So, Esmeralda had her first ever trip to the vet yesterday. I send her poo annually to them, but I decided to take her in this time, for a little tortoise MOT.
Well, she does NOT like the vets.
The first thing she did was pee all over the vet, who then decided she wanted to open Ezzie's mouth, and did make a sterling effort, but Ezzie was not having it. She withdrew into her shell, taking the poor woman's finger with her. I have never seen her front legs so tight into her shell.
When the vet finally got her finger out, (ouch) she decided to abandon attempting it again! Ezzie then proceeded to **** herself, literally, and peed on the vet again. She wouldn't even sit still on the weighing scales.
When I picked her up and talked to her (in that baby voice/lunatic way that we all do) she poked out her head but every time the vet touched her she kicked her legs or just completely withdrew into her shell.
I was apologising like an embarrassed mother for at least five minutes. Needless to say, the tub of tortoise poo I'd been carrying around in my handbag all morning wasn't needed after Ezzie contributed the fresh sample.
Anyway, after about 10 minutes, as I was holding her up and the vet was giving her a once over, she seemed to have, what I can only describe as, a hot flush. Her skin went pinky in colour, at the tops of her legs, the base of her tail and around her neck.
I started freaking out a bit then. The vet said it was probably just due to her being stressed. On closer inspection it actually looked like she had a rash, as patches of her skin looked pink or had pinkish spots.
When we got back home she had a soak and stayed out in the garden for a few more hours before going to sleep for the night. The pinkness had vanished this morning but I could still see a few faint pink spots.
It's ironic that in 10 years I've never seen a vet and as soon as I do, something weird happens.
Has anyone seen anything similar? Is it possible for a tortoise to 'blush' or what?
Well, she does NOT like the vets.
The first thing she did was pee all over the vet, who then decided she wanted to open Ezzie's mouth, and did make a sterling effort, but Ezzie was not having it. She withdrew into her shell, taking the poor woman's finger with her. I have never seen her front legs so tight into her shell.
When the vet finally got her finger out, (ouch) she decided to abandon attempting it again! Ezzie then proceeded to **** herself, literally, and peed on the vet again. She wouldn't even sit still on the weighing scales.
When I picked her up and talked to her (in that baby voice/lunatic way that we all do) she poked out her head but every time the vet touched her she kicked her legs or just completely withdrew into her shell.
I was apologising like an embarrassed mother for at least five minutes. Needless to say, the tub of tortoise poo I'd been carrying around in my handbag all morning wasn't needed after Ezzie contributed the fresh sample.
Anyway, after about 10 minutes, as I was holding her up and the vet was giving her a once over, she seemed to have, what I can only describe as, a hot flush. Her skin went pinky in colour, at the tops of her legs, the base of her tail and around her neck.
I started freaking out a bit then. The vet said it was probably just due to her being stressed. On closer inspection it actually looked like she had a rash, as patches of her skin looked pink or had pinkish spots.
When we got back home she had a soak and stayed out in the garden for a few more hours before going to sleep for the night. The pinkness had vanished this morning but I could still see a few faint pink spots.
It's ironic that in 10 years I've never seen a vet and as soon as I do, something weird happens.
Has anyone seen anything similar? Is it possible for a tortoise to 'blush' or what?
