I'm new here HELP

[Amira and the torts]

Hi guys I'm new here I live in north Africa I own two greek tortoises, to explain my tortoise's case well I need to say that vets know nothing about tortoises here I tried four vets and no use
All they did was disinfect and that's it no antibiotic no nothing so I took it upon my self to heal him
So here's what happened to him his name is lukaku btw:
So three days ago I picked him up only to notice that two scutes lofted up with a yellowish pinkish liquid oozing out also as if the flesh underneath is swollen or something.
Only one vet accepted to see him, he emptied all the liquid and cleaned it up and told me it's a dietary issue and that I need to give him a calcium and protein rich diet and if the problem persisted he suggested resin to glue the scutes back down
He didn't give any antibiotic which made me suspicious
Also my tortoise is still eating and very energetic

That's it please help me, and please suggest over the counter tortoise antibiotic to buy for him online, I'm so worried about him

Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

Is this tortoise kept indoors under a light? My first thought was the light is too close to his shell and has burned the tender new growth.

 

[wellington]

You are not alone when it comes to vets not knowing tortoises. It's like that every where.
@Yvonne G may be able to help.
Give us a run down of his care, lighting, heating, diet, etc, everything you can think of

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Has there been any recent injury? Are the tortoises kept together?

 

[EppsDynasty]

@Amira and the torts you will have to post either pics or detailed info of housing, temperatures and care in order to get the help lukaku needs. You can and will get expert advice and help here it's just more info needed.

 

[Amira and the torts]

Is this tortoise kept indoors under a light? My first thought was the light is too close to his shell and has burned the tender new growth.

No he's an outdoor tortoise, they live in our garden they sneak inside the house sometimes

 

[Amira and the torts]

You are not alone when it comes to vets not knowing tortoises. It's like that every where.
@Yvonne G may be able to help.
Give us a run down of his care, lighting, heating, diet, etc, everything you can think of

I didn't get him as a baby so I don't know about his life prior to that, he lives in our garden nothing artificial
greek tortoises are endemic to my country and common in gardens
For his food I feed them leaves from the garden, lettuce, veggies and occasionally fruits lately i started sprinkling egg shells on their food for calcium
Two habits I noticed are:
They like to sleep on wet areas a lot and water puddles
They sneak to the house and sleep behind the dishwasher and the fridge
I don't know if that could affect them but I felt like mentioning it

 

[Amira and the torts]

Has there been any recent injury? Are the tortoises kept together?

Yes they live together, also no no injury but he likes to squeeze himself in tiny spaces to the point where he's stuck could it be a reason??

 

[Amira and the torts]

@Amira and the torts you will have to post either pics or detailed info of housing, temperatures and care in order to get the help lukaku needs. You can and will get expert advice and help here it's just more info needed.

His housing isn't artificial or controlled by me both tortoises live in our garden, they lived in this type of enclosure their whole life
About his care I clean them with water only occasionally and feed them leaves, lettuce, veggies and occasionally fruits I started sprinkling eggshells on their food for calcium

 

[Amira and the torts]

No he's an outdoor tortoise, they live in our garden they sneak inside the house sometimes

Also they sneak behind the fridge and the dishwasher could the heat from them be a reason ?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome, I can’t advise a whole lot but there are a few things of note, tortoise of any species should NEVER be housed in pairs under any circumstances, they’re incredibly territorial, behaviours that look cute to us really aren’t, following one another and sleeping huddled up is all bullying the the tortoise world, you’ll eventually see more extreme signs of aggression. Anyone who tells you pairs are fine, have no idea what they’re talking about.
Small groups are ok when there’s lots of land and the correct male to female ratio. These two could really do with separating, perhaps you could put a boarder between them in your garden?

I’d also discourage letting them roam your house, there’s just numerous reasons it isn’t a good idea unfortunately, harmful floor cleaners, foreign objects being swallowed, getting stuck under things they shouldn’t like shelving or sofas, or in your case, a fridge lol, low temperatures, no uv, getting hit by doors, one member has mentioned they knew someone who’s tort got their head crushed in a door jam😣, flipping hazards, smooth services, the list goes on and is endless.
They feel most comfortable and safe in a space that best mimics their natural environment, so an appropriate sized enclosure is always the ultimate goal, your climate sounds perfect so a secure outdoor space definitely works best for you😊

I would also generally advise you not feed any fruit, they aren’t built to digest it properly like fruit eating species and it can mess with their gut flora.

Hopefully the others can help advise you on the shell situation, wishing you all the best from the uk!❤️

 

[Amira and the torts]

Hello and welcome, I can’t advise a whole lot but there are a few things of note, tortoise of any species should NEVER be housed in pairs under any circumstances, they’re incredibly territorial, behaviours that look cute to us really aren’t, following one another and sleeping huddled up is all bullying the the tortoise world, you’ll eventually see more extreme signs of aggression. Anyone who tells you pairs are fine, have no idea what they’re talking about.
Small groups are ok when there’s lots of land and the correct male to female ratio. These two could really do with separating, perhaps you could put a boarder between them in your garden?

