Helloo, i need some desperate help, ive been posting in the "tortoise health" section but havent gotten much help.. My yearlings are suddenly not eating... When i put them outside, they barley move.. They used to walk around.. At most they will take a few steps amd just lay with their heads sobbing out of their shells.. Can someone please pleaseeeeee help me?
Hatchlings are sick i think
- Thread starter jareeed2
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Has anything in their environment changed?
Give us as much info about their inside temps and the temp outside, humidity, anything you can think of. Soakings, how often, how long?
There inside temps vary from 80-88
Humidity i try keeping as high as possible, spray as offten as i can.. One of the hatchlings mouth is open alot, like hes breathing thru it, they have been going outside allot during the day.. I put them i front of food, and they just stay where i put them and barley move.. I havent checked the vets aroud this area.. I will though today... Could mold in my basement where they stay inside be the cause?
Humidity i try keeping as high as possible, spray as offten as i can.. One of the hatchlings mouth is open alot, like hes breathing thru it, they have been going outside allot during the day.. I put them i front of food, and they just stay where i put them and barley move.. I havent checked the vets aroud this area.. I will though today... Could mold in my basement where they stay inside be the cause?
They may be cold... Please read this thread on how to care for sick baby tortoises: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-70438.html
I would highly suggest using the method described within the thread to measure temps. I believe that temperature is the most important thing in keeping a tortoise active and healthy.
I would highly suggest using the method described within the thread to measure temps. I believe that temperature is the most important thing in keeping a tortoise active and healthy.
Ill be cali g vets first thing in the AM, but in the meantime im looking for baby carrot food to soak them in? Im not sure exacty what im looking for or how to do this process, any help? Im in the grocery store right now.. Thank youu!
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J’ …..just a reminder tortoises can go long times ( weeks) without eating , your first concern is to keep your animal well hydrated, and at a stable heat. Separate them from the rest of the herd and keep them individually separated. Even sick animals between themselves’ can cause more problematic systems that are harder to trouble shoot as well as see their progress of recovery . You can dilute any type of baby foods apple, carrots ect to a very watery consistency to help with some nutrient intakes during these times. Pedolite works well as a hydration supplement too~ Best of luck and keep us posted …
JD~
JD~
N2TORTS said:J’ …..just a reminder tortoises can go long times ( weeks) without eating , your first concern is to keep your animal well hydrated, and at a stable heat. Separate them from the rest of the herd and keep them individually separated. Even sick animals between themselves’ can cause more problematic systems that are harder to trouble shoot as well as see their progress of recovery . You can dilute any type of baby foods apple, carrots ect to a very watery consistency to help with some nutrient intakes during these times. Pedolite works well as a hydration supplement too~ Best of luck and keep us posted …
JD~
Thanks JD, so i should grab a bottle of pedolite and some baby food and gove them some soaks tonight? Maybe call the vets in the AM?
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The lethargic and problems with eyes are possibly due to an RI infection. The eye and mucus membrane around the area gets greatly affected when there is some sort of RI infection going on . Now I’m not a vet so we will leave that to the professionals to diagnose and treat. RI’s can be treatable and do take some nurturing on your part and it can be a few weeks recovery time ….but tortoise are for the most part pretty darn bullet proof. Although with a lot of the captive animals we see today , unfortunately we have “lost†the natural anti-bodies tortoises possess in the wild ( hence to fight off such infections) due to the “artificial environments†that they are kept in . I would make an appt. with the vet and see what he suggests. My call … he will Admin .5mg of 10% Baytril injection 3 times over a course of 5-9 days . Oral meds of this same kind work very well if you can get the tort to take them (ex hiding in fruit treat ) as this is much easier on the torts , because the Baytril shot stings like hell and taste nasty …but again the catch 22 is a sick tort usually is not eating. Nevertheless give your Vet a buzz and go have your little guys checked out . The hardest thing I have with Vets … is most are not schooled in exotics let alone reptiles….do your research for a qualified Doc in your area.
JD~
JD~
Alrightyy.. Ill see what the vet has to say, i habe a list of them i found on this forum to call tommorow... Right now they are in a baby food soak.. Temps and humidity are up.. Im hopeing that helps a little bit, thanks again JD
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Also, you mention you keep them in the water until it is not warm. You should be careful that the water doesn't get too cold. Cold and wet are not a good thing for tortoises. Obviously, you don't want to cook your torts either.
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jareeed2 said:
that sounds like a good plan ! ......Best of luck ...keep us informed. It's how we all learn~ :shy:
Under his right cheek he has some white bumps? Is that dead skin because he is dehydrated?
Gave him a soak in baby food last night and this morning mixed the baby food with a little pedialyte and warm water and they soaked in that for about 10-15 mins
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Not sure what the lil white bumps are ( like you mentoined -prob dry skin) ...but the good news from what I can see ....eyes look great ..clear open ...no swelling , nose area I dont see any discharge or bubbles....those are positive notes!
JD~
JD~
Ya they look like dry skin, they open up when i soak him but shut right when hes back in the tank, there was some white guck on one of the eyes that i wiped off.. The other little guy ate a little watermelon last night, but. Pele (the sicker one) still just sits in front of the food dish where i put him and closes his eyes
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