Help a sick Sulcata

[Kevin Kelly]

We bought two babies about two years ago and love them. We heard about a lady near where we live who had a large sulcata she had to find a home for because she was moving. We immediately went to look at him. He is 45 pounds and 19 inches long but has an extremely deformed shell and is very dry and flaky. Either this lady or his previous owner did not know what they were doing. We bought him mainly to rescue him.

We have had him about a week now but noticed he has a small amount of fluid coming out of his nose. It’s not all the time but occasionally he will have a little and it will make a bubble every now and then. Also he sounds like his breathing is very heavy. I have Batrill to give him but we can’t seem to get him to cooperate. Is there an easier way to give him the shots? The vet said to give him 4cc every other day. Is this dosage correct?

Also he has some places on his shell that are bad and need to be attended to. I read that you can use fiberglass to patch it; is this the best method?

Any help with this guy is very much appreciated. We just want to help him live the rest of his life healthy.

 

[Yvonne G]

Baytril can be administered three ways:


You can mix the Baytril dosage in with sterile saline solution, 9 parts saline to 1 part Baytril and squirt it into each nostril.

You can put the dosage in a strawberry and feed it orally.

You can inject it IM or sub-Q

The best way for me is the nasal squirt.

Unless the shell damage is open and wet, you should just leave it alone. We don't use fiberglass anymore. Just leave it to heal on its own. Chances are, though, this is old damage and not fresh.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

The easiest way to inject is in his butt up almost underneath his carapace. I would keep him warm (90ish) and put him in the bathtub for a warm soak twice a day. Keep him away from your other animals and be sure to wash your hands before you touch another animal. How are you going to keep him? Habitat? Substrate etc?

 

[Kevin Kelly]

Thank you!
One question on the nasal squirt though. If I dilute the Baytril with saline 9 to 1 with the recommended 4cc; that will be 36cc's. Is that okay to squirt that much liquid into his nostril?

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The easiest way to inject is in his butt up almost underneath his carapace. I would keep him warm (90ish) and put him in the bathtub for a warm soak twice a day. Keep him away from your other animals and be sure to wash your hands before you touch another animal. How are you going to keep him? Habitat? Substrate etc?

I have built a temporary enclosure for him to house in this winter. It's 4'X8" with an infrared heat light on one end for basking, a 4' dual bulb UVB/UVA florescent, a ceramic heater with a thermostat for temperature control, and the opposite end from the basking area has a 2'X2' box for cool down/burrowing. The house is on our covered back porch so it will be out of the weather all together.
The substrate I am using now is Bermuda Coastal Hay. I am looking into other alternatives though if you have any.

 

[Kevin Kelly]

Here is a photo of Smash. He is 14 years old with a very deformed shell. With the proper diet and care will his shell get any better?

 

[Marty333]

Im so sorry for poor little Smash and I think his shell is permanently deformed.

 

[Torty Mom]

Poor Smash! Thank goodness you rescued him, now and least he will be loved and properly cared for. Poor guy! He is lucky to have you!!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

It's not the first time I have seen something like that, and it upsets me every time. It is so easy to care for Sulcata...there is no excuse for a tort to be that deformed. I'd use cypress mulch as your substrate and keep some hay in there too. That way he has something to eat all the time and can burrow also...
Does he have trouble walking?

 

[Kevin Kelly]

It's not the first time I have seen something like that, and it upsets me every time. It is so easy to care for Sulcata...there is no excuse for a tort to be that deformed. I'd use cypress mulch as your substrate and keep some hay in there too. That way he has something to eat all the time and can burrow also...
Does he have trouble walking?

Thank you all for your concern, much appreciated. I will be using cypress mulch thank you and no he walks fine. He is very strong and active.

 

[Laura]

wow.. as for treating him.. I would place it in a fave food and have him eat it.. Injections hurts.

 

[Yvonne G]

That's a great name for that particular tortoise! I love him. I've always gone for the special ones. Here's hoping Smash has a long and happy life with you.

Incidentally, he's deformed because there was something wrapped around his middle while he was growing. You can see the indentations of it just behind his front legs. I'll just bet that someone had him tied up so he couldn't wander off.

 

[dmmj]

Wow that is some of the worst I have ever seen and it looks like he had something wrapped around him, poor guy. I don't think there is much room for improvement but if he does grow and get proper food and sunlight it might smooth out a bit but not much. poor guy