Red marks on shell

T.S

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Hello,
I need a consultation for my tortoise ,red or pink color as a shadow of congested blood vessels appeared on his lower shell today...he is lazy since beginning of the winter ...his eyes look normal and shiny...no discharges on nose or mouth...but rarely eats ,pees or defecates..I want to know the reason for this congestion.. Thanks
 

JoesMum

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Hello

Please can you tell us more about your tortoise? Sorry, but I have a lot of questions so we can understand the problem.

Where in the world are you located?
Is it kept with others?
What does its enclosure look like (photos will help)
Is it kept outside or inside?
If inside, what lights and heat do you have?
What temperature is it where your tortoise is kept?
Do you soak your tortoise? If so how often and for how long?
What temperatures do you have where your tortoise is kept?
What do you feed your tortoise?
 

T.S

New Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2017
Messages
13
Hello

Please can you tell us more about your tortoise? Sorry, but I have a lot of questions so we can understand the problem.

Where in the world are you located?
Is it kept with others?
What does its enclosure look like (photos will help)
Is it kept outside or inside?
If inside, what lights and heat do you have?
What temperature is it where your tortoise is kept?
Do you soak your tortoise? If so how often and for how long?
What temperatures do you have where your tortoise is kept?
What do you feed your tortoise?
 

T.S

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Joined
Mar 22, 2017
Messages
13
I'm in Egypt..north east Africa
Yes kept with a female Egyptian tortoise
Kept inside the house
They r exposed to sunlight only nearly everyday
I feed them cucumber and lettuce...they refuse to eat carrots or spinach
I soak them in warm water monthly in winter and weekly in summer..for 10 or 15 minutes
Temp in summer in range of 20-40...in winter 20-10 ...now its late winter
 

T.S

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The image
 

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JoesMum

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Location (City and/or State)
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I'm in Egypt..north east Africa
Yes kept with a female Egyptian tortoise
Kept inside the house
They r exposed to sunlight only nearly everyday
I feed them cucumber and lettuce...they refuse to eat carrots or spinach
I soak them in warm water monthly in winter and weekly in summer..for 10 or 15 minutes
Temp in summer in range of 20-40...in winter 20-10 ...now its late winter
The diet is not adequate. It needs a much wider variety of green leaves (no carrot) and also calcium (a tiny pinch of finely ground eggshell) sprinkled on food 3 times a week.

It also needs to get outside for an hour at least 3 days a week.

Tortoises must be able to bask at 35-37C in order to digest food and be active all year round.

This tort needs constant access to water in its enclosure and should be soaked for at least 20 minutes every day even in winter.

All I have said is academic though; it is probably too late. This tort is clearly very sick with probable sepsis.
 

Pearly

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Red/pink blotched plastron tends to be one of late signs of sepsis. Unfortunately, from what I have read here, by the time you see those, it is too late to treat with antibiotics. Treatment focus here would be supportive care: keep her warm 29-30C, daily warm soaks with water temps 35-39C, if you can get tortoise food for her try to soak the pellets, mash them, can chop up little bit of cucumber and lettuce and mix in for taste, can try baby food carrot soaks... get her to reptile vet if you can asap. You never know, miracles do happen. Good luck
 
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SarahChelonoidis

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A vet has to be the one to diagnose septicemia and to prescribe treatment. Very likely, antibiotics will be prescribed. Is there a bite wound or other obvious site the infection entered from (assuming this is septicemia and not bruising from falling or being crushed)? If there is a wound (bite injuries are not uncommon in tortoises housed together and prime sites for infection), then it will need to be cleaned and treated as well. Increasing the frequency of your soaks to daily to ensure the tortoise stays hydrated and increasing the enclosure temperature will be important to ensuring your tortoise's immune system is as strong as it can be.
 
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T.S

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The diet is not adequate. It needs a much wider variety of green leaves (no carrot) and also calcium (a tiny pinch of finely ground eggshell) sprinkled on food 3 times a week.

It also needs to get outside for an hour at least 3 days a week.

Tortoises must be able to bask at 35-37C in order to digest food and be active all year round.

This tort needs constant access to water in its enclosure and should be soaked for at least 20 minutes every day even in winter.

All I have said is academic though; it is probably too late. This tort is clearly very sick with probable sepsis.
How could I know she has infection before this sign ?
 

T.S

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A vet has to be the one to diagnose septicemia and to prescribe treatment. Very likely, antibiotics will be prescribed. Is there a bite wound or other obvious site the infection entered from (assuming this is septicemia and not bruising from falling or being crushed)? If there is a wound (bite injuries are not uncommon in tortoises housed together and prime sites for infection), then it will need to be cleaned and treated as well. Increasing the frequency of your soaks to daily to ensure the tortoise stays hydrated and increasing the enclosure temperature will be important to ensuring your tortoise's immune system is as strong as it can be.
No biting wounds exist..also it didn't fall or been crushed ... My problem now is that there r no vets specialized in tortoises..I I'll work on supportive treatment but is there any antibiotic I can give it orally ?
Its pathetic that I can prescribe antibiotics to humans as a dentist but can't prescribe it to my own tortoise
 

Nicole M

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No biting wounds exist..also it didn't fall or been crushed ... My problem now is that there r no vets specialized in tortoises..I I'll work on supportive treatment but is there any antibiotic I can give it orally ?
Its pathetic that I can prescribe antibiotics to humans as a dentist but can't prescribe it to my own tortoise
You don't have an exotic animal vet anywhere within driving distance? Where do you live? Someone here may know of a vet near you. Those marks are extremely concerning, and at this point, the tortoise really needs professional care.
 

JoesMum

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No biting wounds exist..also it didn't fall or been crushed ... My problem now is that there r no vets specialized in tortoises..I I'll work on supportive treatment but is there any antibiotic I can give it orally ?
Its pathetic that I can prescribe antibiotics to humans as a dentist but can't prescribe it to my own tortoise
Sepsis is always secondary to some other infection - probably respiratory or digestive tract and caused by poor diet and/or care. I think palliative care is all you can offer this tortoise.

I understand that vets are hard to find in Egypt, but I suspect it really is too late for one anyway. I am sorry.
 

T.S

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You don't have an exotic animal vet anywhere within driving distance? Where do you live? Someone here may know of a vet near you. Those marks are extremely concerning, and at this point, the tortoise really needs professional care.
There r many vets but they r concerned with cats n dogs....hard to find one who can diagnose and treat a tortoise properly
 

Nicole M

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Well, situations r not ideal here but not that bad ... As I said vets are least concerned with torts
I hear you! I just remember other members in Egypt saying that exotic vets were very hard to find.
 

T.S

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Sepsis is always secondary to some other infection - probably respiratory or digestive tract and caused by poor diet and/or care. I think palliative care is all you can offer this tortoise.

I understand that vets are hard to find in Egypt, but I suspect it really is too late for one anyway. I am sorry.
I want to save the other tortoise at least .. Other than care how can I diagnose early disease ?
 
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