It would be easier to offer you help if we could see pictures of the tortoise showing what you mean by swollen gums and the jaw getting stuck on the shell.
Yeah I thought so too but the vet I took him to said his gums were swollen?? He didn't explain further tho
His lower jaw keeps getting stuck in the underside of his shell and I suspect it's because of the swelling on the rood of his mouth. I'm unable tow
we tried to give him different foods but he refuses to eat them
That's too bad for him. You need to think outside the box and trick him into eating what he should be eating. You are the one giving him the bad stuff, he's not helping himself. He never should have had it to begin with and he would be eating what he's suppose to.
This is your problem. He needs to be in a large closed chamber with the proper heating and lighting. Loose on the floor is a recipe for disaster in one of many ways, and you are experiencing the result first hand.
Yes thank you so much. We shoukd have thought this through when we first had him. I'll give him these foods!
we have direct sunlight in our apartment and it comes directly and not through any glass. The temperature in my house is around 32°C and we keep him under the uv light at night. We also take him out in the grass for a walk. Ever since he has fallen sick we keep him under the uv light in the afternoon as well
If the tortoise is getting direct sunshine, it does not need a UV light ever.
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Okay. I was very confused with all the information online regarding the care of star tortoises. I haven't measured the temperature on the floor. I'll buy him a proper enclosure. I do wish I'd found this forum earlier so I could've taken proper Measures but better late than never. The vet told us that it was because of his respiratory infection and suspects slight mouth rot as well. Thankfully my tortoise hasn't lost his appetite yet and eats his meals wellIf the tortoise is getting direct sunshine, it does not need a UV light ever.
Tortoises need complete darkness at night. They should not be under a UV light at night.
32 is fine for an ambient temperature during the day, but the tortoise still needs a basking area where it can warm up to 37C. I ask again, have you measured the temperature down on the floor where the tortoise is? The floor is almost always cooler than the room temperature at eye level. Tile and other such surfaces suck the heat right out of them.
There are far too many hazards that can kill them, injure them, or make them sick when they are loose in the house. Your tortoise needs a proper enclosure with all the correct heating lighting and substrate. Having it loose in your house has led to the problems you are experiencing. The solution is to correct the husbandry ASAP and hopefully too much damage has not already been done.
Did the vet take an x-ray to rule out intestinal impaction or foreign body ingestion?
Here is the correct care info. This info applies to captive care everywhere in the world, even in their native country:
The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...
More here:
Info For New People. Please Read This First.
Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...
Most of the care info out in the world is all wrong. Its very confusing and conflicting. You have now found the right care info. His health issues are a direct result of how he has been housed.
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Yeah it isn't available in my country but I'll see if I can manage something. Again thank you so muchMost of the care info out in the world is all wrong. Its very confusing and conflicting. You have now found the right care info. His health issues are a direct result of how he has been housed.
You won't be able to buy a "tortoise" enclosure large enough. Your tortoise needs something around 122x244cm and it needs to be a closed chamber. I doubt they sell anything like that in your country, but maybe you or someone could build it? You could make something out of a sheet of plywood with walls, and somehow cover it. Over here some people use large portable green houses for this purpose.
If your house never drops below 26-27C, then you won't need ambient heat, but you still need a basking area when the tortoise is indoors.
Outdoor housing in a large well-planted enclosure would be great for this tortoise too. If you attach a temperature controlled shelter for night time, your tortoise could live outside full time. Here is one example of how to do a night box for outdoor housing:
Single Tortoise Night Box
I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...
The tortoise could be brought into the house on rainy monsoon days, and spend sunny days outside with plenty of shade available to escape the intense heat.
