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Leo died. Just found him. 2% f*** captive mortality rate among tortoises in first year of acquisition. 100% for me two tortoises, I did every f* thing perfect, just like the vet and the forums and the books and the research and research and research said. Thank you all on the forum for all that...

Unfortunately, the vet is a long, bumpy hour or two drive away and doesn't work on weekends. When I broke the piece off the stone, diarrhea and concentrated urine poured out.

I had been doing that (gently bending back the tail), but it seemed that despite this, the stone was still to large. I lubricated with coconut oil and tried gently with toothpick and then tweezers to dislodge it (figured there wasn't a whole lot more damage I could do that the stone being there...

Leo has a huge urate stone visibly blocking his coacula, and I've been soaking him for hours daily to try and help him pass it. After two days, it hasn't seemed to move. Is there any way to dissolve it safely, like an ointment I can rub on it or something? Also, he is visibly in pain. My mother...

Its an interesting issue. I myself have experienced something similar, but I'm lucky in living with others. I do know how much a pet can help, and I don't think its fair for either you or your tort to send him away, seeing as yo care for him so much. Perhaps a similar approach to that which is...

Sorry for the late response, very busy. I am trying to avoid going to the vet as I am beginning to doubt whether the treatments offered are really the best, and I checked the veterinary literature and I don't think even the vet would know what is going on. I have determined that it is not...

He is also almost constantly doing what looks to be attempting to defecate (pulling head in shell, eyes swelling, legs pulling in). I have been treating him for constipation but am worried it is something else. I was going to take him to the vet but he was just there and got a clear bill of...

He is. It's not the spurs but the flesh underneath them.

So, I have been noticing that there are two hard lumps (internal) on either side of his tail. I took a picture and it's a little hard to tell, so I drew a picture to show what I'm talking about. Does anyone have any idea what this could be?

Thank you all for the advice. A bit of an update: there is some evidence of bowel movement as he went from 6.1oz to 5.7oz. Now my concern is the hardness of the spots on either side of the tail. I have been doing research into tortoise anatomy and cannot figure out what could possibly be there...

Its a bit difficult to show in a photograph, but the area on either side of the tail extends further than the base of the tail. Also in the image is some of the poop(mixed with dirt and substrate)

So Leo was taken to the vet a while ago for something wrong with his eye, which was resolved. Since then he has not pooped as far as I can tell (this is two or three weeks). I began soaking him daily for 45 minutes, citing his repeated behaviors that look to me like trying very hard to poop...

Currently munching away at his dinner:D! I'll repeat your apology for the late reply, it seems we've got quite a time difference. I forgot to say, welcome to the forums, always happy to see a new member.

I love the patterns on your Greek's face. What subspecies is he/she?

I recall a discussion similar to this regarding the current oldest living tortoise, who appeared to be gay. I have heard and argument that it is evolutionarily impossible in non-social animals since many theories to explain how homosexual genes survived despite a lack of reproduction in those...

My Greek Tortoise is named Leonidus, too :D, and they're around the same age. Unfortunately, I am almost certain from your pictures that your Leo is really a Russian. Here's a picture of what a Greek tortoise of that age (who happens to be named Leonidus) looks like at your torts age:

I am curious to see if anyone else experienced this

Yes, of course (don't have to ask me twice to talk about my pets :D). I took him to the vet and it is not anything worrying. It was caused by the unseasonably low humidity paired with the drying effect of my air conditioning system. He was given eye drops and a mild, long acting antibiotic to...

Usually you can do a quick check for being overweight by checking to see if he can draw his head completely in his shell, but I don't think that's the issue. It looks to me like water retention I saw in a hatchling. Have you been noticing normal bodily functions?

Thank you all so much!