HELP! We lost our one year old desert tort. Dont want to lose our other tort

[lakintorts]

We are heart broken that we lost our North amercan desert tortoise yesterday. He was one year old. He had started slowing down but I thought it was due to cooler weather etc. He still came out to eat and drink just not as active as before. Then yesterday my husband found him dead and swollen/bloated. His legs were ballooned out and his head and neck were stretched out, mouth open. Even his genitals were sticking out. I looked up some info ont his and some think to much protein in diet, others say kidney disease and tohers say there is no way to ever know. I just don't want to make same mistake wth our other tortie who we just got a couple weeks ago.
We have basking light and uvb light. I feed dry hay and some grasses along with some veg and rare fruit. The veg is usually dandelion greens, carrots, romaine lettuce. Fruit is rare but usually apple or berries. We also give hibiscus leaves/floweres and geranium leaves/flowers. Is any of this wrong?? Any ideas what happened to our poor lil guy and what we can do to prevent it from happening to our other lil guy? So sad
Thank you!
Tammy

 

[daniellenc]

I am sorry for your loss. Without a necropsy knowing the cause of death isn't possible but hopefully someone who keeps desert species will chime in with your current care and diet. I do know fruit is a no no.

 

[Yvonne G]

Desert tortoises shouldn't eat fruit. The sugars cause a parasite bloom. They also don't eat hay. You might get an adult desert tortoise to eat hay, but not babies. The greens and plants you feed are fine. Try adding escarole, endive, turnip greens, collard greens, and any edible weeds from the yard.

Soak your new babies daily for at least 15 minutes. Use a little tub that they can't climb out of and have the water come up to the middle of their sides. Provide a couple hiding places and plants for respite from the harsh light. Feed enough food so there's always a little left over at the end of the day.

Sometimes when they die they just tuck into the shell and their eyes sink in, and sometimes, like yours, they bloat up and maybe the interior gasses even cause the shell to split. Like Danielle said, there's no way to know why your baby died without a necropsy.

 

[Tom]

We are heart broken that we lost our North amercan desert tortoise yesterday. He was one year old. He had started slowing down but I thought it was due to cooler weather etc. He still came out to eat and drink just not as active as before. Then yesterday my husband found him dead and swollen/bloated. His legs were ballooned out and his head and neck were stretched out, mouth open. Even his genitals were sticking out. I looked up some info ont his and some think to much protein in diet, others say kidney disease and tohers say there is no way to ever know. I just don't want to make same mistake wth our other tortie who we just got a couple weeks ago.
We have basking light and uvb light. I feed dry hay and some grasses along with some veg and rare fruit. The veg is usually dandelion greens, carrots, romaine lettuce. Fruit is rare but usually apple or berries. We also give hibiscus leaves/floweres and geranium leaves/flowers. Is any of this wrong?? Any ideas what happened to our poor lil guy and what we can do to prevent it from happening to our other lil guy? So sad
Thank you!
Tammy

Most of the care info given for this species is wrong. Most of them die because of it. So sad.

We'll need to know more about the enclosure, heating, lighting and temperature to help you solve the mystery and save the other one. Were they living together?

Their main diet should be weeds, succulents, flowers and some fresh grass. Grocery store food isn't great for them, and like Yvonne sad, no fruit ever.

The main reason these guys usually die is dehydration. We are taught to house them all wrong because of our human mis-perceptions of what it means to be a "desert" animal. Yes, the desert is harsh, but they spend most of their time underground in very mild conditions. They avoid temperature extremes and desiccation by hanging out in their burrows, safely underground. Our backyards and open topped enclosures are much too dry, and they need water daily, unlike what most care sheets and "experts" say.

Care for DTs is the same as Russian tortoises. Read these. The pics are gone, but the info is still there to read:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Pics and more info will help us to help you.