helpmytortilla
New Member
-Tank and lighting: 60 gallon aquarium with a 24watt UVB, a raised 100watt heat bulb, and 50watt night bulb(red).
-Temps: basking is around 98-105F, warm area is 84-93F, cool side is high 70's. under his humid log where he likes to sleep is around 83-86F
-Substrate: orchid bark and peat moss mix with a topping of mostly bark, and some orchid moss laid in under his sleeping log
-Diet: mainly grasses and weeds from around the yard that ive seen him snack on when i let him walk around outside, i also occasionally thinly slice bell peppers and turnip greens or something else healthy for him just to make sure he got vitamins every now and then
ill try to be as streamline as possible but want to give a full story of me having tortilla because I am LOST on what i could be doing wrong
so here it is.
I have had tortilla for 3 months now, the first month was me fiddling with humidity and soaking times to make sure he seemed comfortable, which turned out to me needing to spray his cage everyday and soaking him in warm water everyday. i also lay a small sheet over some of the cage to keep in heat and humidity. for the first two months he really seemed healthy, just playful, liked eat what i gave him and i had to make sure he wouldnt flip himself over trying to climb onto his sleeping log, things like that he seemed happy. then i noticed his left eye wouldnt open as much, so i soaked him more often and longer, taking extra precaution making sure humidity was right. he would open it sometimes during the soak but never for long. (he was still eating whatever i gave him a week into his eye being closed) then i felt like i noticed him becoming slightly lethargic, i got scared and took him to a local vet who would see reptiles. i told the vet everything i could think of with how i care for him and she said it all seemed like what he would need, she said two things though and the first one was his shell is still very soft but she said that was normal for his age, and that i may want to slow down on the soaking because it almost looks like hes getting a little chunky and she doesnt want him to become water logged. (idk how i didnt notice before she said that but actually he did seem slightly fatter around his neck and shoulders so i slowed down on soaking) BUT anyway she prescribed me eyedrops and showed me how to use them, and said, "do this twice a day for a week or two and he should be better by then". So i started doing that, and now im maybe 6-7 days in after i started eyedrops, and his state is alarming me, i just watched him throw up today when i placed him in his shallow water dish. (it looked like he was going for a drink and i noticed a very small amount of slightly bubbly; thicker than water vomit come out) my heart just dropped... i dont think hes eaten anything in the past 2 maybe even 3 days... i just have him sleeping in his humid hide cause im assuming he needs sleep becuase he just seems super weak, couldnt even make it out of the water dish without my help. he isnt moving from wherever i place him, but what is weird to me, is that he seems alert, he responds to noise, when i accidently touch him and to water, but he seems so weak and tired....... i really want to take him to another vet for cross opinion but they cant see him until 4 days from now and im scared if that is a grave amount of time, given the span of the previous 5 days he went from not alarming to alarming so idk what the best move is................ please, if anyone thinks they might know what could help him, or even just good ways to care for a sick tortoise i would appreciate it so much.
let me know if i can answer any questions
-Temps: basking is around 98-105F, warm area is 84-93F, cool side is high 70's. under his humid log where he likes to sleep is around 83-86F
-Substrate: orchid bark and peat moss mix with a topping of mostly bark, and some orchid moss laid in under his sleeping log
-Diet: mainly grasses and weeds from around the yard that ive seen him snack on when i let him walk around outside, i also occasionally thinly slice bell peppers and turnip greens or something else healthy for him just to make sure he got vitamins every now and then
ill try to be as streamline as possible but want to give a full story of me having tortilla because I am LOST on what i could be doing wrong
so here it is.I have had tortilla for 3 months now, the first month was me fiddling with humidity and soaking times to make sure he seemed comfortable, which turned out to me needing to spray his cage everyday and soaking him in warm water everyday. i also lay a small sheet over some of the cage to keep in heat and humidity. for the first two months he really seemed healthy, just playful, liked eat what i gave him and i had to make sure he wouldnt flip himself over trying to climb onto his sleeping log, things like that he seemed happy. then i noticed his left eye wouldnt open as much, so i soaked him more often and longer, taking extra precaution making sure humidity was right. he would open it sometimes during the soak but never for long. (he was still eating whatever i gave him a week into his eye being closed) then i felt like i noticed him becoming slightly lethargic, i got scared and took him to a local vet who would see reptiles. i told the vet everything i could think of with how i care for him and she said it all seemed like what he would need, she said two things though and the first one was his shell is still very soft but she said that was normal for his age, and that i may want to slow down on the soaking because it almost looks like hes getting a little chunky and she doesnt want him to become water logged. (idk how i didnt notice before she said that but actually he did seem slightly fatter around his neck and shoulders so i slowed down on soaking) BUT anyway she prescribed me eyedrops and showed me how to use them, and said, "do this twice a day for a week or two and he should be better by then". So i started doing that, and now im maybe 6-7 days in after i started eyedrops, and his state is alarming me, i just watched him throw up today when i placed him in his shallow water dish. (it looked like he was going for a drink and i noticed a very small amount of slightly bubbly; thicker than water vomit come out) my heart just dropped... i dont think hes eaten anything in the past 2 maybe even 3 days... i just have him sleeping in his humid hide cause im assuming he needs sleep becuase he just seems super weak, couldnt even make it out of the water dish without my help. he isnt moving from wherever i place him, but what is weird to me, is that he seems alert, he responds to noise, when i accidently touch him and to water, but he seems so weak and tired....... i really want to take him to another vet for cross opinion but they cant see him until 4 days from now and im scared if that is a grave amount of time, given the span of the previous 5 days he went from not alarming to alarming so idk what the best move is................ please, if anyone thinks they might know what could help him, or even just good ways to care for a sick tortoise i would appreciate it so much.
let me know if i can answer any questions
