Rocky is a male Sulcata. He’s about 20 and weighs 220 lbs. We got him 15 years ago when he was about 1/4 of his current size and he’s become a real member of the family.
He’s always been quite active year round, but about a week ago we saw that he had suddenly became very lethargic and had trouble walking. When he walks his front legs seem normal but the rear legs seem weak, and the rear of his shell almost drags on the ground. A few days ago his eyes were watery, but they seem more normal now. Normally he munches on our lawn all day along with other plants in the yard and lettuce that we give him, but since this started he’s taken very little food or water.
2 days ago, after observing him like this for 3 days, we took him to a large local animal hospital. The owner (who is somewhat familiar with these animals) examined him. His conclusion was that Rocky’s front legs were injured and that also he might have swallowed some rocks. He advised us to soak Rocky in a small pool to hydrate him. We’ve been doing that and Rocky seems to like it. Today he seems to be walking a little bit better, but he’s still barely eating or drinking. He’s not pooping, and just peeing a little bit.
He has a house that is heated and has always seemed comfortable in it. We have a medium size yard planted with rye grass. Normally he spends most of his day patrolling the yard and eating grass. There are very few rocks in the yard, though there are probably some scattered here and there in the soil. We don’t use any pesticides around the house and I can’t think of anything poisonous out there that he might have consumed.
There is a 1/2” to 1” injury on one of his front legs that we noticed about the time all this started. I think it was bleeding for a while but again, both of his front legs have normal strength — -- it’s his rear legs that are week.
Though he seems to be 10-20% better in the last couple of days, he’s far from normal. The vet said that we could bring him back for a blood test and X-rays but don’t know if that makes sense at this point, especially since he has been improving a little. Getting him to and from the animal hospital is a big operation that must be stressful for him. We have a neighbor that is checks on him when we go away and normally he’s very self-sufficient.
I’ve searched this forum and seen other threads about tortoises with similar symptoms, but most of them seem inconclusive or don't really match his situation.
We are not sure what to do and we have an out of town trip planned in about 10 days, which makes this a little more urgent. Thanks very much for any help or advice.
He’s always been quite active year round, but about a week ago we saw that he had suddenly became very lethargic and had trouble walking. When he walks his front legs seem normal but the rear legs seem weak, and the rear of his shell almost drags on the ground. A few days ago his eyes were watery, but they seem more normal now. Normally he munches on our lawn all day along with other plants in the yard and lettuce that we give him, but since this started he’s taken very little food or water.
2 days ago, after observing him like this for 3 days, we took him to a large local animal hospital. The owner (who is somewhat familiar with these animals) examined him. His conclusion was that Rocky’s front legs were injured and that also he might have swallowed some rocks. He advised us to soak Rocky in a small pool to hydrate him. We’ve been doing that and Rocky seems to like it. Today he seems to be walking a little bit better, but he’s still barely eating or drinking. He’s not pooping, and just peeing a little bit.
He has a house that is heated and has always seemed comfortable in it. We have a medium size yard planted with rye grass. Normally he spends most of his day patrolling the yard and eating grass. There are very few rocks in the yard, though there are probably some scattered here and there in the soil. We don’t use any pesticides around the house and I can’t think of anything poisonous out there that he might have consumed.
There is a 1/2” to 1” injury on one of his front legs that we noticed about the time all this started. I think it was bleeding for a while but again, both of his front legs have normal strength — -- it’s his rear legs that are week.
Though he seems to be 10-20% better in the last couple of days, he’s far from normal. The vet said that we could bring him back for a blood test and X-rays but don’t know if that makes sense at this point, especially since he has been improving a little. Getting him to and from the animal hospital is a big operation that must be stressful for him. We have a neighbor that is checks on him when we go away and normally he’s very self-sufficient.
I’ve searched this forum and seen other threads about tortoises with similar symptoms, but most of them seem inconclusive or don't really match his situation.
We are not sure what to do and we have an out of town trip planned in about 10 days, which makes this a little more urgent. Thanks very much for any help or advice.