Shaking/Wobbly Greek

[kimber_lee_314]

One of my greek tortoises is acting very strange. She is kind of shaking and twitching. She is also wobbly when she walks. She is still eating, but she tends to walk around in circles. [/align]She was fine yesterday (as far as I know.) I have no idea what could cause this. I will take her to the vet tomorrow, but in the meantime, does anyone have any ideas what this might be?

 

[ascott]

What type of exercise does she have on a regular basis....is she hydrated well? I would immediately thing she needs some exercise---a lack of exercise can create a weak gate.....also dehydration can create a wobbly gate as well.....How are are her eyes--plump, clear, dark? is her skin elastic like or dry and wrinkly ?

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I took her to the vet today and nothing is obviously wrong with her. The vet x-rayed her to make sure she wasn't egg bound (she's been having some egg issues) and checked her for parasites (she was clean.) The vet said she is well hydrated. She lives in a large outside pen (and comes in at night) so it's not lack of exercise. She is wheezing just a little bit so we put her on antibiotics. The vet described her movements as "twitchy" but she really wasn't sure what was causing it. Hopefully the antibiotics will help. She's still eating well and walking around. I'm at a loss for what it could be.

 

[MasterOogway]

That's a bummer. I hope it all passes so you don't have to worry .

 

[kanalomele]

Did she brumate this season and if so when did she wake up?

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Could be a couple things: 1) bone density loss, and 2) muscle loss.

If she's outdoors, she's probably getting enough UVB (although spring has just begun). As long as she's getting enough calcium in her diet, and exercise outdoors, her bone density is probably fine. Therefore, it could be a muscle mass issue. Redfoots, which are somewhat omnivorous, tend to get shaky back legs if they don't eat enough animal matter (meat and/or invertebrates). Greeks are almost completely folivorous (leaf-eating), but I'm wondering if she might not still be a little low on protein. Might want to offer her Mazuri Tortoise diet, or snails and slugs, to get a little more protein in her diet for a while.

 

[kimber_lee_314]

Did she brumate this season and if so when did she wake up?

No - she was up all winter.

---

Could be a couple things: 1) bone density loss, and 2) muscle loss.

If she's outdoors, she's probably getting enough UVB (although spring has just begun). As long as she's getting enough calcium in her diet, and exercise outdoors, her bone density is probably fine. Therefore, it could be a muscle mass issue. Redfoots, which are somewhat omnivorous, tend to get shaky back legs if they don't eat enough animal matter (meat and/or invertebrates). Greeks are almost completely folivorous (leaf-eating), but I'm wondering if she might not still be a little low on protein. Might want to offer her Mazuri Tortoise diet, or snails and slugs, to get a little more protein in her diet for a while.

The vet checked her bone density, but not muscles mass. I live in So Cal so she has been getting a lot of sun still throughout the winter. I will try giving her some mazuri and some protein. I keep thinking she may have eaten something poisonous?

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Bummer to hear kimber...

I think Geo's thoughts on muscle mass/ lack of protein was interesting.

Or your question about signs of eating something poisonous.

Keep us posted!

Is she the only one with these symptoms?

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Poisoning is possible, but if you're not applying pesticides or herbicides to your garden, I don't think it's likely. Could be from toxic plants, I suppose, but again, as long as you're offering grocery greens and letting your tortoise forage on her own, it's unlikely she accidentally ingested something she shouldn't have. As for diet, tortoises are herbivores, but they will eat animal matter in the wild from time to time (with some species eating more than others). That's why I'm wondering if your pet might need a little more protein in her diet, at least for a while.