Tortoise with bags of skin protruding next to shell in in front of back legs?? is

MNMacAdam

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Can anyone help me understand what these bags of skin are caused by and if and what I need to do about them to care properly for my female desert tortoise Charlie? I took her to a vet several years back at considerable expense and she did not cure the problem. Told me it had something to do with her eggs as I remember. Thanks for any tips or information on this issue. MNMacAdam
 

ascott

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Can anyone help me understand what these bags of skin are caused by and if and what I need to do about them to care properly for my female desert tortoise Charlie? I took her to a vet several years back at considerable expense and she did not cure the problem. Told me it had something to do with her eggs as I remember. Thanks for any tips or information on this issue. MNMacAdam

Maybe she is just a fatty....but pics are needed for further input :)
 

MNMacAdam

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Welcome to the forum! We need pictures before we can help you.
Can you send me a 1, 2, 3 list of the things I need to do to put an iPhone picture I can take of my tortoise to put on this site for you to see the bags in front of her back legs? Much appreciated!
 

TechnoCheese

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Can you send me a 1, 2, 3 list of the things I need to do to put an iPhone picture I can take of my tortoise to put on this site for you to see the bags in front of her back legs? Much appreciated!

Do you have our app or are you using the website on mobile? I would recommend downloading our app to post pictures. That would make it so easy that you probably won’t need help.
 

MNMacAdam

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Do you have our app or are you using the website on mobile? I would recommend downloading our app to post pictures. That would make it so easy that you probably won’t need help.

I just took a couple of pictures with my iPhone showing the “bags” of skin up close. I just don’t know how to get it off of my iPhone and to you. I am using a MAC mini to view your website. What is your app to download pictures? I don’t have a clue. I am fairly competent with my MAC and iPhone, but am 88 years old and a bit slow with some things since having a couple of strokes a couple of October’s ago. Thanks for helping me get skill in using your web site set up.
 

TriciaStringer

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I just took a couple of pictures with my iPhone showing the “bags” of skin up close. I just don’t know how to get it off of my iPhone and to you. I am using a MAC mini to view your website. What is your app to download pictures? I don’t have a clue. I am fairly competent with my MAC and iPhone, but am 88 years old and a bit slow with some things since having a couple of strokes a couple of October’s ago. Thanks for helping me get skill in using your web site set up.
I’m going to message you my phone number. You can text me the picture and I will post it for you.
 

orv

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Here is Charlie.
I am the caregiver to four California Desert Tortoises, including a female, at least 75 tears of age and has been in our family since 1970, and none of them displays this sort of sagging tissue. What is your tortoise's diet? Is enough space for proper exersize available? Is this display of tissue bi-lateral, or just on the one, displayed side? I hope that we are able to help; perhaps Yvonne will hellp.
 

MNMacAdam

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I am the caregiver to four California Desert Tortoises, including a female, at least 75 tears of age and has been in our family since 1970, and none of them displays this sort of sagging tissue. What is your tortoise's diet? Is enough space for proper exersize available? Is this display of tissue bi-lateral, or just on the one, displayed side? I hope that we are able to help; perhaps Yvonne will hellp.
 

MNMacAdam

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The skin pouches are on both sides just in front of her rear legs and mostly under the edge of her shell. She eats impatient flower clippings frequently and if given mixed frozen vegetables several times a week. She has access to ample water from the drip system for our hanging potted plants all around our patio. She is free roaming on our fenced patio area and occasionally enjoys eating grass on our green belt when I put the wire enclosure on the lawn for her to nibble on the grass. Four many years she has hibernated very well in a large cardboard box with large strips of shredded newspaper in it. Her box is kept on a table in the warmest area of our garage storage area beginning in late October until mid March here in southern California. Thanks for any insights you can give me on these small bags of flesh in front of her rear legs.
 

MNMacAdam

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Here is Charlie.
I now have a JPG of Charlie on the Desktop of my computer. What are the specific steps I need to take to place this JPG in the blank spot in my profile? I can't seem to locate any information on this web site with instructions to do it. Thanks so much. MNMacAdam
 

TriciaStringer

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I now have a JPG of Charlie on the Desktop of my computer. What are the specific steps I need to take to place this JPG in the blank spot in my profile? I can't seem to locate any information on this web site with instructions to do it. Thanks so much. MNMacAdam
Click on your name at the top. Find the word “Avatar” and click on it. Then click on choose avatar or upload file. Then you will pick the JPG pic. I hope this helps!
 

orv

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Back to the protrusions on your tortoise's hind legs. Do they feel solid, or perhaps fatty or liquid in nature? Regarding the area where the front legs and then over to where the neck attaches to the body: are these areas concave, or do they feel solid or perhaps fatty? Trying to do a physical examination of the tortoise is difficult when we're not present, but you can relay information to us in writing and with photographs. The tortoise appears to be very mature in the photograph you shared with us, but do you have any idea of it's actual age? Help us again with diet and exercise opportunities. How large is the space he lives in? Does he use all this space? As the areas in question are bi-lateral, I lean towards obesity rather than tumors, but I truly don't know. I hope that someone such as Yvonne will pick this up and give something of a professional diagnosis.
 

MNMacAdam

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Click on your name at the top. Find the word “Avatar” and click on it. Then click on choose avatar or upload file. Then you will pick the JPG pic. I hope this helps!

Thanks for the great guidance! It is very much appreciated. I got Charlie's picture in place for now on my profile. I'll get a better one and place it there after I hopefully get the "skin bags" issue resolved.
 

crimson_lotus

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Based on some other past threads, I'd say it's edema caused by kidney/organ failure. Try taking a blood test as soon as you can to verify!
 

Yvonne G

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Charlie is a very old tortoise. These fluid filled protrusions sometimes occur in old tortoises. It would help if you feed a more fibrous diet, grasses and weeds, plants, etc. and cut out the juicy items. crimson_lotus makes a good point and this is something to consider. At any rate, the protrusions you are seeing is fluid-filled skin, and it would be up to a vet to determine why she's retaining fluid.
 
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