Hello, I'm new to this site and hoping some of you much more experienced users will be able to guide me.
We have a 15-yr old female tortoise that we are looking after for my parents-in-law for 3 weeks. She arrived this morning and has the run of our fairly small back garden.
Within a few hours we noticed some gloopy, mucus-like stuff around her mouth, which was gluing her mouth shut. She could still breathe but it seemed to be covering her entire mouth. It was thick and very sticky. I had to pull it off with a tissue and she immediately went and ate, so it seemed to be stopping her opening her mouth.
My partner has fed her rocket leaves, apple and something she assumed was dandelion, but now worries it might not have been.
I wonder if anyone has any advice? We've sent a photo to my parents-in-law and they don't remember ever seeing anything like this before.
We are worried there might be a plant she's suddenly been exposed to that has caused this. And that if it had spread and covered her nostrils as well it could have suffocated her.
Thanks in advance for your help!
We have a 15-yr old female tortoise that we are looking after for my parents-in-law for 3 weeks. She arrived this morning and has the run of our fairly small back garden.
Within a few hours we noticed some gloopy, mucus-like stuff around her mouth, which was gluing her mouth shut. She could still breathe but it seemed to be covering her entire mouth. It was thick and very sticky. I had to pull it off with a tissue and she immediately went and ate, so it seemed to be stopping her opening her mouth.
My partner has fed her rocket leaves, apple and something she assumed was dandelion, but now worries it might not have been.
I wonder if anyone has any advice? We've sent a photo to my parents-in-law and they don't remember ever seeing anything like this before.
We are worried there might be a plant she's suddenly been exposed to that has caused this. And that if it had spread and covered her nostrils as well it could have suffocated her.
Thanks in advance for your help!