Please help my sick Torto

[plasma11]

Hi, Could someone please provide me some advice on my sick radiated torto. He won't eat anything for the past 5 days and he moves very little.

At the beginning the torto got some sort of diarrhea but still had very good appetite so i did nothing to correct the problem (this went for about two weeks) then suddenly about 7 days ago he started to lose his appetite and since then its condition keep deteriorate.

I went to the vet 5 days ago and he prescribed me some antibiotic (flagyl) and vitamins to put in soaking water. I soaked the torto every morning with it and soaked the torto again at noon and afternoon with mix of isotonic and plain water.

Honestly, the vet did not seem to be very knowledgeable but he was the only vet i could find in my area. That why i really hope to get some advice from much more experience torto keepers in this forum.

Few of my questions are:
- Should i start to force feed my torto? (since he had stop eating for 5 days).
- are there anything else i should do for the sick torto beside the ones that i already did?

Thank you so much in advance for any advice. I really appreciate it.

fyi: i lives in South East Asia, so the weather is pretty warm and humid all year long.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Plasma11:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name?

It would help us to know more about your tortoise. Is it indoors or outside? Does it have a light over it? What are you offering for food? Have you put a thermometer in the habitat? Maybe you could give us a picture of where the tortoise lives?

 

[plasma11]

Hi Plasma11:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name?

It would help us to know more about your tortoise. Is it indoors or outside? Does it have a light over it? What are you offering for food? Have you put a thermometer in the habitat? Maybe you could give us a picture of where the tortoise lives?

Sorry i haven't introduce my self . My name is Andy and i lives in Indonesia.

The torto stays outside during the day and indoor at night. I don't provide any light in the indoor enclosure since the temp is always around 78 -87 F. Since the torto is sick, it stays indoor all the time right now.

i usually provide the torto with hibiscus flower and leaves, murbey leaves, cactus and bermuda grass as main staple food.

Hope this would provide some pictures about my torto living condition.
Thanks for your super fast responses

 

[Laura]

Flagyl can be used as a wormer.. did they test for parasites?
That can cause diarhea and make a tort sick.

 

[plasma11]

Flagyl can be used as a wormer.. did they test for parasites?
That can cause diarhea and make a tort sick.

Actually on my first visit the vet told me he saw some worm egg in the feces but on my second visit within 3 days, he told me he saw nothing this time. But He asked me to keep use the same medication that contain flagyl in the soak, is it right thing to do?

also yesterday the torto did pup and the pup looked fine to me. So should i keep soaking the torto with flagyl or just stop the treatment completely?

Thank you so much for the information.

Andy

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Andy:

I think that while the tortoise is ill, you should put a light or a heat source over him while he's in the house. If you raise the temperature up to 85 degrees or so (29 or 30 celcius) while he is ill. I don't know about using the Flagyl as an antibiotic. You should continue using it as the doctor told you.

 

[Laura]

Life cycle of parasites vary.. one test may be negative, but the next may be positive. If they saw eggs, then you have to kill the eggs or they will hatch.
Not all meds work for all types of parasites.. you have to ID the parasite to use the right medicine.
Do what the vet said to do. Although Im not sure if by putting the medicine in the soaking water is going to give the proper dose to kill off the parasites. Even if your tort drinks the water, the dose wont be right.
Can you call the Vet and ask some questions?
I agree.. you need to up the temps.

 

[plasma11]

Thank you so much Yvonne and Laura for your suggestion. i will raise the temp in the enclosure to around 85 F. During the vet visits, he did inject some antibiotics into the torto. But he just told me to put the medicine into the soaking water at home.

May i know how do you usually treat your torto with antibiotics such as flagyl?

Regarding the food intake, should i start to force feed the torto? or is it still enough just to soak the torto few times a day and just hope it will gain its appetite in the future? it's been 5 days since the torto last meal. How long do you usually let your sick torto goes without food? Thank you

 

[Yvonne G]

While Flagyl IS used as an antibiotic, most of us use it as a de-wormer. The correct dose is put into the tortoise's mouth or injected in a bite of food for him to eat it.

I wouldn't force feed just yet. They can go a very long time without eating (not that they should).

Do your stores sell prepared human baby food? If you can buy strained baby food, buy a few jars/cans of strained carrots, squash or sweet potatoes. Put a couple ounces of baby food into a bowl with tall sides but a small foot print, a bowl that the tortoise fits into but can't climb out of. Mix warm water with the baby food and leave the tortoise soaking in it for at least a half hour. If you want to put your Flagyl in here too, that would be ok.

Soaking in baby food water gets a little bit of nutrients into the tortoise while he's not eating. He will absorb some nutrients through the thin skin around his neck and around his cloaca. If he drinks it all the better.

 

[ascott]

In addition to the other advice....if your outside temps are warm and sunny I would also give him outside natural sun...this seems to make their spirits rise....I would also continue soaks as others described as if he is enduring antibiotic treatment it can be hard on their kidney/liver....

I hope your buddy gets better soon...