Sonoran Desert Tortoise Overheated

I have had my 2 female desert tortoises since 1999. My dog thought they were tennis balls and kept retrieving them. They have lived in a large desert area fenced off with mesquite trees and prickly pear to provide shade. I have always brought them in the garage after they go into hibernation because at some point it will get below freezing. I have never had to do anything special for the hot summers. I feed them assorted greens placed in water this time of year while waiting for monsoons to kick in (any day now) and in July we have an abundance of prickly pear berries which they love. Everyday about 5pm, I come out and they come running over for the food. Day before yesterday, I was a little late and we had real high winds. Both were in shallow burrows and didn't seem interested in coming out. I didn't worry much since they had eaten well every day during the week. Yesterday, I came out and one was waiting for me and the other was still in the burrow. Her back legs were sticking out. I touched her with a stick and got no response so I quickly pulled her out and she was gone. Two things were different this year. The deep burrow they used to have I filled in because a packrat built a nest on top of them last winter and kept coming back. They had many smaller burrows and plenty of shade but we are in a massive heat wave and temps spiked on Tuesday and its been 115 every day since. Its been hot before, but having that deep burrow helped. Their enthusiasm over the food was normal and they seemed fine. I grabbed the survivor, Hortencia, and her shell was hot. Her eyes were alert but her saliva was stringy and white when she opened her mouth. I ran her to my porch and ran warm water from the hose on her. I decided to put her in my guest bathtub which was cool porcelain and ran a couple of inches of room temperature water and she was happy to soak while I called the vet. Of course, it was after 6pm, so not much luck. I was advised to continue soaking her. I will say her shell cooled down quickly like within a couple of minutes. I have been reading a lot of bad stuff about bacterial infections and other side affects from overheating. Today, I came home and she was sleeping in the tub, but had not touched her romaine, so I let her soak again and tried my power greens which she enjoys. So far not interested. I am waiting for a callback from the desert museum. If she eats, should I pursue a vet visit? I am wondering if they will get her on antibiotics as a precaution. But I hate to pay for an urgent care visit if they are going to tell me to watch her for signs of infection. If she doesn't eat by tomorrow morning, I will take her in anyway. Thoughts?

So sorry for the loss. I'm guessing she's not eating as she is in a very strange area. Like most torts that go to a new home, they don't act or eat normal until they have come a little more adjusted to their new home.
If it were me, I would try to set her up in a temp home for the heat wave. She will need to warm herself up to 95 degrees to properly digest her food. A temp indoor enclosure is always a good thing to have on hand for extreme weather situations or as a hospital enclosure.

wellington said:

So sorry for the loss. I'm guessing she's not eating as she is in a very strange area. Like most torts that go to a new home, they don't act or eat normal until they have come a little more adjusted to their new home.
If it were me, I would try to set her up in a temp home for the heat wave. She will need to warm herself up to 95 degrees to properly digest her food. A temp indoor enclosure is always a good thing to have on hand for extreme weather situations or as a hospital enclosure.

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wellington said:

So sorry for the loss. I'm guessing she's not eating as she is in a very strange area. Like most torts that go to a new home, they don't act or eat normal until they have come a little more adjusted to their new home.
If it were me, I would try to set her up in a temp home for the heat wave. She will need to warm herself up to 95 degrees to properly digest her food. A temp indoor enclosure is always a good thing to have on hand for extreme weather situations or as a hospital enclosure.

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wellington said:

So sorry for the loss. I'm guessing she's not eating as she is in a very strange area. Like most torts that go to a new home, they don't act or eat normal until they have come a little more adjusted to their new home.
If it were me, I would try to set her up in a temp home for the heat wave. She will need to warm herself up to 95 degrees to properly digest her food. A temp indoor enclosure is always a good thing to have on hand for extreme weather situations or as a hospital enclosure.

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Great point! I am off tomorrow and maybe I will put her back in her area at 5am and try feeding her there. I can bring her back in midmorning... Thanks. Sometimes I overthink and miss the obvious!

