Help With possibly 'Blood' ? on tortoises neck

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chrissy.fredrick

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Please help~ Russian tortoise, red 'Goo" around neck?!?!

Hello everyone! i'm sorry i'm really freaking out here :(

So i discovered today that my Russian tortoise, of about 4 1/2 years now, has a weird redish brown substance on his neck.
He keeps his neck somewhat in most of the time, but when he elongates it you can see a dark shiny substance. When i went to give him his bath i noticed it and i tried wiping it a bit. It came off onto my swab a brownish color but looks like it could possibly be blood?
Also i noticed that when i swabbed it, his skin was very soft and 'weak' there i suppose. It's late now but i will try to get a picture of it as soon as i can tomorrow.
:tort::tort:
 

chrissy.fredrick

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My Russian Tortoise does not use his back legs?

Hello everyone! :tort:
I have recently noticed that my tortoise does not use his back legs when he walks. When I pick him up though he flails his little legs just fine. I just don't understand. He is Kind of tubby and a little heavy compared to my other one. But could it possibly be from weight? I'm not sure.
I have also tried to put a slight pressure on his legs to see if he pushes back and he does. He just does not use them when he walks.
Ps. He seems to get around just fine. possibly faster than my other one.

:tort::tort:
 

Yvonne G

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RE: My Russian Tortoise does not use his back legs?

Hi Chrissy and welcome to the Forum!!

It sounds to me as if your tortoise isn't getting the UVB it needs to make the calcium work. Without real sunshine or the UVB from an expensive light, the calcium is excreted from the body and doesn't give any strength to the bones and shell. I've seen the weak leg syndrome quite a bit in rescued tortoises that have been kept indoors without sunshine. It is painful for the tortoise to try to support his body, however, when you lift him up and there is no pressure on the legs, not quite as painful.

As to the brown on his neck. I haven't got a clue what that is, sorry.

I think a vet visit is in order for you and your tortoises.
 

Talka

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RE: My Russian Tortoise does not use his back legs?

Vet visit time. Without question, little guy should see a vet.

In the meantime, make sure you have the appropriate substrate (cypress mulch, coco coir, dirt, moss, etc.), that temps are fine and the diet is correct. We'd love to see pics of the enclosure and the tortoise!
 

mainey34

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RE: My Russian Tortoise does not use his back legs?

A pic of the tort would help us better understand what is going on...
 

chrissy.fredrick

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RE: My Russian Tortoise does not use his back legs?

Ok here are some pictures

I didn't realize how serious this could be! Thanks I will try to see my vet as soon as possible
 

lynnedit

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RE: My Russian Tortoise does not use his back legs?

Make sure you see a Reptile Vet, otherwise they may not really understand tortoises.
good luck!
 

cemmons12

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RE: My Russian Tortoise does not use his back legs?

Glad Lynne said that, an exotic/rep vet is what u need for sure! I hope all turns out good and please keep us updated if you don't mind. Someone else could have the same problem sometime and it would be great to offer some insight! Thanks and I wish you and lil tort the best!! :)
 

chrissy.fredrick

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RE: My Russian Tortoise does not use his back legs?

oops! pictures didn't upload

photo 1 (1).JPGphoto 3.JPG
also I have talked to my parents and we are taking them to the vet as soon as we can. Now we just need to find the right vet.
Also wondering if I should take my other tortoise with me to talk about his back legs.
 
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mainey34

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RE: My Russian Tortoise does not use his back legs?

Your pics did not show up
 

chrissy.fredrick

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[/size]Hello! I have been getting quite worried because my tortoise has some weird reddish brown goo...( don't quite know how to describe it.) but i'm thinking maybe it could be blood??but i'm not sure because i tried wiping it off and it came off but then it was there the next day!?! .__. We are going to visit the vet soon but i'm just curious as to what I could do in the meantime? also she has been eating less but I think she is going into hibernation because she does that when it gets cold but not for too long.
.___. I just want to know what it is :(
 

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lynnedit

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It is hard to see the reddish brown goo, could he have a neck or ear abcess that is draining? I think his eyes look kind of puffy. I wonder if he has an eye infection.
I agree it would be a very good idea to take both torts in.
 

chrissy.fredrick

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lynnedit said:
It is hard to see the reddish brown goo, could he have a neck or ear abcess that is draining? I think his eyes look kind of puffy. I wonder if he has an eye infection.
I agree it would be a very good idea to take both torts in.

