Lost my 2 girls within a week of each other

Thalia305

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My two Herman’s tortoises have passed away, one last Saturday and one tonight. Both showed no signs of illness at all other than being slightly off their food which I attributed to the time of year.
I am absolutely devastated, I have had them since they were babies. They hatched in 2016 . Dolly was always smaller than Nelly but always ate well.
They have never been ill before, I just have no idea what has happened. The vet I spoke to also wasn’t sure, and just suggested it might have been something contagious.
Has anyone else experienced this? I’m so upset and worrying that I’ve done something wrong after 6 years to hurt them :(
 

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Ink

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I am not an expert however I would guess the larger one bullied the smaller. Cuddling is aggressive. It might be the substrate. I am so sorry for your loss please wait for an expert on
 

Toddrickfl1

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Im so sorry for your loss. It is strange to lose two like that so quickly? Did anything change in your husbandry lately?
 
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Thalia305

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I am not an expert however I would guess the larger one bullied the smaller. Cuddling is aggressive. It might be the substrate. I am so sorry for your loss please wait for an expert on
Hi thank you, I never saw Nelly bullying Dolly (the smaller one) they were really good at sharing foot etc…
 

Thalia305

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Im so sorry for your loss. It is strange to lose two like that so quickly? Did anything change in your husbandry lately?
Hi,
Nothing at all changed they had the same diet as always, same substrate and same amount of heat. The weather has been colder but nothing too dramatic. I was keeping a really close eye on Nelly (the larger one) after Dolly passed because I was worried about her being lonely but noticed nothing to indicate she was ill until I found her tonight.
 

Thalia305

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Just want to address there’s a typo they actually hatched in 2014 so they will be closer to 8/9 years :(
 

Charlotteandherbert

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My two Herman’s tortoises have passed away, one last Saturday and one tonight. Both showed no signs of illness at all other than being slightly off their food which I attributed to the time of year.
I am absolutely devastated, I have had them since they were babies. They hatched in 2016 . Dolly was always smaller than Nelly but always ate well.
They have never been ill before, I just have no idea what has happened. The vet I spoke to also wasn’t sure, and just suggested it might have been something contagious.
Has anyone else experienced this? I’m so upset and worrying that I’ve done something wrong after 6 years to hurt them :(
I’m sorry, how awful!! Sending virtual hugs from and and herbie x
 

zolasmum

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I am so very very sorry - I can't imagine how you must be feeling. It does sound like some sort of infection, to have affected both of them together. Would you want a vet to investigate further ? If it is a new sort of infection, it might help other tortoises in the future, for people to know about it. Your vet might know about possible tests, etc.
Angie x
 

Thalia305

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I am so very very sorry - I can't imagine how you must be feeling. It does sound like some sort of infection, to have affected both of them together. Would you want a vet to investigate further ? If it is a new sort of infection, it might help other tortoises in the future, for people to know about it. Your vet might know about possible tests, etc.
Angie x
Unfortunately I am a student so don’t have the funds for necropsy to find out. I have really cared for them as best I could, I got them when I was 15 so it’s a big loss for me.
 

MenagerieGrl

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I'm so sorry, I lost my buddy Gigantor a year and a half ago, so I know it's hard. two losses are that much harder....wishing you some peace....and hug's
 

KarenSoCal

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I also am so very sorry to hear about this awful loss. I found my tortoise dead at the end of brumation, so I understand your shock. ?

Have you by any chance had work done in your flat/house? Like remodeling or replacing? Have you used any new cleaning or deodorizing products lately?
 

zolasmum

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Unfortunately I am a student so don’t have the funds for necropsy to find out. I have really cared for them as best I could, I got them when I was 15 so it’s a big loss for me.
I don't know much about these things, but surely you shouldn't have to pay for something like that. It could be an important bit of information in the future. Is it worth asking your vet?
I am so sorry - we have a Herman's tortoise, and he is our greatest treasure - so I have some idea how you feel - such a terrible thing to happen.
Angie x
 

Thalia305

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I also am so very sorry to hear about this awful loss. I found my tortoise dead at the end of brumation, so I understand your shock. ?

Have you by any chance had work done in your flat/house? Like remodeling or replacing? Have you used any new cleaning or deodorizing products lately?
No work done in the house at all, and the same cleaning products as ever (I only used animal safe ones on their enclosure) I just can’t think of a reason for them both to go in one week.
 

Thalia305

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I don't know much about these things, but surely you shouldn't have to pay for something like that. It could be an important bit of information in the future. Is it worth asking your vet?
I am so sorry - we have a Herman's tortoise, and he is our greatest treasure - so I have some idea how you feel - such a terrible thing to happen.
Angie x
£200 unfortunately per animal…
 

MenagerieGrl

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I don't know much about these things, but surely you shouldn't have to pay for something like that. It could be an important bit of information in the future. Is it worth asking your vet?
I am so sorry - we have a Herman's tortoise, and he is our greatest treasure - so I have some idea how you feel - such a terrible thing to happen.
Angie x
If your talking about a necropsy, yes typically they do charge. I had a Eclectus parrot pass and was charged for a necropsy....
 

wellington

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So very sorry. What a hard loss. Tortoises do everything slow. Even if they have bad care it can take quite a while for it to affect them.
From the pic, the little one was under stress and that's noticed by how small it is compared to the bigger one of the same age. Tortoises should never be kept in pairs. The substrate is also wrong and should not be used. Coconut coir or orchid bark is recommended. The water dish is also a no go.
Did any of this I mention cause them to die? Possibly the too dry conditions and the stress living as a pair. When under stress, then any type of other problems can attack them and they are unable to fight it due to the stress.
What was the diet and their temps? Basking temp? All over temp? Night temps?
Did you ever give them warm water soaks?
What kind of uvb and heat/lighting did you use?
The answers might help us figure out what happened.
 