Is there any chance your "gone" tort maybe in a state of coma???? I'd try soaking her with her head supported so nostrils are above water. If you didn't bury her, wait for 24 hrs. @ZEROPILOT here had had a very very sick RF tortoise who "died" (no signs of life at all!!!) and came back. Try to aggressively rehydrate her in lukewarm water, can put some pedialyte in it too. I know it sounds crazy but this is what I'd be doing right now

Pearly said:

Is there any chance your "gone" tort maybe in a state of coma???? I'd try soaking her with her head supported so nostrils are above water. If you didn't bury her, wait for 24 hrs. @ZEROPILOT here had had a very very sick RF tortoise who "died" (no signs of life at all!!!) and came back. Try to aggressively rehydrate her in lukewarm water, can put some pedialyte in it too. I know it sounds crazy but this is what I'd be doing right now

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Ya I was hoping she was passed out. But there was blood coming out of her mouth and a couple worms. Sorry, hope you are not eating. I wrapped her in foil and dug a shallow grave so other animals don't get her. I will dig a deeper one tomorrow.

Sorry for your loss. Oh. So sad. Hope Hortencia will be okay.

Cathy05 said:

Ya I was hoping she was passed out. But there was blood coming out of her mouth and a couple worms. Sorry, hope you are not eating. I wrapped her in foil and dug a shallow grave so other animals don't get her. I will dig a deeper one tomorrow.

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Oh my, so sorry to hear. Please accept my sincere condolences and electronic hugs

Cathy05 said:

Ya I was hoping she was passed out. But there was blood coming out of her mouth and a couple worms. Sorry, hope you are not eating. I wrapped her in foil and dug a shallow grave so other animals don't get her. I will dig a deeper one tomorrow.

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BeeBee*BeeLeaves said:

Sorry for your loss. Oh. So sad. Hope Hortencia will be okay.

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Thank you. She is back outside. My husband got me a huge tarp, I have a dog crate. I am working on something to cool her area. Just not sure what yet. Still waiting for her to eat..

Cathy05 said:

Thank you. She is back outside. My husband got me a huge tarp, I have a dog crate. I am working on something to cool her area. Just not sure what yet. Still waiting for her to eat..

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I have been reading a lot of posts here. You all are a wealth of information! So, I'm feeling bad for her being alone. The two of them got along well and slept near each other, etc. The Desert Museum in Tucson has an adoption program for tortoises that have been formerly in captivity. I am going to be making some improvements to the habitat and changing it up a bit. Might be a good time to bring in a new friend? I think I will wait till the rains kick in and this heat dimishes... going to work on the tarp now. PS- she hasn't eaten, but she is walking around. Looking good so far.

Since you've been doing a lot of reading here, you must have seen where most of us say it's not good to have two tortoises together. Two seldom works out. Tortoises are totally happy being an only tortoise. That way they don't have to compete for the best hiding place or share the food. Tortoises are territorial, and seldom come together in the wild, spending their days alone, marching through their territory and chasing interlopers away.

Yvonne G said:

Since you've been doing a lot of reading here, you must have seen where most of us say it's not good to have two tortoises together. Two seldom works out. Tortoises are totally happy being an only tortoise. That way they don't have to compete for the best hiding place or share the food. Tortoises are territorial, and seldom come together in the wild, spending their days alone, marching through their territory and chasing interlopers away.

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I apologize for my ignorance, Yvonne. I have had 2 female tortoises living together for 18 years and since you read my post, you must have seen where I said they slept near each other, often side by side. Thank you for your advice. Now, back to work on her enclosure. She's eating finally.

Cathy05 said:

I apologize for my ignorance, Yvonne. I have had 2 female tortoises living together for 18 years and since you read my post, you must have seen where I said they slept near each other, often side by side. Thank you for your advice. Now, back to work on her enclosure. She's eating finally.

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The signs like sleeping together are usually signs of subtle tortoise aggression. You saw it as cuddling or sleeping together, but I see it as crowding each other, as if to say hey, get out of my space, which is exactly what tortoises say to each other. Desert tortoises are one of the most territorial species and do best alone or in a group with one male and several females, but even that doesn't work sometimes.

Did they follow each other around? Sit on top of the food? Sleep face to face? All signs of one tortoise trying to tell the other to get out of its territory.

Anyhow, shade cloth can help, but sprinklers are the best way to reduce temperatures. Run your sprinklers in the tortoise are for a minute or two every hour during the heat of the day. I usually start around 10 or 11 am and hit them one last time around 6pm, so it dries out a little before the cool night sets in. Misters can help to cool things off too.

I'm really surprised that your 18 year old adults didn't simply burrow farther down on their own. Very sad for you. Sorry that this happened.

I would soak daily for a few weeks, and I see no need for a vet visit if the tortoise is eating and behaving normally. Never heard of overheating causing bacterial infections, so that is not something I'd worry about.

