I have never noticed a problem with my russian, do I still need to take him to the vet?
Is it important to bring your Tortoise to the Vet? Or only if they are sick?
- Thread starter UMDRunner
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I'd say no. Some people take all their new torts to the vet. I only take the ones that seem like they need it. If you've had him for awhile and he's fine, I wouldn't put him through the stress of it for no reason. However if you have concerns then I'd say yes!
ok thanks, thats especially reasuring for a poor college kid haha.
This is a yes and a no answer for me.
Yes you should take him to a vet. If your new to torts you really should have another opinion of his health and have him accurately weighed so you can better know how he (and you) are doing. Then to me the main reason to take him to a vet is this....knowledge and trust. Okay so right now your tort is appearing healthy, but what if on Friday night your tort suddenly has an emergency? Who are you going to call? By not seeing a vet with a well animal you have lost what could make the difference between life and death for your animal. The vet has no baseline of your animal's normal weight, behavior, ect.., He/She is more likely to see you off hours emergency if your a known patient. Last and in many ways more importantly, you have lost the time to find not only a vet, but one who knows tortoises. A vet whom you can work with...and working with a vet is very important. You need to both have a start of knowing and trusting each other before an emergency. Emergencies change people and make for a poor bonding time.
The answer to taking every animal to a vet is no...IF you know your animals, if you have a vet already you work with, if you at least do take a stool sample in, if you do have written records with weights and dates. If your getting a captive raised in from somebody you trust or even a long term captive then also probably you don't need to.
Yes you should take him to a vet. If your new to torts you really should have another opinion of his health and have him accurately weighed so you can better know how he (and you) are doing. Then to me the main reason to take him to a vet is this....knowledge and trust. Okay so right now your tort is appearing healthy, but what if on Friday night your tort suddenly has an emergency? Who are you going to call? By not seeing a vet with a well animal you have lost what could make the difference between life and death for your animal. The vet has no baseline of your animal's normal weight, behavior, ect.., He/She is more likely to see you off hours emergency if your a known patient. Last and in many ways more importantly, you have lost the time to find not only a vet, but one who knows tortoises. A vet whom you can work with...and working with a vet is very important. You need to both have a start of knowing and trusting each other before an emergency. Emergencies change people and make for a poor bonding time.
The answer to taking every animal to a vet is no...IF you know your animals, if you have a vet already you work with, if you at least do take a stool sample in, if you do have written records with weights and dates. If your getting a captive raised in from somebody you trust or even a long term captive then also probably you don't need to.
Ok, I guess I will contemplate taking Tank in for a check up. How do I go about looking for a good tortoise vet? Also, how much is a normal check-up?
I know most people say to keep track of weights, what is a normal weight? Also, I know my scale won't cut it, what is the best type of scale to use?
thanks!
I know most people say to keep track of weights, what is a normal weight? Also, I know my scale won't cut it, what is the best type of scale to use?
thanks!
yes, a regular check up is best.
tortoises dont show emotion very much so they could be in pain, or sick and you wouldnt notice
tortoises dont show emotion very much so they could be in pain, or sick and you wouldnt notice
If I were going to look for a tort vet, first I would check with other tort or reptile owners in the area. I would also check with local zoos and even see who the local PetSmart type store uses. If that fails, I would start calling all the local vets and see if they have knowledge on torts.
Once you have a vet or two narrowed down. Talk with them. For this stage, your most likely going to have to go in for the checkup. Ask the questions..basically test their knowledge of the animal you have. Ask yourself if you like them? Do you feel comfortable with them and their staff?
Do they seem to listen to you? Do you like how they handle your animal? If they offer care advice or meds, listen and once you get home if your not sure how correct the vet's knowledge was, feel free to ask other tort owners if it sounds good.
Other nice questions to know, but not real deal breakers might be:
Are their costs reasonable or maybe do they have payment plans? Are they convenient to you? What about after hour emergencies?
To me having a good vet is as important as having a good Dr for your kids and yourself.
A normal vet visit will depend on the area you live, the vet, and what he actually does. You should be able to get a rough guesstamation of a visit before you go in.