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Thalia305

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So very sorry. What a hard loss. Tortoises do everything slow. Even if they have bad care it can take quite a while for it to affect them.
From the pic, the little one was under stress and that's noticed by how small it is compared to the bigger one of the same age. Tortoises should never be kept in pairs. The substrate is also wrong and should not be used. Coconut coir or orchid bark is recommended. The water dish is also a no go.
Did any of this I mention cause them to die? Possibly the too dry conditions and the stress living as a pair. When under stress, then any type of other problems can attack them and they are unable to fight it due to the stress.
What was the diet and their temps? Basking temp? All over temp? Night temps?
Did you ever give them warm water soaks?
What kind of uvb and heat/lighting did you use?
The answers might help us figure out what
So very sorry. What a hard loss. Tortoises do everything slow. Even if they have bad care it can take quite a while for it to affect them.
From the pic, the little one was under stress and that's noticed by how small it is compared to the bigger one of the same age. Tortoises should never be kept in pairs. The substrate is also wrong and should not be used. Coconut coir or orchid bark is recommended. The water dish is also a no go.
Did any of this I mention cause them to die? Possibly the too dry conditions and the stress living as a pair. When under stress, then any type of other problems can attack them and they are unable to fight it due to the stress.
What was the diet and their temps? Basking temp? All over temp? Night temps?
Did you ever give them warm water soaks?
What kind of uvb and heat/lighting did you use?
The answers might help us figure out what happened.
They never seemed upset living as a pair they never showed any signs of bullying etc and would eat together. Dolly was always the smaller of the two she just never seemed to grow, I did take her to the vets but they just said she might be smaller naturally. They were soaked every 5-6 days with aired water and warmer water in winter/cold days. They had a mossy area which I kept damp and humid that can’t be seen on these photos (which are 4/5 years old). Substrate I used from 2019 onward was generic tortoise substrate from a pet shop (not what you can see in these photos as they were in a temp situation here for decorating). They had a heat lamp (UVB) daytime temp was usually around 18-20oC and basking area 28-30oC. At night this normally dropped but never got below 10oC. I got them when I was 15 and purchased all equipment from a reptile specialist shop, so if the bowls are wrong I was missold them unfortunately.
 

Tom

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The enclosure was too cool and too dry. The once a week soaking did not help. Living as a pair is very stressful and can take a toll. The long term chronic stress can hamper their immune systems. Moss shouldn't be used with tortoises as it can cause impaction.

All of those things together might have contributed, but I suspect toxicity. Like they ate something toxic.

For both of them to suddenly die like that within a few days, and the smaller one went first, speaks of poisoning to me. If only the smaller one had died, I might suspect the pair issue, but with both of them dying within a few days of each other, I suspect toxicity.

Also, reptile shops are infamous for giving bad tortoise info and selling all the wrong products and foods.

Sorry for your loss. I'd want to pay to find out what happened. I almost always pay for necropsy when there is an unexpected death. I want to know what mistake was made, if any, so that I can prevent future deaths or problems. Finding out the cause of death and learning from the experience is a way to make a horrible situation a little better.
 

Otty2021

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I am really sorry for your lost?. My hermann tort passed away 2 months ago, it's a very hard thing to go through.
I hope you are to able to find out the cause of the death. Sending you ?
 

MenagerieGrl

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The enclosure was too cool and too dry. The once a week soaking did not help. Living as a pair is very stressful and can take a toll. The long term chronic stress can hamper their immune systems. Moss shouldn't be used with tortoises as it can cause impaction.

All of those things together might have contributed, but I suspect toxicity. Like they ate something toxic.

For both of them to suddenly die like that within a few days, and the smaller one went first, speaks of poisoning to me. If only the smaller one had died, I might suspect the pair issue, but with both of them dying within a few days of each other, I suspect toxicity.

Also, reptile shops are infamous for giving bad tortoise info and selling all the wrong products and foods.

Sorry for your loss. I'd want to pay to find out what happened. I almost always pay for necropsy when there is an unexpected death. I want to know what mistake was made, if any, so that I can prevent future deaths or problems. Finding out the cause of death and learning from the experience is a way to make a horrible situation a little better.
I second, that!
That's why I paid for a necropsy on my Panda Girl, and My Goose, Lucy. Lucy was not acting right, I took her to our Avian Vet the next day and she died that afternoon. Turns out She (My Lucy) had a punctured intestine and had happened possibly a week earlier and had poisoned her insides, I would have never known if a Necropsy had never been preformed....
?‍⚕️
 
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