Tortoise is walking weird (not using front leg)

remythetort

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Hello!

My tortoise is walking kind of weird.
She would be pacing around the terrace as she normally does and then decides to lift her front left leg off the ground and use only 3 legs to move. She'd do that for a minute or two before walking normally again.
She has no contact with other animals and nothing changed in her environment recently. I inspected her leg and shell and everything looks normal. I'm not sure what's wrong and I feel bad for her.
I did notice she is shedding her skin - I'm not sure if her shedding is making her leg sensitive?

Please let me know what you recommend I do.
 

jsheffield

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I'd take and post some pics of the leg and shell if you want informed opinions.

Absent that, I would wonder about injury and nutrition and UV (in that order)...

Good luck, fingers crossed for you and your tort!

Jamie
 

remythetort

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I added images of her leg.
She lives outdoors and has the entire terrace to herself and it is quite spacious - it includes shade around the plants and lots and lots of natural lighting all year round. The temperature is between 20-25 degrees Celsius and she has access to a water dish at all times. Her diet consists of greens, apples, shredded carrots occasionally.
The vet checked her recently and claimed she's healthy.
 

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remythetort

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I'd take and post some pics of the leg and shell if you want informed opinions.

Absent that, I would wonder about injury and nutrition and UV (in that order)...

Good luck, fingers crossed for you and your tort!

Jamie
Thank you Jamie for your response. I have added pictures to the thread
 

wellington

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Do not feed apples or any fruit. Fruit is too high in sugar and they can't process it properly.
She also needs a basking spot of 95-100F in order to digest the food.
Does she have any grass or dirt to walk on or only stone terrace?
I think a big improvement of diet is needed, a basking spot of correct temps is needed and a portion of softer footing like grass or dirt is needed.
All the incorrect things listed may be catching up with her and without proper nutrition and heat to digest and use the nutrients, things start going down hill.
 

remythetort

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To be honest the apple thing is veryyyy recent as she hasn't shown interest in them before (the vet recommended I include them). What do you recommend I include in her diet?
Noted about the basking spot + the terrace is mostly tiles with a small dirt section so you could say the footing is mostly flat.
 

jsheffield

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Agree with what was said above (most especially about diet), and think you, and your tort, might benefit from reading this excellent thread:


Beyond that, in looking at the pictures, it looked like there was something in your tort's armpit... maybe a tick or scab or node or pustule; if that's the case, it might be affecting the way they walk.

Also, the skin and shell look dry, and with some shedding skin and scales that are stuck in place... I would try a few warm water soaks a week and see if that helps as well.

I hope to hear back in the coming weeks that your tortoise is doing better... they're amazingly tough animals once all conditions are optimized for them.

Good luck!

Jamie
 

remythetort

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Agree with what was said above (most especially about diet), and think you, and your tort, might benefit from reading this excellent thread:


Beyond that, in looking at the pictures, it looked like there was something in your tort's armpit... maybe a tick or scab or node or pustule; if that's the case, it might be affecting the way they walk.

Also, the skin and shell look dry, and with some shedding skin and scales that are stuck in place... I would try a few warm water soaks a week and see if that helps as well.

I hope to hear back in the coming weeks that your tortoise is doing better... they're amazingly tough animals once all conditions are optimized for them.

Good luck!

Jamie

Thank you Jamie - I wasn't sure I saw something there. The vet dismissed it - but it seems he's not very experienced with tortoises. I'll update you with hopefully good news. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my thread
 

jsheffield

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Thank you Jamie - I wasn't sure I saw something there. The vet dismissed it - but it seems he's not very experienced with tortoises. I'll update you with hopefully good news. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my thread
The sad truth is that most vets aren't well-versed in the differing species, and needs, of tortoises... it's understandable since it's such a small part of their business, but still regrettable.

TFO is the best source of information and informative people I've found on the internet for learning about the tortoises we live with... this is the place to come for answers (or at least directions to the answers.

Jamie
 

ZEROPILOT

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Thank you Jamie - I wasn't sure I saw something there. The vet dismissed it - but it seems he's not very experienced with tortoises. I'll update you with hopefully good news. Thank you for taking the time to respond to my thread
You may want to look for a vet that actually understands tortoise physiology.
Many vets are willing to learn on your animal.
Some actually already understand.
 

Krista S

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To be honest the apple thing is veryyyy recent as she hasn't shown interest in them before (the vet recommended I include them). What do you recommend I include in her diet?
Noted about the basking spot + the terrace is mostly tiles with a small dirt section so you could say the footing is mostly flat.
Welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear your tortoise is having issues with her leg. Tortoises shouldn’t be walking mostly on tile as this causes all sorts of issues. She needs proper substrate that gives her the traction she needs to walk properly. This could very well be a contributing factor to the problem you’re seeing with her leg. I recommend getting her on proper substrate as soon as you can and definitely take the time to read the care sheet that @jsheffield linked for you. It’s got the best and most current care information available.
 

remythetort

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Thank you all for taking the time to respond to my thread! I appreciate your input and will follow your recommendations to make sure that Remy enjoys the best living conditions possible.
I have bookmarked the care sheet that @jsheffield provided and I will be using it as my go-to guide.
 
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