Need help- I’m at a loss on a Golden Greek Tortoise

Mike54

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I have multiple species of Tortoises. All knock on wood have been doing fantastic. Up until we bought Golden Greek Tortoises. I bought two. All of a sudden the underbelly on the one started turning light black and then his belly and his shell got really soft. The black got worse and this is all while still eating well and he just passed. Nobody could tell me what was wrong. Now my last one has developed the same as the other and it’s spreading just as fast as the last. I tested the heat, cleaned the cage, changed food types(everything given is organic), bottled water not even tap and there still having problems. I give calcium and just started vitamins. I’ve included a belly pic of my last one left if anybody has any ideas it would be greatly appreciated. Can’t get in the vet till Monday but with as fast as this travels just taking a shot. Thanks

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TechnoCheese

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Welcome to the forum! I’m sorry for your loss :(
Where did you get this tortoise?
What do you feed?
What are your temps?(basking, cool side, warm side, and night?)
What was your humidity?
What substrate do you use?
Could we see a picture of your enclosure?
 

TriciaStringer

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I have multiple species of Tortoises. All knock on wood have been doing fantastic. Up until we bought Golden Greek Tortoises. I bought two. All of a sudden the underbelly on the one started turning light black and then his belly and his shell got really soft. The black got worse and this is all while still eating well and he just passed. Nobody could tell me what was wrong. Now my last one has developed the same as the other and it’s spreading just as fast as the last. I tested the heat, cleaned the cage, changed food types(everything given is organic), bottled water not even tap and there still having problems. I give calcium and just started vitamins. I’ve included a belly pic of my last one left if anybody has any ideas it would be greatly appreciated. Can’t get in the vet till Monday but with as fast as this travels just taking a shot. Thanks
How long have you had them? Where did you get them? Were they kept separate?

So sorry to hear about this.
 

Mike54

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Bought the Tortoises at a local exotic pet shop. Basking around 100- inside his house 88. Off hand can’t remember humidity. Zoo med bottom. There all fed organic mix that you’d get at a Walmart or Aldies. What we feed them is baby lettuce , endives , mustard greens , beet tops , radicchio , dandelion greens , hostas , pansies , cucumber , pepper, carrots
 

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Mike54

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How long have you had them? Where did you get them? Were they kept separate?

So sorry to hear about this.


Had my first one for 3-4 mths and the most recent one less than a month. They were kept together. Whatever this is is fast moving
 

Big Charlie

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If they were kept together, whatever killed the first one may have been passed on to the second.
 

Mike54

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If they were kept together, whatever killed the first one may have been passed on to the second.


Always that possibility. Hope he can make it till Monday for the doc to see him and get him turned around
 

Gillian M

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Terribly sorry to hear that. :( If you need to talk I am all listening ears.

And welcome to the forum.
 

Yvonne G

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That "black" that you saw on the plastron is his innards and liquid inside his shell. The plastron was getting thin because his body was using the calcium that was already in his system. He either wasn't getting calcium in his diet, or he wasn't getting UVB from a good light to help the calcium he was getting to do its job. Once you see that (the thin plastron) there's no saving the baby.
 

Mike54

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That "black" that you saw on the plastron is his innards and liquid inside his shell. The plastron was getting thin because his body was using the calcium that was already in his system. He either wasn't getting calcium in his diet, or he wasn't getting UVB from a good light to help the calcium he was getting to do its job. Once you see that (the thin plastron) there's no saving the baby.


I don’t understand because I was using the powder calcium 2-3 times a week on his food and the uv bulb and heat bulb is only a few mths old and both the heat and uv light is what the shop recommended. So as pictured he doesn’t have a shot? Thank you for the info and your time.
 

Yvonne G

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Good (EXPENSIVE) UV bulbs only put out good UVB for about 6 months, sometimes less. And depending upon the type of bulb you're using, they put out hardly any UVB at all (the curly shaped bulb).
 
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