Yes I think she is actually a he! But I’ve kind of got used to calling her a girl nowI think your cute Russian is a boy also. Looks like the tail is long and kept swept to the side, right? If that's true then he's s boy. Girls have short tails.
Yes I think she is actually a he! But I’ve kind of got used to calling her a girl nowI think your cute Russian is a boy also. Looks like the tail is long and kept swept to the side, right? If that's true then he's s boy. Girls have short tails.
Hi,Welcome!
If you’ve not already stopped, please stop offering the strawberries, tomatoes and any other fruit. She’s eating some healthier foods now, even if not a ton of them. The fruits are really hard on the digestive system and he doesn’t need other problems with diet.
Hi,
Thanks for the info. I had stopped offering the fruit, it was just a means to get him eating. But he didn’t eat it anyway. The only thing he did eat was dandelion leaves. I am now rethinking my whole set up and researching everything including diet for Russians. So fingers crossed
Thank you! I’m so glad I joined this forum, I’ve learned so much already, yes I believe she is a boy, but I’m used to calling him a her nowHi Amar
What a lucky little tortoise to have been adopted by you, I do think 'she' may be a 'he' though
Hi thank you for taking the time to read this thread. The history given to the vet was a bit vague. The people who brought him in had apparently rescued him from somewhere where he’d been neglected. He had come out of brumation and wasn’t eating. Bloods showed a low blood glucose and low albumin which may have been due to the lack of food. The lower beak had been trimmed too short so it was unclear if this was the reason as he physically couldn’t eat or if something else was going on. I have considered getting a faecal screen done for parasites to rule this out, since reading some other posts on here. He has ate properly once since I’ve had him, he was being tube fed up until that point because of the beak damage. I now know he can eat but he has tried a couple of times since and seems to struggle and then give up. Since eating last Friday, a good amount of weeds, he has only ate 2 small leaves. I have rearranged the table adding more substrate for him to bury in and he did come out of his hide and bask under the lamp for a couple of hours. I’ve also managed to up the temp by keeping the door shut to that room, the basking spot is now reaching 32-34 as it’s a really sunny room so it seems to make a big difference with the door shut. The cool part is is between 20-26 depending how much sun we have. I was wondering if that was too warm. He remains buried unless I get him out to soak. Sorry for the massive essay by the way! Do you think it would be better not to give him anytime outdoors? On hot days he seems to enjoy it and will sit in the sun for a while before going to hide. I also worry that if I don’t get him out to soak he may dehydrate, would you recommend doing the soaks daily or reducing it? Thanks in advanceHello!
I am sorry to hear your tortoise is not doing well. You mentioned your tortoise was anorexic coming out of brumation, however did the vet give any more insight as to why he/she thinks your tortoise was not eating? I'd bet its correlated to another issue (i.e. infection {bacterial,viral, parasitic worms}), which could be making your tortoise more lethargic. For now, I would say don't move him to the garden, and keep him in one place. Keep the terrarium a little warmer than usual, as this will induce a natural "fever" boosting the immune system. The cooler side benefits from being kept around 24-26 Celsius, and the warmer side should be around 32-34 Celsius.
In my experience working on sick tortoises in confiscations and in captivity, the sick ones tend to frequent one spot, and they don't like to move.
Let us know how everything goes and how your tortoise is doing as the treatment progresses.
The eyes may look watery on the first picture because he had just woken up. They don’t seem to be watery. I haven’t heard any sneezing and the nose is clear. The only sound he makes is more like a hiss but that’s only if you approach him unexpectedly and he pulls his head in at the same time, does this sound normal? As for yawning I did think he looked like he yawned once or twice but it’s not been a constant thing, I actually said to my husband, do tortoises yawn. But haven’t noticed it recently. Is this something to be concerned about?Your tortoises eyes look quite watery. Do you see any nasal discharge, any yawning or sneezing?
Thank youHe is such a lucky little tortoise
I think your cute Russian is a boy also. Looks like the tail is long and kept swept to the side, right? If that's true then he's s boy. Girls have short tails.