sshrum11

New Member

EmeraldxxEyesx

Member

Sshrum11

New Member

EmeraldxxEyesx

Member

Similar threads

New Posts