The best place for her will be outside in her normal enclosure, but you can use that indoor tub for soaking mid day for an hour or two. Sounds like you might need to make a man-made burrow or possibly help her dig out her own burrow a little deeper. Use a remote probed thermometer to check temps early and often. I like burrows to stay under 90 degrees, and that should be easily done with the correct depth and over head cover.

Tom said:

The signs like sleeping together are usually signs of subtle tortoise aggression. You saw it as cuddling or sleeping together, but I see it as crowding each other, as if to say hey, get out of my space, which is exactly what tortoises say to each other. Desert tortoises are one of the most territorial species and do best alone or in a group with one male and several females, but even that doesn't work sometimes.

Did they follow each other around? Sit on top of the food? Sleep face to face? All signs of one tortoise trying to tell the other to get out of its territory.

Anyhow, shade cloth can help, but sprinklers are the best way to reduce temperatures. Run your sprinklers in the tortoise are for a minute or two every hour during the heat of the day. I usually start around 10 or 11 am and hit them one last time around 6pm, so it dries out a little before the cool night sets in. Misters can help to cool things off too.

I'm really surprised that your 18 year old adults didn't simply burrow farther down on their own. Very sad for you. Sorry that this happened.

I would soak daily for a few weeks, and I see no need for a vet visit if the tortoise is eating and behaving normally. Never heard of overheating causing bacterial infections, so that is not something I'd worry about.

The best place for her will be outside in her normal enclosure, but you can use that indoor tub for soaking mid day for an hour or two. Sounds like you might need to make a man-made burrow or possibly help her dig out her own burrow a little deeper. Use a remote probed thermometer to check temps early and often. I like burrows to stay under 90 degrees, and that should be easily done with the correct depth and over head cover.

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Thanks Tom. I've been working on it since 5am! Added 2 dog crates, 1 with organic soil/mulch and the other with 2" of water. She is soaking in that one now. Spaced them apart and found a big piece of expanded metal for a cover between. Covered the whole thing with a heavy mesh tarp and sewed it together with wire in anticipation of heavy monsoon wind and rain. Looks like a homeless camp with the 2 sheets thrown on for good measure. Watching the water temp, but its still cool.
Ya they had a deep burrow, but a packrat built a nest on top of them and I was afraid he would nibble on their shells and trap them in so after several attempts to remove the nest, I filled it in. They had started several burrows, but none deep enough for this extreme heat.

Cathy05 said:

Thanks Tom. I've been working on it since 5am! Added 2 dog crates, 1 with organic soil/mulch and the other with 2" of water. She is soaking in that one now. Spaced them apart and found a big piece of expanded metal for a cover between. Covered the whole thing with a heavy mesh tarp and sewed it together with wire in anticipation of heavy monsoon wind and rain. Looks like a homeless camp with the 2 sheets thrown on for good measure. Watching the water temp, but its still cool.
Ya they had a deep burrow, but a packrat built a nest on top of them and I was afraid he would nibble on their shells and trap them in so after several attempts to remove the nest, I filled it in. They had started several burrows, but none deep enough for this extreme heat.

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Update: Surviving tortoise ate once and then stopped again. Added enhancements to habitat, but she seemed to like her new digs, but not eating. Made appt with tortoise specialist and he gave her good bill of health. Also great advise on habitat improvements -what plants, above ground burrow. She started eating tonight, brought her in last night to be ready to go to vet today. But, I offered desert willow flowers and spring greens and she started to eat. She finished it all❤️

I am sorry for your loss.

I hope that your surviving tortoise will soon recover completely. That she is eating is a good sign.
Fingers are crossed for your tort.
May you show us some pictures of her and your tortoise area ?

Hortensia at the vet

Her current structure, will be updating Saturday

Thanks for the pics.
What a beauty Hortensia is. It is very sad that you lost your other tort, but it is so good that Hortensia is alive.
Wow, I can feel the heat by regarding your pictures.... ( I live in c old Germany... )

Cathy05 said:

Her current structure, will be updating Saturday

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I envy your breathtaking views! So beautiful out there! Can I move in "next door"?

Bee62 said:

Thanks for the pics.
What a beauty Hortensia is. It is very sad that you lost your other tort, but it is so good that Hortensia is alive.
Wow, I can feel the heat by regarding your pictures.... ( I live in c old Germany... )

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Thank you for your kind words. Its down to 108 last few days... even the prickly pear cactus are shriveled and dying!