Help!? Blood on shell!

[Lincoln's Mom]

Lincoln was fine this morning came back after lunch and between two of his scutes is a small amount of blood ...looks like a potential small crack in between .... Both scutes when I pressed on them gave a little ?.. Help what do I do and what could have caused this!?

 

[wellington]

Please post a pic of your tort and the enclosure. Also give us temps and humidity

 

[Gillian M]

Sorry to hear that. Please take your tort to a vet asap. Hope to hear he's recovered soon.

Please keep us updated and good luck!

 

[Lincoln's Mom]

Please post a pic of your tort and the enclosure. Also give us temps and humidity

Temp directly under light is 94 currently humidity of 43 and under both sides temps are 81-85 with humidity of 55-60% ...I have newer digital temp/humidity meters...than the one in the picture

 

[JoesMum]

Can we have a close up of the bleeding too please?

 

[Jodie]

Dog or cat? Did he fall?

 

[Lincoln's Mom]

Can we have a close up of the bleeding too please?

As soon as my computer starts back up it decided to shut down in the most inappropriate time.....my iPad won't load photos

 

[Lincoln's Mom]

Dog or cat? Did he fall?

No he didn't fall the cat sometimes jumps in with him to lay under the light but has never shown any aggression toward him. The cat uses him as a pillow every now and then and spoons him.

 

[Gillian M]

No he didn't fall the cat sometimes jumps in with him to lay under the light but has never shown any aggression toward him. The cat uses him as a pillow every now and then and spoons him.

Sorry to have to say this: I'd never trust a cat when there's a tort around. Please take care in future and hope your tort gets well soon.

 

[Jodie]

No he didn't fall the cat sometimes jumps in with him to lay under the light but has never shown any aggression toward him. The cat uses him as a pillow every now and then and spoons him.

I would bet the cat cracked the shell. Cracks don't just happen. I would see a vet asap. Antibiotics are probably needed to prevent infection. My dog ignored my tortoise for years. One day decided he was a chew you. Sorry this has happened. Hopefully he will be ok. They are pretty resilient.

 

[Lincoln's Mom]

Computer taking too long to start back up on our way to the vet

 

[Jodie]

Computer taking too long to start back up on our way to the vet

Keep us updated. FYI any injections should be I the front. If your vet is going to give in the back, find a new vet. No vitamin A shots. Best wishes.

 

[Yvonne G]

It really sounds like something heavy fell on the tortoise. Might be the cat landed on it when jumping in.

 

[wellington]

Keep us updated. Hope it's not bad. I would keep the cat out of the tortoises area not only for the safety of your tort but also of your cat and your house. Fur and hot bulbs don't mix.

 

[Lincoln's Mom]

Keep us updated. Hope it's not bad. I would keep the cat out of the tortoises area not only for the safety of your tort but also of your cat and your house. Fur and hot bulbs don't mix.

Thanks everybody! We are back from the vet he had 3 small punctures only thing it could be is the cat about to cover enclosure with chicken wire. vet felt due to location it wouldn't get infected and did not require any medications. He goes back in 4-6 weeks. Cleaning it daily and applying betadine. Also his shell is too soft so we are going to change up his diet wish me luck he is very picky!

 

[wellington]

Glad not much came of it. I personally would not constantly be cleaning it and applying betadine. Clean or keep it clean and apply betadine for the first day. Unless it gets dirty, then I wouldn't keep using it. You could switch him to paper towels as a substrate while it heals, this will also help keep it clean.
What is his diet and what did the vet recommend? Asking, because so many vets are stuck in the old world of raising tortoises and most have no clue.

 

[Lincoln's Mom]

Glad not much came of it. I personally would not constantly be cleaning it and applying betadine. Clean or keep it clean and apply betadine for the first day. Unless it gets dirty, then I wouldn't keep using it. You could switch him to paper towels as a substrate while it heals, this will also help keep it clean.
What is his diet and what did the vet recommend? Asking, because so many vets are stuck in the old world of raising tortoises and most have no clue.

His diet is Mainly zucchini squash clover and Bermuda grass. I put calcium on his morning meal he eats twice a day. He occasionally gets broccoli parsley and cilantro. He refuses to touch kale and collards or anything like it. Vet recommended trying the frozen chopped collards and slowing pulling back the zucchini (his favorite) and trying to hand feed or slip in the collards. He also recommended Timothy hay...
He likes to eat paper towels so I don't think that would work for his substrate he thinks he's a goat!

 

[Lincoln's Mom]

Glad not much came of it. I personally would not constantly be cleaning it and applying betadine. Clean or keep it clean and apply betadine for the first day. Unless it gets dirty, then I wouldn't keep using it. You could switch him to paper towels as a substrate while it heals, this will also help keep it clean.
What is his diet and what did the vet recommend? Asking, because so many vets are stuck in the old world of raising tortoises and most have no clue.

He also recommended zoo med grassland tort food....I currently have been trying mazuri tort food that he will not touch literally kicks it out of his bowl

 

[wellington]

Leopards don't usually eat hay or grass when young. Broccoli is not good for a staple, neither is zucchini. Collard and kale is not good as a staple either. With all new foods, including Mazuri if they don't eat it, you have to get tricky with it. I would feed spring mix, endive, ridichio, red and green lettuces, dandelion greens, hibiscus flower and leaf, rose of Sharon flower and leaf, mulberry leaf. If your tort does eat grass and hay now, add that into the mix. Cactus pads, and add the collards and kale into the mix in small amounts. Change it up daily. Calcium only a pinch 2-3 times a week. Too much is just as bad as too little. Squash flowers is good to add into the mix too. When adding new foods, chop it up small, mix it with a little larger chop of his favorite food and spritz with water. He then has to eat the new, with his fave. As he gets used to eating the newer foods, decrease his favorites until he is eating a big variety and then you can mix in small amounts of his fave.

 

[Jodie]

Mazuri and grassland are good choices. Try endive, escarole, raddichio.... Check out the list in the care guide. He will not eat much grass and no hay until he is much bigger.