OldManRivers
New Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2016
- Messages
- 9
Hello all. Here's the scoop. http://imgur.com/a/o37hF
We have a pet tortoise (i thought he was an African desert, but not 100% sure, need to ask my wife). He's about 1.5 years old or so.
We have an elevated garden bed / habitat that we put him in occasionally outside. It has a mesh netting for portection, and 2 large dogs that don't let anything in or out of that yard without lots of barking.
So i took the dogs to the park for 15 minutes and left Morty (tortoise) outside alone cuz i forgot about him. Got home and his habitat had been ravaged, like something was digging a hole in it, netting destroyed, Morty was upside down. It was really scary / sad.
I immediately brought him to his inside enclosure, and he was tucked into his shell and didn't come out for an hour. Upon further inspection the right rear of shell has been damaged! his legs are all fine, and this morning he was walking around, eating and drinking. he does a weird breathing thing i haven't seen before, like a frog when it's throat balloons up as he breathes.
My wife is taking him to the vet as we speak.
Can i get some input on the damage - is it bad? is he in pain? can we fix it? will it heal?
Can i get some input on WHAT THE HECK did this to my guy!? i'm scratching my head in shock as to what could have done this. First though - a raccoon or possum - This happened in complete daylight in a 15 minute window. Rac / pos are nocturnal. Was it stalking / hunting Morty? Waiting for the dogs to leave? Where did it come from? there are houses on every side of us! it would have had to crawl through several yards in the day light.
What animal could bite through his shell like that!?
Any input would be much appreciated, really scratching my head as to what could have done this. http://imgur.com/a/o37hF
We have a pet tortoise (i thought he was an African desert, but not 100% sure, need to ask my wife). He's about 1.5 years old or so.
We have an elevated garden bed / habitat that we put him in occasionally outside. It has a mesh netting for portection, and 2 large dogs that don't let anything in or out of that yard without lots of barking.
So i took the dogs to the park for 15 minutes and left Morty (tortoise) outside alone cuz i forgot about him. Got home and his habitat had been ravaged, like something was digging a hole in it, netting destroyed, Morty was upside down. It was really scary / sad.
I immediately brought him to his inside enclosure, and he was tucked into his shell and didn't come out for an hour. Upon further inspection the right rear of shell has been damaged! his legs are all fine, and this morning he was walking around, eating and drinking. he does a weird breathing thing i haven't seen before, like a frog when it's throat balloons up as he breathes.
My wife is taking him to the vet as we speak.
Can i get some input on the damage - is it bad? is he in pain? can we fix it? will it heal?
Can i get some input on WHAT THE HECK did this to my guy!? i'm scratching my head in shock as to what could have done this. First though - a raccoon or possum - This happened in complete daylight in a 15 minute window. Rac / pos are nocturnal. Was it stalking / hunting Morty? Waiting for the dogs to leave? Where did it come from? there are houses on every side of us! it would have had to crawl through several yards in the day light.
What animal could bite through his shell like that!?
Any input would be much appreciated, really scratching my head as to what could have done this. http://imgur.com/a/o37hF
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