Routine Veterinarian checks

[Bobbyott]

Do I need to bring my sulcata to the vet? Does he/she need routine bet care , like shots , blood work or any thing like that. If so how often ? My guy/gal is almost 5mo. Old.

 

[Edizzle888]

Good question. My non professional answer is not with out a reason.

You'll figure out quickly that you know more about sulcatas than most vets

 

[Gabriel Mattei]

I would just bring he/she to the vet once a year to get dewormed and of course bring he/she to the vet if it is sick or in need of help.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I do not bring my tortoises to the vet for "check ups" unless it is an animal getting a follow up from treatment.
So, my answer is no. I do not.
I have an excellent tortoise vet.

 

[Big Charlie]

I don't. They don't need shots. If he was sick or injured, I would. It is very hard to find a good tortoise vet that will do more good than harm.

 

[JoesMum]

No I don't either. We've had Joe for 46 years and have an outstanding vet, but we have only seen him when needed.

 

[GuyC]

I´m a vet and I´d say: not without a reason. It's difficult to do a better assessment of a tortoise's healthy in the clinic (with lower temp, different surroundings and a stressed animal) than what you as an owner who knows your animal can see every day. A side from this there also the whole 'vets don't know anything about tortoises'-spiel, which I partially agree with.

So unless you're looking for bloodwork or other specific diagnostics, I see no reason. There are no shots required, and you can also consider to deworm based on faecal egg numbers, which only requries you to bring some poop to the vet instead of the whole animal.

 

[Bobbyott]

Thank you Thank you Thank you very helpful, I love this forum!!!!

 

[Gillian M]

Do I need to bring my sulcata to the vet? Does he/she need routine bet care , like shots , blood work or any thing like that. If so how often ? My guy/gal is almost 5mo. Old.

How about posting pics of your tort and his/her enclosure.

Most tort owners take their torts to vets only when necessary.

 

[Bobbyott]

 

[Bobbyott]

Poor guy , gal still don't have a name

 

[Gillian M]

View attachment 183441 View attachment 183442 View attachment 183443

He's gorgeous! And what a lovely setup. He's definitely lucky to have such a home.

 

[Gillian M]

Poor guy , gal still don't have a name View attachment 183445

No name yet? Why not?

 

[Bobbyott]

Thank you, I always say he to lol but he seems happy. No name has come to me yet , I kinda feel bad lol. I like naming my pets people names but it's kinda hard when you don't know if it's male or female. I was thinking Cash because I'm the biggest Johnny Cash fan, also was thinking Larry. But still not sure

 

[wellington]

Do I need to bring my sulcata to the vet? Does he/she need routine bet care , like shots , blood work or any thing like that. If so how often ? My guy/gal is almost 5mo. Old.

No. My oldest is from 2011. Never been to a vet yet. If there is a problem that you can't fix on your own, or with the help of the forum, then a vet visit is needed. Be careful to get a vet that actually knows about tortoises. Very few do.

 

[Rue]

Thank you, I always say he to lol but he seems happy. No name has come to me yet , I kinda feel bad lol. I like naming my pets people names but it's kinda hard when you don't know if it's male or female. I was thinking Cash because I'm the biggest Johnny Cash fan, also was thinking Larry. But still not sure

Well, the tortoise doesn't care, and there are lots of unisex names too. I think Cash works for both male and female, for what it's worth.

And even if you pick a very feminine or very masculine name, in 4, 5 or 6 years when you do know the sex, it won't matter too much. There are a lot of male tortoises called Sue, or Lily, and a lot of females tortoises called Chuck and Bob out there...

 

[jaizei]

Well, the tortoise doesn't care, and there are lots of unisex names too. I think Cash works for both male and female, for what it's worth.

And even if you pick a very feminine or very masculine name, in 4, 5 or 6 years when you do know the sex, it won't matter too much. There are a lot of male tortoises called Sue, or Lily, and a lot of females tortoises called Chuck and Bob out there...

A+ A male tortoise named sue would work well for his purpose

 

[Bobbyott]

 

[Big Charlie]

Poor guy , gal still don't have a name View attachment 183445

"Cash" is adorable!

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't take my tortoises to the vet unless there's something wrong, however, I sometimes advise new tortoise-keepers to take the tortoise in for a well-baby check. This gets the tortoise's stats onto a record and if you ever take that tortoise back for a problem, they have a record of what the tortoise was like when it was well.

It's not necessary, and strictly up to each individual keeper.