Sudden death :(

[TortillaTheTortioise]

Sad news, my 9 month old passed away, and I am not sure why

He was fine this morning and I took him outside so he can go into his outdoor enclosure and went about my day, I come back to take him in and find him hard, unresponsive and cold. He eyes had sunken in so deep, and his body was stiff. Does anyone have any ideas on why he would die so suddenly he wasnt in the sun but under the outside roof, it was a normal warm day and he soaked the day previosly and drank.

I am really heart broken as I put so much effort into him and now he passed so young

 

[Maro2Bear]

Wow. Very sad & bad news, Where are you located?

 

[Tim Carlisle]

So sorry to hear that. Never an easy thing.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

So sorry for your loss

 

[TortillaTheTortioise]

Wow. Very sad & bad news, Where are you located?

in South Africa

 

[jsheffield - In Memoriam]

Sorry for your loss... it's so sad.

Reading stories like this reminds me that although they seem very tough, many torts are one stressor away from a disaster.

Again, my condolences.

Jamie

 

[queen koopa]

View attachment 284728 Sad news, my 9 month old passed away, and I am not sure why

He was fine this morning and I took him outside so he can go into his outdoor enclosure and went about my day, I come back to take him in and find him hard, unresponsive and cold. He eyes had sunken in so deep, and his body was stiff. Does anyone have any ideas on why he would die so suddenly he wasnt in the sun but under the outside roof, it was a normal warm day and he soaked the day previosly and drank.

I am really heart broken as I put so much effort into him and now he passed so young

Oh man.... so sorry to hear. He’s was adorable. Did you check his mouth/throat for possible choking ?

 

[wellington]

Oh wow so very sorry. Such a beauty. Without a necropsy there is no answers to why only guesses. My guess would be something internal from birth was never just right and no matter how well you took care of him, he was never going to live long. Your good care probably helped him live longer then he normally would have.
Again, so very sorry.

 

[AzDesert]

I am so very sorry! It is never easy. We work so hard to do everything right and sometimes even the best of care isn't enough. Just know that it was nothing you did or didn't do.... it just happens sometimes.
I lost a little redfoot recently and it broke my heart. The forum here is very caring and supportive so hang here with forum family for moral support.

 

[DesertGirl]

Oh wow so very sorry. Such a beauty. Without a necropsy there is no answers to why only guesses. My guess would be something internal from birth was never just right and no matter how well you took care of him, he was never going to live long. Your good care probably helped him live longer then he normally would have.
Again, so very sorry.

That’s my guess too. Something just didn’t develop right inside the poor little thing. I’m so sorry for your loss. They are our babies.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Sometimes it seems that a very sick tortoise might "look" normal.
And when it becomes obvious that there is a serious issue, it is often too late.
I'm sorry for your loss

 

[Gijoux]

View attachment 284728 Sad news, my 9 month old passed away, and I am not sure why

He was fine this morning and I took him outside so he can go into his outdoor enclosure and went about my day, I come back to take him in and find him hard, unresponsive and cold. He eyes had sunken in so deep, and his body was stiff. Does anyone have any ideas on why he would die so suddenly he wasnt in the sun but under the outside roof, it was a normal warm day and he soaked the day previosly and drank.

I am really heart broken as I put so much effort into him and now he passed so young

I am heart broken hearing this. I am so sorry this happened to your little one. I had this exact same thing happen to me with a 5 year old Leopard Tortoise many years ago. Mine was only out for a couple of hours and the same thing happened. I wish I had asked the vet for a necropsy as I have always wondered what could have happened. Regardless of how or why it happened, it still hurts. So sorry!

 

[Quadro]

View attachment 284728 Sad news, my 9 month old passed away, and I am not sure why

He was fine this morning and I took him outside so he can go into his outdoor enclosure and went about my day, I come back to take him in and find him hard, unresponsive and cold. He eyes had sunken in so deep, and his body was stiff. Does anyone have any ideas on why he would die so suddenly he wasnt in the sun but under the outside roof, it was a normal warm day and he soaked the day previosly and drank.

I am really heart broken as I put so much effort into him and now he passed so young

I’m so sorry for your loss sometime no matter how hard someone tries and does all the right stuff and this happens it comes down too where they come from and how they were raised as hatchlings and started out i have parrots as well and they show no sickness until it’s at a critical point but that’s their instincts I agree on the necropsy be better to know for future knowledge.

 

[Sa Ga]

I am so deeply sorry for your loss! My heart breaks for you. I just rescued a Russian tort 3 months ago, and I love her more than I ever thought imaginable!

Young torts are so fragile and can dehydrate so quickly. Some torts (like mine) just don't drink enough. I actually have to tube feed mine water daily bc she won't drink enough on her own. I soaked her and saw her take sips, so I thought we were fine. Over time, (about 1 month of having her), it caused a near-fatal collapse. Turns out she'd had subtle signs of chronic dehydration all along that I didn't recognize until it was almost too late.

Some possible signs:
*Eyes that are slightly sunken
*(Or eyelids can be puffier)
*Dry skin (looks a little flaky)
*Dry shell (looks dull, feels flaky)
*Constipation or poo that is hard and dry--the pet place had warned me they were having trouble w/ her constipation when I got her. I soaked her daily and she pooped every day for me, so I thought she was fine.

Of course there is no way to know for sure now, but the deeply sunken eyes may have indicated dehydration at a critical level, and when they're so little, they just can't go very long.

I want to stress to you that it isn't your fault. Torts hide illness and so many signs are crazy subtle. AND signs can be diffr for each one (like Morla wasn't constipated). I now can only ID those signs in Morla bc I watch her like a hawk now and know her individual baselines for skin, stool, the way her eyes look, etc. (All of which don't look/seem THAT diffr when she's getting a bit dehydrated!)

 

[Sa Ga]

P.S. Also, watch urates (the white stuff in her pee). It can be anything from almost transparent and very liquid (reminds me of raw egg whites swirled in water), to opaque, white toothpaste or like the white part of bird poop (opaque but more liquid). You do not want it to be gritty or hard/dry. *Note: this is the most common and easiest thing to watch, but Morla herself never showed bad urate form ever.

I hope this helped, and I wish your aching heart solace. ❤

 

[Canadian Mojo]

Young torts are so fragile and can dehydrate so quickly. Some torts (like mine) just don't drink enough. I actually have to tube feed mine water daily bc she won't drink enough on her own. I soaked her and saw her take sips, so I thought we were fine. Over time, (about 1 month of having her), it caused a near-fatal collapse. Turns out she'd had subtle signs of chronic dehydration all along that I didn't recognize until it was almost too late.

Another trick to get more water into them might be to feed them while soaking in the tub. We toss the Spider plant in to water it much to the delight of our RF. I've also tossed food items into his wading pond to see what would happen and he is quite happy to eat them, so it is something to consider.

 

[TammyJ]

I am so sorry this happened. It's really hard, we love them so much and of course, we do our best, but sometimes that's just how things work out.

 

[Pahtli23]

Checking in on you friend. How has the grieving process been? I lost my bby sulcata yesterday. Reading how others griefs is helpful. Ive been a reck all yesterday and today. Will most likely have a little service for my little friend. I loved them so much!

 

[Ink]

I am so sorry for your loss.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Checking in on you friend. How has the grieving process been? I lost my bby sulcata yesterday. Reading how others griefs is helpful. Ive been a reck all yesterday and today. Will most likely have a little service for my little friend. I loved them so much!

Sorry to hear of your Sully. So sad. Hang in there ?