i have a leopard tortoise that's not older than two years old. I put him in this indoor enclosure with his heat lamp on, sense it's too cold outside. He has complete stop responding to any stimulation. I've had him sense Abril and everything has been fine. I'm so scared he is dead. His legs are kind of limp, but he has both of his front legs inside and i try to move them to see his eyes, but they won't move. Do they hibernate or his he dead. I'm so scared pls help me. I placed him in water for five mins and nothing.
RE: Emergency
- Thread starter sowwer
- Start date
Don't assume they are dead until they start to smell. I had something like this happen to me February of last year. When this happened to me, my tortoise had been in below freezing temperature for quite some time, so to avoid shocking him with too much warmth too quickly, I soaked him in room temperature or cooler water and slowly increased the temperature. If your tortoise has had time to warm up, I would soak him in warm - luke warm water, but do not let the water get high enough to cover his head, specifically his nostrils, so that he does not drown. You don't want to shock him with too high of a temperature too quickly, but you do want to warm him up gradually.
My similar experience in more detail: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/close-call-for-curtis-another-case-of-reanimation.196619/
My similar experience in more detail: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/close-call-for-curtis-another-case-of-reanimation.196619/
I believe that the fact that his legs are limp but you can't move his arms may be a good sign. Generally, with dead tortoises, they will be completely limp and unresponsive, their eyes will be sunken in, and they will start to smell bad.
He has been inside all day because it was around 65 degrees F. So, I don't think it's because he was cold. Maybe overheated? He was really warm. But the area is large enough that he could move around if it was too hot. Im so confused.
If it was just 65f, then the cold probably wasn't the problem. What are your enclosure temps? Basking, cool side, and night temps. What is the humidity? Could you provide a picture of your tortoise and its enclosure?
Yeah, his legs are limp but I tried to move his front legs and they just don't move. When i pull his legs they go back to the position they were in. But he feels really weak. Do they go completely limp when they die?
Your tortoise is definitely still alive then. They will not move at all when poked or tugged at when dead, and they will be completely limp. Has he been like this all day?
The temp inside the house never falls below 72 f. The basking i think is a 100-watt lamp and it gets to maybe 100 f. The cool side is around 85. The soil is always warm and moist. Buti have never actually measured temp. I have an older red foot and it seems to work perfectly for him so i thought it would be okay.
No he just turned like that. I had the lamp only on for an hour at most.
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i took some photos of him on how he is right now
You definitely need a thermometer and hygrometer to measure your temperatures and humidity.
Go ahead and read through this. It's long, and it may seem daunting, but the information is important and incredibly useful. It's very much worth the read. https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/info-for-new-people-please-read-this-first.202363/
Also take a look at this. There's a lot of incorrect, outdated advice out there on the internet, some of which you may or may not be following. https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/
For now, I would just leave your tortoise be. Someone else may come along to give you better advice regarding his current behavior. It's been quite a while since I've had a hatchling of my own, so while I think he might just be trying to sleep, I'd prefer that someone with more experience says for sure.
Go ahead and read through this. It's long, and it may seem daunting, but the information is important and incredibly useful. It's very much worth the read. https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/info-for-new-people-please-read-this-first.202363/
Also take a look at this. There's a lot of incorrect, outdated advice out there on the internet, some of which you may or may not be following. https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/the-best-way-to-raise-a-sulcata-leopard-or-star-tortoise.181497/
For now, I would just leave your tortoise be. Someone else may come along to give you better advice regarding his current behavior. It's been quite a while since I've had a hatchling of my own, so while I think he might just be trying to sleep, I'd prefer that someone with more experience says for sure.
Thank you so much for your help. Made me feel alot better. Hopefully he is just being a brat and just sleeping in. Ill keep you posted. If he doesn't move from the spot i put him in overnight and behavior stays the same, what do i do?
Actually, if I'm reading correctly, you said that your tortoise has been inside all day but he has only had his heat lamp on for an hour. Why? His temperatures should never fall below 80 in the coolest part of the enclosure, with a basking temperature of 95-100. At night, temps should be maintained above 80 with a ceramic heat emitter or radiant heat panel on a thermostat. It is likely that your tortoise is inactive because it was too cold.
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His head is pulled in.
To me that looks like a live animal.
That'd be my guess.
Just keep him warm and peaceful for a while.
Many years ago, I had a very dead tortoise that didn't even respond to pokes to the eyes. On day three I went outside to dig her grave and saw her move.
After some feeding. She came back 100% and is happy and healthy today.
Wait for OBVIOUS signs of dead:
Smelly
Leaking
Insect activity
Etc
And in the meantime. Stop handling and keep her warm 24/7.
You might also try doing a "do not feed" foot treat.
Place fruit in front of her.
To me that looks like a live animal.
That'd be my guess.
Just keep him warm and peaceful for a while.
Many years ago, I had a very dead tortoise that didn't even respond to pokes to the eyes. On day three I went outside to dig her grave and saw her move.
After some feeding. She came back 100% and is happy and healthy today.
Wait for OBVIOUS signs of dead:
Smelly
Leaking
Insect activity
Etc
And in the meantime. Stop handling and keep her warm 24/7.
You might also try doing a "do not feed" foot treat.
Place fruit in front of her.
What country or state are you located in? This is mostly just to help us with climate and timezone. You have Bradenton listed on your profile, is that Bradenton, Florida?
Yes. I live in Florida, so it never gets below freezing and he has been outside most of the year. This was the first day I left him indoors. His heat lamp is not automatic, so before i turned it on he was fine and responsive. It was only after i turned it on when he became his current state.
Thank you so much.
It's pretty late for you, so your tortoise is almost definitely just trying to sleep.
A lot of people find that younger tortoises like yours do much better when housed indoors in a humid closed chamber, with outdoor enclosure use for a few hours a day or all day once they're around 6 inches, until they're a little bigger and can live outside full time with an insulated, heated night box for cooler temps. This also applies to Florida, even if the climate seems perfect. Just something to keep in mind, since your tortoise is still quite small. It's technically possible for a young tortoise to be raised outdoors 24/7 and come out fine, but it leaves a lot up to chance that would usually go much better in a properly set up indoor enclosure.
Also, because I haven't said it yet: Welcome to the forum! Your tortoise is very cute
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They don't like change. Am I understanding correctly, he was outside and because the weather is changing you moved him inside. I think he's upset and a bit scared because of the new living arrangements.
