My turtle bites himself 🥺

TammyJ

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Thanks for the information! So maybe he really is a RES. I hope that now we know all this about him, someone will have an answer to the biting problem. It must be very worrying for you!
 

TammyJ

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It looks like he has advanced MBD, from lack of UVB and correct conditions over so many years. But I understand that he is very precious to you and you really need to try to help him.
 

TammyJ

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To be honest though, I think he may really be suffering quite a lot, and if you can't fix the biting behavior, it may mean that the problem is neurological and that euthanasia would be the kindest thing you could do for him now. @Tom
 
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Thanks for the information! So maybe he really is a RES. I hope that now we know all this about him, someone will have an answer to the biting problem. It must be very worrying for you!
Thank you sooo much Tammy.
It means a lot.
Here in France, they are unknown with a bad reputation of predators …☹️
Thanks for the information! So maybe he really is a RES. I hope that now we know all this about him, someone will have an answer to the biting problem. It must be very worrying for you!

Thanks for the information! So maybe he really is a RES. I hope that now we know all this about him, someone will have an answer to the biting problem. It must be very worrying for you!

Thanks for the information! So maybe he really is a RES. I hope that now we know all this about him, someone will have an answer to the biting problem. It must be very worrying for you!
Thanks for the information! So maybe he really is a RES. I hope that now we know all this about him, someone will have an answer to the biting problem. It must be very worrying for you!
Thanks for the information! So maybe he really is a RES. I hope that now we know all this about him, someone will ha an answer to the biting problem. It must be very worrying for you!
Thanks for the information! So maybe he really is a RES. I hope that now we know all this about him, someone will have an answer to the biting problem. It must be very worrying for you!
Thanks for the information! So maybe he really is a RES. I hope that now we know all this about him, someone will have an answer to the biting problem. It must be very worrying for you!


It looks like he has advanced MBD, from lack of UVB and correct conditions over so many years. But I understand that he is very precious to you and you really need to try to help him.
He is my baby 😭
 
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To be honest though, I think he may really be suffering quite a lot, and if you can't fix the biting behavior, it may mean that the problem is neurological and that euthanasia would be the kindest thing you could do for him now. @Tom
I thought about that too…😖
But if it was hormonal ? removing his testicles could be the solution ? His vet doesn’t want to try this surgery cause it’s very hard to access…
And yes, we can’t keep going on like that.
 
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It looks like he has advanced MBD, from lack of UVB and correct conditions over so many years. But I understand that he is very precious to you and you really need to try to help him.
I had 4 turtles, 2 males and 2 females and all of them had the same care, access to direct sun food and attention from me until they were 8 years old.
The 3 others had a perfect shell all their lives. While he turned hunchback around 2years old.

When he was 8, he started bite himself when I left my parents so I took him with me in my small student room and he stopped. For only do that at the rute time around October.
But it begins to happen more and more oftenly for too long now.
None of the 3 others never acted like him.
So why him ?
And yes, reading you guys and getting more and more information, it’s an evidence.
I don’t have words to describe our relationship and how much I love him ! I didn’t have enough to provide him good care nearly his whole life. And a lake of UV and space in the water for so long is undeniable. 😫
 

TammyJ

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Please don't feel bad. You have given him your very best love and caring for so long! You are a wonderful human being and that little reptile of yours has been a very lucky guy! Plus, I was thinking about the situation with the biting. Suppose that he is blind. You put him in water to feed him, so he expects food to be in the water even though he can't see it. So, if you put him in water, he is going to be biting anything he encounters, in case it is food, especially if he is hungry. He is biting to try to eat.
 
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Please don't feel bad. You have given him your very best love and caring for so long! You are a wonderful human being and that little reptile of yours has been a very lucky guy! Plus, I was thinking about the situation with the biting. Suppose that he is blind. You put him in water to feed him, so he expects food to be in the water even though he can't see it. So, if you put him in water, he is going to be biting anything he encounters, in case it is food, especially if he is hungry. He is biting to try to eat.
Thank you so much, 🙏❤️
We have hard time here…
No, he sees very well, dans from far too !
When he has relax time we don’t want to disturb him, and we stuck to walls, moving slowly try not to be seen, but he is a snipper ! And usually he is stronger than us at this game 🐢😎😋
No need to precise that the reflect of himself or another turtle ( doesn’t care about any other animal ( doves, rabbit, dog…) put him in rage mode. Even a draw of a turtle !!! 😡
 
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Please don't let the vet do any kind of operation on him right now, as it may be unnecessary and hurt or kill him.
Hi Tammy,
Yes, of course!
I will try to get an appointment tomorrow ( today off day ) in emergency to talk to him about MBD and the deficiency of vitamins and calcium.
I would like to have a X-ray of his squelton and a Blood test.
What do you think ?
Maybe we could find a treatment to provide the specifics vitamins and calcium he is missing.
So he could be more quiet and come back to a normal life of a happy turtle…🥹
 
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Hi Tammy !
we came back from the vet and we have an appointment for next week Tuesday we’re gonna make “La totale” : x-ray, blood test for the vitamins, calcium, hormones and everything around the kidneys liver and more...
Still have to wait one week 💪
But we have a « window » … 🤞🤞🤞
He was so nice for the traveling and in the waiting room.Everyone found him super cute
😅🐢😎
But when back home… 😓
Never mind !
We will pretty soon know more, and I do my best to « occupy » him for waiting…
Thank you again Tammy for your support and the all info. 🙏🙏🙏
I felt
 

TammyJ

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Everything that I know about RES turtles or what I think I know is from having kept them for years, or from the real experts here on this forum. I can only help in a limited way and from my experience with them . We don't even have any real reptile vets in Jamaica. Anyway I really hope the problem with Tosca can be solved! Thanks for keeping us informed.
 

Beasty_Artemis

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Emberasssingly all the ladies in my family have that problem! People Zone - out and destroy their skin and stuff. Terrible!
 
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How's Tosca doing now?
Bonjour Tammy !
Yesterday was the raw, fresh breast chicken meal day… usually he eat 50g ( +/- 5 % of his weight ) but he didn’t enjoy, he only ate 20g
Still trying to bite himself in the water or outside…turning on himself and peeing while but we manage to prevent him from doing it… the wounds are nearly healed …
Still hard time but we keep trusting on a possible solution to help him.
Tuesday is the DDay.
Thank you Tammy. Speak to you soon !
Sam
 
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Everything that I know about RES turtles or what I think I know is from having kept them for years, or from the real experts here on this forum. I can only help in a limited way and from my experience with them . We don't even have any real reptile vets in Jamaica. Anyway I really hope the problem with Tosca can be solved! Thanks for keeping us informed.m
 
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Good morning TammyJ,
Tosca did the XRay yesterday and the blood tests.They are sent to Germany, résultats at the end of the week…
The X-ray show a scoliosis as he has a hunchback, but the Vet said bones are very good.
So no MBD.
And probably no calcium lake .
Hormones of turtles are not refered in Europe, anyway we tried different hormonal treatments that didn’t work.
Waiting to know about his liver and kidneys … if there is a lack of something we could provide.
Otherwise it’s mental… ( while he was awakening from the anesthesia, at the vet, he bite himself so hard he broke a nail…😓
We surround to the obvious 😖
 

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