Is this normal?

[ainfalt]

Hello, I have had my sulcata for less than one week. He's eight years old. When I watch him walk around the yard outside I noticed that he drops the back of the shell each time he takes a step. He doesn't always do this but he mostly does it when he's walking slowly. Is this normal?

Thanks!

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Also, How often should he get into his water? I have a baby pool that is cut down so he can walk into a easily but I don't think he's gotten into it yet. He has been with me since last Friday.

 

[mainey34]

Can you post pics of him? He may need time to adjust,, or may not like the pool. Give him time. See if he will get in on his own...

 

[ascott]

A video would be helpful

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Weak back legs? This makes me wonder if he has MBD issues. A picture if not video would help

 

[radiatata]

Does it appear his back legs are weak? Is he active? How's his apetite? These can help rule out illness

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Do you have calcium powder? If you aren't using it yet, start. MVB bulb and or good, unfiltered sunlight? I think MBD is certainly suspect. Also, if it didn't have the opportunity to exercise as much as needed, it could have weak legs.

 

[Yvonne G]

I know exactly what you are talking about. I raised two aldabran tortoises from hatchlings. They are in a yard that is mostly clover. I didn't realize that a diet of strictly clover wasn't a good diet, and that my soil is calcium poor, and about two years ago I started seeing the results of not enough calcium for the tortoises. One of them walked exactly like you say you are seeing in your tortoise.

I immediately started giving them human calcium pills and it is starting to clear up, but it has taken a couple years to start seeing results.

Just remember that the calcium works in conjunction with the sun. Without the sun, the calcium won't help your tortoise at all.

 

[ainfalt]

I want to get a video up ASAP. The problem is that I have not noticed him moving around at all. I work daytime hours and get off at 3:30 PM and by the time I get off of work I don't see him moving at all. I'm not sure how his appetite is because he stays in one place. He is outside all day and gets a lot of sun. I'm not sure what MBD is. I will look it up and do some research. I'm not using calcium powder at this time but I'm going to go get some tomorrow. Since I'm off this weekend I'll be able to observe him more closely and describe his activity in more detail. And hopefully get a really good video. I have added some pictures of him from the first day he was with me. He was very active then and ate a lot!

 

[ainfalt]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HafBrVqUNw0&feature=YouTube.be

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http://http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XRc7V65xl3g

 

[Weda737]

That is a weak looking walk... Do you know what his conditions were before you got him? Did he get any outside time?

 

[Tom]

Don't know what wrong with the weak back end. Calcium won't hurt though. Can you post a pic of the back feet showing us the toenails. I recently read an article about incorrect toenail conformation causing the giants to have walking problems.

Most of them will not get into a cut out kiddie pool like that. Mine never did. You need a shallow tub of some sort for drinking and a large cement mixing tub or horse watering trough for soaking.

 

[ainfalt]

The first day I had him he was walking around like crazy pretty quickly. He kept the shell up the whole time. But now he is still dragging his shell and the walking looks very laborious. I realized that one of the plants in my yard is not good for tortoises so I cut them both down completely. I'm just wondering if there is anything else in the yard that might be causing him harm. We have the typical Arizona weeds and some grass. I have fenced off a Chinaberry tree that we have in the yard. Does anybody know of a website that has a dangerous plant list with pictures?

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This is his left back foot and his right back foot. Hopefully you can see the toes okay.

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

Wow, he is beautiful!! I would have his back legs checked by a vet. It looks like one leg bothers him.

 

[Tom]

Can't see the toenails in those pics at all. Someone need to hold him up off the ground so you cages pics of the bottoms of the feet and the fronts of the feet showing the length of each toenail. This might not even be your problem, but it's worth a look.

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Where are you?

How was he housed before you got him? Indoors or out?

Have you given him a warm water soak yet?

That wire fencing will not contain him and could possibly injure him. You need to use something solid that he can't see through. Cinder blocks, plywood, railroad ties, corrugated metal, etc...

 

[ainfalt]

I'm in Gilbert. I will try to get better pics holding him.

He was housed outside. The person I got him from said he and the other tortoise they had were fighting. When he got here that first day nothing was wrong with his legs.

I have not done a warm water soak it. How deep does the water need to be? I did put him in the water outside and he liked it a lot. It got some ants off that were bothering him and he drank a lot. His appetite is getting better & he's slowly becoming more active. But he's still walking slowly. I was hoping that whatever got in his system is slowly getting out now and he's getting better.

 

[Tom]

He might have been stung by ants.

Do you know every weed in your yard? Might he have eaten something he shouldn't have?

Soak water should come up to the area where the carapace meets the plastron. You've got a wide margin of error on a tort that big. I'll guess around 3-4" deep would do it. Use a large enough tub that he can't see or climb out of.

 

[Blakem]

Poor guy. Glad you found the forum so that we can help! Hope he gets better ASAP! Good luck

 

[Anjulene]

Not only the back ones look like they are missing toenails but the front left one looks that way also plus the right front seems to be short a few. How old is your tortoise?

If you need a list of poison plants in you area your local Herp. Society should be able to help plus most Tortoise books should have a full list of plants for you to avoid. I like "Sulcatas" by Russ Gurley. It has a list of common poisonous plants I
have been removing from my back yard as quickly as possible. My book says if they eat these plants they will become ill with problems such as paralysis or drowning.

I agree with the gentleman above who suggests to take your Tortoise to the vet. If that is too costly contact the Herp society in your area for ideas or check out www.arav.com for info and to find a qualified Tortoise vet in you area. Cat and Dog Vets consider these to be Exotics and will not usually see them. University Vet dept. will usually see tortoises and other exotic animals.

Probably More than you wanted to hear but I Hope I helped some. Keep us updated. I would Like to hear that all goes well.

 

[Anjulene]

Oops...looks like two pictures of my smallest Tortoise got attached. Sorry about that.

 

[Steve_McQueen]

Could he have ingested a rock or something similar? An impaction could cause weak/paralyzed legs, couldn't it?