Sloppy legs

[athanasios]

I have a what I believe a Greek tort (one with spurs) and it is barely half a palm's size. It eats well, sleeps well and looks OK. Only when I take it out of its tray for a walk it looks as if its legs are paralyzed and it collapses under its own weight. Only after some 15-20 min it starts walking normally again.
Is this a normal tort behavior due to sleepiness or is there a more fundamental cause?
While you are at it, can anyone identify it and estimate its age?
Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

Make sure the tortoise is getting enough calcium and vitamin d3, either from the sun or from an expensive UVB light. The calcium doesn't work inside the tortoise unless it is coupled with the sun or the light.

 

[WillTort2]

Does the back left leg look a little small and undeveloped? Could be just the picture.

You might want to post a video of the weak walking.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

Looks like an Ibera Greek (Testudo graeca ibera). Judging by its small size, it's probably quite young: less than 2 years old. There are several common causes of lameness in tortoises, often affecting hind limb strength.

1) Not getting enough protein for the muscles (this usually only affects the more omnivorous forest-type tortoises, which Testudo species are not).

2) Not getting enough calcium in the diet (bones, muscles, and nerves all need calcium and other minerals to function correctly).

3) Not getting enough vitamin D3, which regulates calcium.

4) Dehydration, which affects calcium.

For your little guy, it could be factors 2, 3, or 4, or some combination of them. To give your baby tortoise enough calcium, always have a cuttlebone or calcium block in the enclosure for gnawing, and sprinkle some powdered calcium + vitamin D3 supplement over the food 2-3x per week. You don't want to use the supplement more often than that, because dietary vitamin D3 overdose is not good, either, and can paradoxically also lead to lameness (among other things). Also, for an indoor setup, provide a lamp that provides UVA and UVB radiation. Large tube fluorescent bulbs are good, and mercury vapor bulbs are fine, too, but do not use compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), because these emit too much radiation and can damage your tortoise's eyes. Of course, weather permitting, take your tortoise outside to get some real sunshine and activity.

Finally, make sure your tortoise stays well-hydrated. Provide a shallow water dish in its enclosure, and make sure you're using a substrate that stays moist (but not damp), like coco coir or soil that does not contain perlite or vermiculite. Feed your tortoise fresh leafy greens and broad-leaved weeds, and you can rinse them, too; the water clinging to them means your tortoise will get more moisture in its meal. You can also offer moistened pelleted foods, like Mazuri Tortoise Diet or ZooMed Grassland Tortoise Food. Remember to give your tortoise a bath once a week, and for young or ill tortoises, you can even bathe them a bit more frequently often than that, if need be. Finally, baby tortoises need a humid hide to stay hydrated and for normal shell growth.