Russian tortoise dragging his/her underside?

[ezmegaze]

I'd appreciate some pointers.. I have just been given my friends tortoise, it drags its underside when walking. I have googled this but can only find sites saying tortoises should not do this! Not how to stop them doing it or why they do it. I suspect the poor thing hasn't been exercised enough and doesn't have the strength to lift himself completely off the ground.. Can anyone shed any light on this for me please?
Thank you so much!

 

[egyptiandan]

Welcome to the forum

There could be any number of reasons the tortoise is dragging it's back legs. If it's a female it could be egg bound, it could have metabolic bone disease (MBD), it could have been raised on a slippery surface causing it to walk with splayed out legs.

It would be great if you could post a few pictures of your new tortoise. That way we could see what might be going on. It would though be good to find a vet that knows about tortoises near you and go in for a check up and an x-ray, so you can find out what is going on.

Danny

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi ezmegaze:

Welcome to the forum!!