Oh yeah it could be! ._. I'm just so worried and thank you for your feedback. I will update when I have set a date for the vet
 

Tom

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Are you using a coil type florescent bulb for uv? Does he ever get outside for sunshine? What are you feeding him? What are his enclosure temperatures?
 

chrissy.fredrick

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Tom said:
Are you using a coil type florescent bulb for uv? Does he ever get outside for sunshine? What are you feeding him? What are his enclosure temperatures?

Yes we are using a coil bulb, he does get out in the sun but hasn't for a while because it has been very cloudy and cold. We are feeding them romain lettuce and I'm not sure what the enclosure temperatures are
 

biochemnerd808

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Looks like an abscessed ear or eye infection - the eyes are so puffy, and that does look like some kind of blood/puss leakage. The skin flap that the head pulls into also looks kind of swollen and irritated. I would definitely recommend taking it to the vet - probably will need antibiotics to prevent the infection becoming systemic, if it hasn't already.

Bring along the other tortoise, your vet will likely be willing to only charge one office visit fee for both together (ours does that).

Coil bulbs have gotten better, but aren't idea. I'm a bigger fan of the tube UVB bulbs, and some on here prefer the MVB, which has heat and UVB, but it seems too bright for my torts. I use a separate basking lamp, and the basking area does need to be 95-100 degrees or your tortoises won't thrive. I bought a non-contact infrared thermometer (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00837ZGRY/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20) for under $20, and I check the temperature in the hot spot under the bulb.

Good luck, I hope you get some answers!

chrissy.fredrick said:
Tom said:
Are you using a coil type florescent bulb for uv? Does he ever get outside for sunshine? What are you feeding him? What are his enclosure temperatures?

Yes we are using a coil bulb, he does get out in the sun but hasn't for a while because it has been very cloudy and cold. We are feeding them romain lettuce and I'm not sure what the enclosure temperatures are
 

Tom

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chrissy.fredrick said:
Tom said:
Are you using a coil type florescent bulb for uv? Does he ever get outside for sunshine? What are you feeding him? What are his enclosure temperatures?

Yes we are using a coil bulb, he does get out in the sun but hasn't for a while because it has been very cloudy and cold. We are feeding them romain lettuce and I'm not sure what the enclosure temperatures are

BINGO! You've got a worse case scenario there. Let me give you the bad news first: 1. Coil bulbs can damage their eyes. That appears to be the case with yours. Turn it off right away. Use the long tubes or a mercury vapor bulb instead. Really, if your tortoise has an appropriate outdoor pen and gets regular sunshine, you shouldn't need any artificial UV and you can just use a regular household flood bulb for heat instead.
2. Romaine is not very nutritious. Broadleaf weeds are what you should be feeding. You can grow your own or scavenge them from chemical free areas near you. We live in a great place for this due to our favorable year round weather. Check the Plant ID section for a thread that will help you ID weeds near you, or you can post pics here and we'll help you, OR you can take samples to a local nursery and they can help you ID your weeds. Tyler at tortoisesupply.com sells a great Testudo mix. I love the stuff and so do my tortoises. There are other grocery store foods that are much better than romaine, and variety is good. Look for endive, escarole collard greens, carrot tops, cilantro, turnip greens, dandelion greens, etc...
3. Reptiles are totally dependent upon temperatures to function. You NEED to know yours. Get a remote probed thermometer from any hardware or department store and get a temp gun from a reptile store or online. Know your temps and adjust them accordingly.

The good news is that these things are pretty easy to fix.

In my signature is a link called "Beginner Mistakes". Please read it. It will help you. Come back with all your questions.
 
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