I’d also discourage letting them roam your house, there’s just numerous reasons it isn’t a good idea unfortunately, harmful floor cleaners, foreign objects being swallowed, getting stuck under things they shouldn’t like shelving or sofas, or in your case, a fridge lol, low temperatures, no uv, getting hit by doors, one member has mentioned they knew someone who’s tort got their head crushed in a door jam😣, flipping hazards, smooth services, the list goes on and is endless.
They feel most comfortable and safe in a space that best mimics their natural environment, so an appropriate sized enclosure is always the ultimate goal, your climate sounds perfect so a secure outdoor space definitely works best for you😊

I would also generally advise you not feed any fruit, they aren’t built to digest it properly like fruit eating species and it can mess with their gut flora.

Hopefully the others can help advise you on the shell situation, wishing you all the best from the uk!❤️

I try keeping them in the garden but they're so sneaky.
the garden is big enough they're rarely in contact. I've started feeding them separately cause the big one did bully the smaller one so I have experience with that 😬
Anyway thanks 😊

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I try keeping them in the garden but they're so sneaky.
the garden is big enough they're rarely in contact. I've started feeding them separately cause the big one did bully the smaller one so I have experience with that 😬
Anyway thanks 😊

It’s good you have a big space but I would definitely consider reinforcing a separation boarder, especially giving the fact you’ve noticed bullying before, there’s no telling if one will charge at the other whilst you aren’t there and cause an injury, hopefully that wasn’t the cause of the shell problem but at least with them permanently separated you can eliminate that risk🙂the sight of one another can also be quite stressful for them too.

No problem! I hope the shell improves for you🐢💚

 

[Amira and the torts]

It’s good you have a big space but I would definitely consider reinforcing a separation boarder, especially giving the fact you’ve noticed bullying before, there’s no telling if one will charge at the other whilst you aren’t there and cause an injury, hopefully that wasn’t the cause of the shell problem but at least with them permanently separated you can eliminate that risk🙂the sight of one another can also be quite stressful for them too.

No problem! I hope the shell improves for you🐢💚

I hope so 🙏

 

[wellington]

Yes,squeezing himself into spaces he gets stuck could have damaged a scute, either trying to get in the spot or put. Also then being in the same garden, the one could have hurt the other by constant ramming, maybe when the one was stuck.
I would put a divider in the garden so they have their own space and not let them in the house and block or remove any tight squeezes.
You do need to keep the lifted scute area clean and be sure flies or other bugs do not get into it. Any over the counter any cream would work for keeping away infection but I'm not sure you should put anything on it. Maybe tape a piece of gauze over it to keep dirt and bugs out, changing it when it looks dirty or every two to three days.
Also be sure they have bowls of water to drink from, low sided clay saucers work good for this

 

[Amira and the torts]

Yes,squeezing himself into spaces he gets stuck could have damaged a scute, either trying to get in the spot or put. Also then being in the same garden, the one could have hurt the other by constant ramming, maybe when the one was stuck.
I would put a divider in the garden so they have their own space and not let them in the house and block or remove any tight squeezes.
You do need to keep the lifted scute area clean and be sure flies or other bugs do not get into it. Any over the counter any cream would work for keeping away infection but I'm not sure you should put anything on it. Maybe tape a piece of gauze over it to keep dirt and bugs out, changing it when it looks dirty or every two to three days.
Also be sure they have bowls of water to drink from, low sided clay saucers work good for this

I've been cleaning it everyday with iodine solution and put more thought in his diet I got him an antiseptic cream from the pharmacy for the open spots also he sleeps in the house now to keep him dry and clean at all time
That's all I'm doing I don't know what else to do to help
Anyway thanks a lot

 

[wellington]

Do not use iodine every day. One cleaning with it is enough. Too much to often can slow healing

 

[Amira and the torts]

Do not use iodine every day. One cleaning with it is enough. Too much to often can slow healing

Every two days or what do you suggest?

 

[Sarah2020]

You need to ensure flies can not get access and lay eggs as you will have maggots. Get done savalon ointment and put over the wound. Calcium is key for healing so ensure you continue egg shell or provide a cuttle fish bone similar to what birds are given. I also recommend warm shallow soaks separately in clean water in a high sided container for 30 mins this helps hydrate which is important.

 

[Amira and the torts]

You need to ensure flies can not get access and lay eggs as you will have maggots. Get done savalon ointment and put over the wound. Calcium is key for healing so ensure you continue egg shell or provide a cuttle fish bone similar to what birds are given. I also recommend warm shallow soaks separately in clean water in a high sided container for 30 mins this helps hydrate which is important.

The soaking thing is something I did occasionally for them yet I'm confused now about it cause my country is 90% a Sahara and local greek tortoises like mine almost never bathe or drink water directly it's very rare