CaoAndMolar
New Member
My sister accidentally drop my 1 year old baby leopard tortoise thankfully my tortoise was still alive and no shell got cracked or anything but that was scary
My sister accidentally drop my 1 year old baby leopard tortoise
- Thread starter CaoAndMolar
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The_Four_Toed_Edward
Well-Known Member
Could you send photos of the underside of the shell? Are there any pink spots?
Wow, that could be deadly. Hatchings or any tortoise really, need to be off limits to anyone that is not old enough, too frail or too scared to handle what might be a squirming sharp nailed animal.
Keep a close eye on the tort and be sure he is acting normal. Usually there is no damage, but we can only see the outside, not what might have happened on the inside, so paying close attention for a few days is needed.
Keep a close eye on the tort and be sure he is acting normal. Usually there is no damage, but we can only see the outside, not what might have happened on the inside, so paying close attention for a few days is needed.
CaoAndMolar
New Member
CaoAndMolar
New Member
And there aren’t any pink spots
@wellington , @zovick .. near the tail does the plastron look correct?
No, it looks cracked and pushed in
Can you carefully examine and touch the scutes right around the tail and tell if it's cracked and moves easily?
Thank you for your help. That is what I saw.
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I noticed the same thing as you and wellington. It's hard to figure out how dropping the tortoise could result in that type of injury, though, because those two anal scutes are so well protected by the carapace and marginal scutes.
Maybe the anal scutes are OK and they just look pushed in due to an optical illusion in the photo.
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Yes, I saw that and agree that it looks cracked, but I still can't figure out how simply dropping a tortoise could cause such a crack in that spot.
Those two anal scutes would have to have been the first point of contact which seems really unlikely from a drop.
I wonder if it was dropped on something other then a flat floor. It would have had to hit just right, but it obviously did for it to be cracked and then pushed in.
@Yvonne G how do you suggest they try to heal this little one?
Have a vet remove the scutes?
Maybe have a vet try to glue where the crack is?
I think I would try the gluing first.
Have a vet remove the scutes?
Maybe have a vet try to glue where the crack is?
I think I would try the gluing first.
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That seems like it would be more than a one in TEN million chance of happening to me. Plus young tortoises like that are still a bit flexible at that age and I don't think a crack like that could occur from simply dropping one. I have dropped a few myself over the years and never had one's shell crack or even chip a marginal scute.
I am wondering if something worse may have happened, such as it was stepped on or otherwise traumatized somehow and the OP and/or sister just said it was dropped.
I agree, it would be one in a million.
Hopefully the owner can give more details on what happened other then a drop. Maybe the sister did more then she is saying.
