Hibernation Oozing

[Merrit321]

Well, I have two what i suspect to be Russian tortoises (They have all the distinctive marks, but their color is a bit bright) and one of them is hibernating. Well, I was feeding the tortoise not in hibernation, and I noticed some of the substrate had stuck to the side of his shell. When I picked the tort up, I wiped of the substrate, and saw a spot of pale white. After closer inspection, I found several of these, all leaking some sort of fluid. Having no idea how to deal with this, I put him back into the cage, next to the food. I would've soaked him, but I was afraid to get any water into these cracks.

Anyone ever seen this before and/or know how to deal with it?

 

[egyptiandan]

Hi,
We are going to need pictures to tell what your tortoise's are and pictures of the spots on the shell to figure out what might be going on.

Danny

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Take close up pictures of the spots that ooze, then take good shots of the tortoise himself. You can't feed him correctly if you don't know exactly what species he is, we will ID him for you...thanks!

 

[Merrit321]

In the first pic, the area is in the center, and the yellow spot in the second.
Oh, and for the ID, I have some video of him.
Link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCqZlvV0kwo
The video says Greek Tortoises, but that is apparently wrong. The video is at first the healthy one, then at 3:27, it's the hibernating/sick one.

 

[egyptiandan]

Your tortoise needs to see a vet, that specializes in tortoises, ASAP. Your tortoise has septicemia (which is an internal infection). You've gotten to the weeping fluid between the scutes stage and thats not good. It's going to take extensive antibiotics and even than it might not work, I'm sorry to say
Also your tortoise is not a Russian tortoise, it's most likely a Greek tortoise. I would have a vet look at your other tortoise also as it might not be hibernating, but may be sick.

Danny

 

[Isa]

Good luck
I really hope your tortoise is going to be ok. Keep us updated please.

 

[egyptiandan]

They are both Antakyan greeks (most likely from Syria). They don't hibernate and tend to get sick if they get to cold.
A change in diet and the trip to the vets is in order.
Here's a good list of foods you can feed your tortoises http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-5823.html

Danny

 

[Merrit321]

Well, crap. About a 2 weeks ago when the tort first starting acting sluggish, I told my dad we hsould take him to the vet so instead, he google'd some tortoises, and though the russian looked the most familiar.

@egyptiandan Thank you very much, but I'm afraid ASAP will be after christmas because as a 13-year-old, extensive antibiotics and vet visits are a bit out of my average budget. Are there any things I can do before the vet?

@Isa I'll be sure to.

 

[ChiKat]

Would your parents be willing to pay for the vet visit now if you promised to pay them back?
I will admit I know next to nothing about tortoise illnesses, but it sounds like it's something that needs immediate attention.
Where did you get these little guys?

 

[Merrit321]

Well, after reading the post by Dan, he said if I could find an exotic vet, he would take them tomorrow. And I got them from a friend of my grandpa, which in hindsight wasn't very educated because he thought they were Grassland Tortoises because he worked at PetCo and that's the sheet you give the buyer, so it was somewhat of an adoption.

 

[ChiKat]

Well it sounds like the little torts are lucky to be with you!
If you let us know where you're located we might be able to help you find a good exotic vet.

 

[Merrit321]

I am in Lafayette, LA but I think I found one. I had never noticed it before, but after thinking about it, there's an exotic vet right next to one of the grocery stores.
And I think I've found the culprit of the septicimia: a staple. I have a log hide for the tortoises, which had some paper stapled on it. When I first got it, I ripped all the staples out but apparently I missed one. I think he climbed on top of it, his shell broke, and then it got infected in the substrate. Either that, or this came about before my ownership.

 

[spikethebest]

how is the little guy doing? did you go to the vet? what antibotics did the vet prescribe?

 

[Yvonne G]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I THINK septicemia is due to an internal problem. I really don't think it could have been the staple puncturing the carapace that caused it.

 

[Tim/Robin]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I THINK septicemia is due to an internal problem. I really don't think it could have been the staple puncturing the carapace that caused it.

Spepticemia is a wide spread, systemic infection. The the initial source could be from anything, both external such as a skin or shell infection and internal such as pneumonia. Any infection left long enough and untreated will likely result in a wide spread systemic infection, septicemia. Septicemia often is a broad term for "a blood stream infection".

 

[Rhyno47]

Invest in a new camera as well.

 

[dmmj]

I don't think a staple could puncture the shell, unless it was soft.

 

[Merrit321]

Well, some sad news. Typically when you picked him up, he would ook around with his eyes closed, but today when we were about to bring him to the vet, he didn't move at all. My father took him to the vet after he brought me to school and he told me the vewt said he wasn't showing enough signs of life to even know what was wrong.

I am now down to one Greek tortoise.

 

[spikethebest]

i am so sorry for your loss. please take this as a learning lesson. everyone on this forum has lost a tortoise one way or another. just learn as much as you can. and try to take care of your other greek as best as possible. and always take your tortoise to a vet if you suspect something serious like that. infections are nothing to take lightly.

also, we are always here for you, so come here for advice, input, comments, or just a place to vent.

 

[egyptiandan]

I'm sorry to hear that

Now on to the one you have left How do you have him/her set-up? How long are the lights on for. What kind of lights do you have? What are your temperatures, under basking spot, warm end, cool end and night time?
Sorry for all the questions, but knowing how to take care of the Greek you have left will hopefully keep him/her healthy for years to come.

Danny