Baby Rescue

Status
Not open for further replies.

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
This is Tillman:

tillman-1.jpg


Tillman-2.jpg


I received a phone call earlier today asking if I would take in a sick turtle. I said yes and gave directions to my house. The young couple who brought Tillman to me just "love" turtles. She has many turtle statuary around the house. She bought Tillman at a local pet shop as a hatchling 1 1/2 years ago and the pet shop guy told her she would be able to keep him in an aquarium for at least five years. I forgot to ask them what they had been feeding Tillman, but his shell is nice and hard although his beak is somewhat deformed and I doubt in its current state he would be able to bite off anything. He will have to have bite sized pieces of food for a while. The reason she wanted to give him up was because he is listless, not eating and won't open his eyes. I really neglected to get any information from them. It's 115 degrees outside today and I guess I was just anxious to get back inside. Its not my business to ask why they didn't take him to the vet, or to be judgemental, but its pretty hard not to be in this day and age when internet research is so easy and readily available.

I don't know if he's too far gone, but I'll give it the old college try and hope for the best!

Yvonne
 

JustAnja

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Aug 22, 2007
Messages
1,539
Location (City and/or State)
Arkansas
Ahhh poor little guy, if anyone can bring him around its you Yvonne :) Good luck!
 

Lil' Tortie

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
May 19, 2008
Messages
162
Location (City and/or State)
Central TX
He's beautiful! Hopefully with your care he'll be back running and dancing! :)
 

jlyoncc1

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 3, 2007
Messages
2,038
Location (City and/or State)
NJ
Good luck Yvonne! I am sure you will do your best to bring him around! Keep us posted.
 

Crazy1

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 21, 2007
Messages
6,068
Location (City and/or State)
Inland Empire, CA
Lucky little Tillman, that he has come to rest in your gentle, caring hands. Good luck with him Yvonne. yes do keep us posted.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Leslie said:
I'm sending my best wishes and positive thoughts because I know you can give Tillman the life he deserves. For my own education, I'd love to hear what you did for him first and what you are now doing or plan to do exactly. Is it the angle of the picture or are poor Tillman's eyes swollen?

His eyes are swollen shut. There are those of you who are going to pooh-pooh my treatment, but I use it and it works: I placed Tillman in a small bowl that had a half jar of strained Gerber Sweet Potatoes and a half jar of water. I put him in there at about 5:30, then went on the computer and messed around for a bit. I checked on him at 7:30 and lo and behold, he was drinking. They don't usually drink the mixture, but I was glad to see him show an interest. If you leave them in there long enough, they absorb the vit.a through the thin skin under their throat and around their cloaca. If I can get his eyes open, I know he'll eat. And this treatment usually has the eyes open within three days of soaking for a couple hours a day. I'll let you know what happens. It won't be for a couple more days. You can also use carrots and squash. I think if you read the label that carrots has the most vit. a of all of them.

Yvonne
 

Crazy1

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 21, 2007
Messages
6,068
Location (City and/or State)
Inland Empire, CA
emysemys said:
There are those of you who are going to pooh-pooh my treatment, but I use it and it works:
Yvonne

Yvonne, I say if it works for you then Go Girl. No Pooh-poohing here. I say whatever it takes to help the little one.
 

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
39,941
Location (City and/or State)
A Land Far Away...
What a simply gorgeous guy. If any body hasn't figured this out yet, I love abnormal scutes and this one is fabulous. I haven't a doubt you'll be able to pull this little one out of it. As for your methods, well as said above the most important thing is they do work for you, why change something that works, especially when delicate lives hang in balance.

Actually it makes wonderful sense in the fact the first thing I would do is to hydrate and why waste the chance of giving something beneficial in at the same time?
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Leslie said:
That is great that he was drinking. Are you also applying antibiotic ointment or will you wait and see what happens with the soakings?

Yes...because I was lax in asking all the right questions (what kind of light was he under...what kind of substrate), and I'm not really sure if its a vit.a deff or UVB or pine oil burn, I'm using the Terramycin Opthalmic ointment several times a day.

Yvonne
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Here's Tillman's eye after soaking for four times in the baby food water. He's moving around now, but still not eating.

Tillman-4.jpg


Yvonne
 

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
39,941
Location (City and/or State)
A Land Far Away...
:) Great news! He's starting to make baby tortoise size footsteps towards recovery!! :D
 

TortGirl

New Member
10 Year Member!
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2007
Messages
120
Location (City and/or State)
Las Vegas, NV
Tillman is adorable. He's shell pattern is definitely unique. Hope he continues to improve. Good luck Yvonne!

Agnieszka
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
Leslie said:
Yvonne, How is Tillman doing? I have been thinking about him.

So far I haven't been able to encourage him towards eating. Both of his eyes are now clear and open brightly, but he just wants to hide all the time. I get him up in the a.m., sit him in the sun in front of the food, but as soon as I'm not in sight anymore, he scurries back into hiding. Since he came from a bad environment, I'm going to try some iceburg lettuce and see if that's what he thinks food is. But the eyes were half the battle. Eating will come, I hope!

Yvonne
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
I'm in the process of making my leopard pen smaller and the next door pen for the Burmese tortoises, larger. The little pen I have Tillman in is in the leopard pen. I just happened to glance over at him, and I caught him EATING!!!!! Naturally, when I got the camera, he wouldn't take another bite. But here he is, almost back to normal. His eyes are still a little swollen, but they are open, he walks around his little pen, and now HE EATS!!

Yvonne

Tillman-5.jpg


Tillman-6.jpg
 

Crazy1

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 21, 2007
Messages
6,068
Location (City and/or State)
Inland Empire, CA
CONGRTULATIONS! Yvonne. That is GREAT news. I knew Tillman would thrive in your care. Happy, Happy Day :D
 

Jacqui

Wanna be raiser of Lemon Drop tortoises
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Joined
Aug 28, 2007
Messages
39,941
Location (City and/or State)
A Land Far Away...
Great news that he is finally eating, even if only in private. :D Such a tremendous relief you must be feeling...and Tillman too now that he is getting back into being a "normal" tortoise.
 

jlyoncc1

Active Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 3, 2007
Messages
2,038
Location (City and/or State)
NJ
Great news! I have a couple of closet eaters. I have to ignore them and then they eat. Guess they are self conscience! Glad he is doing better!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top