Near death experience!!!!!

[yillt]

The sun was shining and Billy was racing round the garden munching everything and everyone. I was lying on the grass watching him. I could just see the top of his shell as the grass is so long. Suddenly he stopped moving. I walked over (thinking it was nothing) and saw an orange thing coming out of his mouth. On a closer look I saw it was a deadly nightshade berry. We don't even have a deadly night shade plant in our garden. Panicking, I pulled it out of his mouth and he had gone all droopy. I rushed him inside and soaked him. He was foaming at the eyes mouth and nose. Suddenly he went tense and stopped moving. I thought he was dead. I gently prodded him and he opened his eyes. He was alive , just. We called the24 hour vet and luckily it was close so we rushed him over there. When we got there he was slightly better and he was moving about. They said he was fine and offered to flush out his stomach(make him vomit). We said we would take him home for a couple of hours and keep a close eye on him. On the way home he weed about half a pint(I'm not joking) and we think it was all the poison. He then ate a few pellets and is now having a soak. I was terrified and am glad to have my (almost) back to normal Billy. The photo below is of him now.

 

[becky_tortoise]

Glad it's all ok

 

[wellington]

Glad he is okay, quite a scare. Do you know where the berry came from? If its in your own yard, I would get rid of it. He will never be able to safely be outside if you don't. If it's a neighbors yard I would put up some kind of screen to prevent them from falling into your yard

 

[yillt]

Yes. We are moving in 2 weeks so hopefully our next house will be safe. We don't have the plant and for all I know neither do our neighbours. Tomorrow I am going on a "hunt" for other berries.

 

[bouaboua]

Thank you for sharing this. keep my eye out for my yard too.

 

[wellington]

If they aren't too close but to have blown in, then it was probably dropped by a bird. Sure hope they aren't at your new place

 

[Tom]

Hmm. I guess even though tortoises survived for millions of years without our help, they still occasionally make the wrong choice in our captive environments.

Glad your tortoise is okay.

 

[yillt]

Hmm. I guess even though tortoises survived for millions of years without our help, they still occasionally make the wrong choice in our captive environments.

Glad your tortoise is okay.

Billy seems to eat the wrong thing a lot. If it is bad he just sits there with it hanging out of his mouth waiting for me to help him.

 

[yillt]

Hi. Billy seems abit droopy and there are bubbles coming out of his nose. When I took him outside he kept rubbing the left side of his head against his leg. He didn't eat anything but then again he ate loads yesterday. He is eating his pellets though. His eyes seem abit puffy. Is he ok? What should I do?Could this be to do with yesterday?

 

[stinax182]

I would soak in warm water twice daily and bump the enclosure temperature up to no lower than 80°. If he's still eating fine i would hold off on the vet for a couple days but if he doesn't improve at all in that time i would schedule to see the vet again.