I use a postal scale for my torts. Was maybe $50 dollars at Office Depot.
Once you have a vet or two narrowed down. Talk with them. For this stage, your most likely going to have to go in for the checkup. Ask the questions..basically test their knowledge of the animal you have. Ask yourself if you like them? Do you feel comfortable with them and their staff?
Do they seem to listen to you? Do you like how they handle your animal? If they offer care advice or meds, listen and once you get home if your not sure how correct the vet's knowledge was, feel free to ask other tort owners if it sounds good.
Other nice questions to know, but not real deal breakers might be:
Are their costs reasonable or maybe do they have payment plans? Are they convenient to you? What about after hour emergencies?
To me having a good vet is as important as having a good Dr for your kids and yourself.
A normal vet visit will depend on the area you live, the vet, and what he actually does. You should be able to get a rough guesstamation of a visit before you go in.
I use a postal scale for my torts. Was maybe $50 dollars at Office Depot.
Thanks Jacqui, that helped a lot. I'll have to check into some local vets
I believe you can find a postal scale at walmart, also you can use a food scale they are 15 bucks or so at walmart, eventually they may out grow it, but so far mine weigh fine on it. You should get one so that you can weigh your tort at least every month and keep a record, that way you know if it is gaining or losing weight. Where are you located and I can probabley find a herp vet for you or maybe even a few to choose from.
Sorry this is so long but it is something I feel so very passionate about.
UMDRunner, Jacqui is right finding a good vet is very, very important, and having one you trust who knows torts before a crisis is worth $$$ and more important peace of mind. I spent over $300 on a vet that gave my two torts the wrong meds They just got sicker. I was frantic. She even told me she might not be able to help them and she might have to send me to a tort specialist. (I had asked her if she had treated torts and understood them) Then after much searching and more than 2 weeks later I found a good Tort vet. He did a culture and found what was really wrong with them. Gave them the right meds and within a few weeks they were fine. In fact I now have three eggs incubating from that pair. The second vet cost me a total of $168 for two visits and fixed what was wrong with my torts. I trust him. He doesn’t have much of a personality but he knows his stuff. His office cost is $30, Meds (two weeks of Baytril and B-12 shots) are $42. And Peace of mind that my shelled friends are taken care of by the best I can provide, priceless. No more wondering if I shelled out Hundreds of dollars to a vet that knows nothing and is guessing and making my animals more ill. And fecal samples I just take one in for a new tort. He screens it and lets me know if they have a problem. He wants to stress them as least a possible so I don’t have to take them in just for a fecal. Trust us look for a good vet now. Ask questions do research with other reptile owners and get a vet that you can trust and that knows torts if at all possible. Look up RI and understand all you can NOW. So when and if the time comes you are ready.
UMDRunner, Jacqui is right finding a good vet is very, very important, and having one you trust who knows torts before a crisis is worth $$$ and more important peace of mind. I spent over $300 on a vet that gave my two torts the wrong meds They just got sicker. I was frantic. She even told me she might not be able to help them and she might have to send me to a tort specialist. (I had asked her if she had treated torts and understood them) Then after much searching and more than 2 weeks later I found a good Tort vet. He did a culture and found what was really wrong with them. Gave them the right meds and within a few weeks they were fine. In fact I now have three eggs incubating from that pair. The second vet cost me a total of $168 for two visits and fixed what was wrong with my torts. I trust him. He doesn’t have much of a personality but he knows his stuff. His office cost is $30, Meds (two weeks of Baytril and B-12 shots) are $42. And Peace of mind that my shelled friends are taken care of by the best I can provide, priceless. No more wondering if I shelled out Hundreds of dollars to a vet that knows nothing and is guessing and making my animals more ill. And fecal samples I just take one in for a new tort. He screens it and lets me know if they have a problem. He wants to stress them as least a possible so I don’t have to take them in just for a fecal. Trust us look for a good vet now. Ask questions do research with other reptile owners and get a vet that you can trust and that knows torts if at all possible. Look up RI and understand all you can NOW. So when and if the time comes you are ready.
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