Help needed

rrahim

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Hi. Is anyone able to shed some light as to why my tortoitses shell cracked...
 

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TeamZissou

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Do you let your tortoise roam around the house, or is it out of its enclosure on carpet for some other reason?

If you do let it roam, it's likely that it fell, got shut in a door, or some other traumatic injury. There are a lot of horror stories on the forum of tortoises allowed to roam freely. It's not advisable.
 

Yvonne G

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Things like this don't happen on their own. It could have been any number of things. YOU have to be the detective and try to figure it out, as YOU have all the clues, we don't. Where does the tortoise live? Is he with other animals? Could he have fallen off a high place? etc. etc.

It looks like all the damage is at the new growth seams. Wash it off with some sort of first aid soap to kill any germs, then apply first aid cream to the areas. Keep flies off the tortoise, as they will lay eggs on the damaged parts.
 

rrahim

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Do you let your tortoise roam around the house, or is it out of its enclosure on carpet for some other reason?

If you do let it roam, it's likely that it fell, got shut in a door, or some other traumatic injury. There are a lot of horror stories on the forum of tortoises allowed to roam freely. It's not advisable.
Hi... No, she lives outside in our garden and there are no dogs.....just 2 cats who never seem to mind her moving around. Something weird just happened. She laid an egg...?. How is this possible without a mate?
 

TammyJ

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Good Lord. Hope this can all be sorted out. You came to the right place for help, but you must calm down, take a deep breath and carefully follow what is being asked so we can find out what happened and get some action that will lead to a good result. Excellent people with loads of experience are here to help!
 

rrahim

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Good Lord. Hope this can all be sorted out. You came to the right place for help, but you must calm down, take a deep breath and carefully follow what is being asked so we can find out what happened and get some action that will lead to a good result. Excellent people with loads of experience are here to help!
Thank you! I am in a bit of a panic but will try my best to calm down. Not sure if you've read my message to another member. My tortoise laid an egg. ?. She doesn't have a mate so I'm a little (no alot) confused. Have put her and egg in a box as I have 2 cats in my garden and scared that they might bother her.
 

TeamZissou

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My guess is that she fell off something, got squeezed in the jaws of a dog, or smashed on the ground somehow. It seems like the impact point is most likely along the marginal scutes on the side, where there is also keratin missing. Dogs also gnaw off keratin.

It is possible for females to lay eggs without males. If this tortoise has truly never been around another tortoise, then the egg is most likely infertile and doesn't need to be saved. If not, then you could try incubating it. The egg laying may also be related to the trauma somehow.

At this point, all you can do is keep the wound clean. A vet might not be able to do much.
 

rrahim

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Things like this don't happen on their own. It could have been any number of things. YOU have to be the detective and try to figure it out, as YOU have all the clues, we don't. Where does the tortoise live? Is he with other animals? Could he have fallen off a high place? etc. etc.

It looks like all the damage is at the new growth seams. Wash it off with some sort of first aid soap to kill any germs, then apply first aid cream to the areas. Keep flies off the tortoise, as they will lay eggs on the damaged parts.
I have cleaned the bleeding area and bandaged it up. And hour later she laid and egg .. Not sure how as she has no mate...?.
 

rrahim

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Cape Town
My guess is that she fell off something, got squeezed in the jaws of a dog, or smashed on the ground somehow. It seems like the impact point is most likely along the marginal scutes on the side, where there is also keratin missing. Dogs also gnaw off keratin.

It is possible for females to lay eggs without males. If this tortoise has truly never been around another tortoise, then the egg is most likely infertile and doesn't need to be saved. If not, then you could try incubating it. The egg laying may also be related to the trauma somehow.

At this point, all you can do is keep the wound clean. A vet might not be able to do much.
I've watched 3 hrs of CCTV footage of my tortoise roaming the garden to figure out what had happened to her. All of your above mentions are ruled out. No dogs, do high place to fall from etc. She walked around fine at 10h10 this morning and went to rest in a sunny spot for just under an hour. Once she moved from that spot she seemed to struggle to walk. My son spotted her at 12h20 with blood oozing from her shell. This all seemed to have happened naturally as per the CCTV footage.
 

Ink

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Make sure nothing could have cut her as she moved from that spot. A sharp rock ?
 

LauraJeanne

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Hi. Is anyone able to shed some light as to why my tortoitses shell cracked...
The first thought that came to my mind is that a dog attacked it. Please take it to a veterinarian. It needs urgent veterinary care.
 

zovick

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Hi. Is anyone able to shed some light as to why my tortoitses shell cracked...
That injury appears to be traumatic rather than spontaneous. It also seems that it would require a fairly good amount of force to crack the shell open that much. Is there any chance that someone stepped on it rather hard, either accidentally or purposely?

I have found wild turtles in remote pastures which have been stepped on by horses and cows which have had cracks like that in their shells. Do you own any cows or horses which might have stepped on the tortoise?

Could it have been run over by a riding lawn mower or a tractor?
 

rrahim

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Make sure nothing could have cut her as she moved from that spot. A sharp rock ?
All grass...no rocks or any sharp objects. The fact that she has laid an egg tells me that the trauma is related....
 

rrahim

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Cape Town
That injury appears to be traumatic rather than spontaneous. It also seems that it would require a fairly good amount of force to crack the shell open that much. Is there any chance that someone stepped on it rather hard, either accidentally or purposely?

I have found wild turtles in remote pastures which have been stepped on by horses and cows which have had cracks like that in their shells. Do you own any cows or horses which might have stepped on the tortoise?

Could it have been run over by a riding lawn mower or a tractor?
She has lived in my back garden for over 2 yrs .. I have no dogs, no cows or any other animals that might have caused her injury. The CCTV footage shows that she was fine earlier this morning. Struggled to move after being in the sun on one spot for nearly an hour.
If you haven't yet read the thread......she had laid an egg this afternoon which confuses me more as she has no mate.

The big question is to I have her put down considering the injury?
 

TeamZissou

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It wouldn't be a bad idea to take her to a vet for an X-ray to see if there are any more eggs inside. Like @zovick said, it takes a lot of force to break a shell, and possible internal pressurization from egg binding causing this type of splitting seems unlikely. If her entire internal cavity was filled with eggs, they would put pressure on the organs and she would stop eating and display other problems over a longer period.

You do not have to put her down. Keep offering food and see if she will eat, and if she does, great. If not, you can look in to tube or forced feeding. The shell will heal over time, possibly 2+ years until it's fully restored. The key is keeping it clean through this critical phase post injury.
 
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