Help with Tortoise Health!!!

[Manish MAthew]

hey people i need some suggestions.
Recently my baby star tortoise is not active very much. All the time he shows laziness unlike earlier he used to walk around a lot. and I recently noted that he is not even walking in right way. I meant while walking he dragging his back legs.. I saw for any injury but I didn't found any. I look around on his whole body but i didn't found any physical injury.
Now I am very concerned about it. though he eating food but I don't understand why he is showing laziness. Is it because of cold season..??? Though I had kept a heating bulb in its enclosure..

 

[Prashant]

@Manish MAthew

are using heating soflight bulb ? if yes then it only increases approx 1 degree celcius temperature make sure its temperature stays between 26-32 degree celcius and when you have temperature lower your humidity should be lowest.If temperature is high humidity should be upto arnd 70% for babies.

at nights wrap them in some paper or some thick bedsheet that will give them warmth.
if you dont have hygrometer or anything to check temperature you can check on google and in your house temperature would be 1 degree more.

is his appetite same or decreased.
Give them varied diet.add vitamin A and little proteins in case they look weak.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Does your tortoise have a source of UVB lighting?
It sounds like he might be suffering from some sort of ailment caused by a lack of sunlight or a substitute.
Without UV light, your tortoise can not take in certain nutrients and calcium.
It's just a guess without photos of what you have and how your tortoise lives.

 

[Gillian M]

Hi @Manish MAthew and welcome to the forum!

As @ZEROPILOT said: pics would enable us to help you much more easily.

 

[Markw84]

@Manish MAthew

Sounds like a dietary issue compounded by the way the enclosure is set up. Are you still using the enclosure you posted a picture of on Oct 2? Can you show a new picture showing the type of lighting and UVB you are providing? I know you are in India, but indoors is a very different situation than outdoors. What are the temperatures in the enclosure? To do best, and baby star should never have any of its enclosure get below 27. the also need a basking spot that is 36 - 38 directly under it so they can heat their body. You will need to get those temperatures established immediately to have a chance to bring your tortoise back to health. Also, covering the tortoise in newpaper or cloth will not keep them warm. That works for warm blooded animals as it helps keep in the heat their body generates. But for tortoises - they do not generate body heat so it will only shield them from any nighttime heat source you may have.

The diet you have mentioned in the past is probably the biggest issue. Star tortoises need leafy greens and should not get fruit. I know you are following @Tom on this forum, so read his caresheet on how to raise a healthy sulcate or leopard. We keep our stars the same way. The diet is extremely important and from what you described a few months ago is definitely what would cause the issues you have now. And they need to be getting UVB. so if they are not put in direct sunlight at least a few time a week for a few hours each, you need a UVB light properly place to provide that. SO let us know what you have for that currently.

 

[Manish MAthew]

@Manish MAthew

Sounds like a dietary issue compounded by the way the enclosure is set up. Are you still using the enclosure you posted a picture of on Oct 2? Can you show a new picture showing the type of lighting and UVB you are providing? I know you are in India, but indoors is a very different situation than outdoors. What are the temperatures in the enclosure? To do best, and baby star should never have any of its enclosure get below 27. the also need a basking spot that is 36 - 38 directly under it so they can heat their body. You will need to get those temperatures established immediately to have a chance to bring your tortoise back to health. Also, covering the tortoise in newpaper or cloth will not keep them warm. That works for warm blooded animals as it helps keep in the heat their body generates. But for tortoises - they do not generate body heat so it will only shield them from any nighttime heat source you may have.

The diet you have mentioned in the past is probably the biggest issue. Star tortoises need leafy greens and should not get fruit. I know you are following @Tom on this forum, so read his caresheet on how to raise a healthy sulcate or leopard. We keep our stars the same way. The diet is extremely important and from what you described a few months ago is definitely what would cause the issues you have now. And they need to be getting UVB. so if they are not put in direct sunlight at least a few time a week for a few hours each, you need a UVB light properly place to provide that. SO let us know what you have for that currently.

thankyou for your suggestions...
well yes I do keep it outside in direct sunlight for an hour.. But recently from last 4 days i was little busy so i didnt kept them out for long time..
No.. there is no UV source inside enclosure but I had provided a heating bulb inside it. As for now here it is cold season therefore I keep it on whole Night..

 

[Markw84]

thankyou for your suggestions...
well yes I do keep it outside in direct sunlight for an hour.. But recently from last 4 days i was little busy so i didnt kept them out for long time..
No.. there is no UV source inside enclosure but I had provided a heating bulb inside it. As for now here it is cold season therefore I keep it on whole Night..

4 days won't be an issue at all. Even 2-3 weeks is OK if the tortoise has been getting sunshine regularly as part of a normal routine.
Keeping a heat light on all night may be an issue. It needs to be dark for your tortoise at night. 14 hours of light and 10 hours of darkness is ideal. What are you using for the heating bulb you say you are using? I really recommend a Ceramic Heat Emitter on a thermostat to ensure proper minimum temperatures are maintained. You can then use a regular incandescent flood bulb for daytime light.

The main thing is get the diet corrected immediately along with keeping him warm. I would suggest soaks in warm water with carrot baby food mixed in to see if we can get hydration up and perhaps some vitamin A in him. See if you get him to eat some Mandara, grass / Goduma, cactus, Mallepulu, Gulabi, Simhandanti. And always have a Samundar Jhag available so he could nibble on it for a great source of Calcium. Sorry if I got some of the Indian names incorrect, but I am trying to make this as easy and specific as possible.

Keep us informed.