6yr old sulcata tortoise moves legs but cant walk

[Brileywayne26]

Hello my 6yr old sulcata named Ziggy moves her front and back legs in an attempt to move but to no avail. I have no clue what the issue is posted here to see if I can get any advice. Ziggy eats when food is placed in front of her and drinks when i soak her she is just is having a hard time walking all of a sudden.

 

[Yvonne G]

Is it possible she suffers from metabolic bone disease (lack of calcium along with a GOOD UVB light or real sunshine)?

 

[Tom]

Hello my 6yr old sulcata named Ziggy moves her front and back legs in an attempt to move but to no avail. I have no clue what the issue is posted here to see if I can get any advice. Ziggy eats when food is placed in front of her and drinks when i soak her she is just is having a hard time walking all of a sudden.

How and where is the tortoise housed? At what temperatures? What do you feed the tortoise? Is it on substrate? Do you soak the tortoise?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

This sounds like a very urgent matter. Please respond promptly so that we can attempt to help as quickly as possible

 

[Brileywayne26]

Is it possible she suffers from metabolic bone disease (lack of calcium along with a GOOD UVB light or real sunshine)?

How and where is the tortoise housed? At what temperatures? What do you feed the tortoise? Is it on substrate? Do you soak the tortoise?

During the warmer months she has an inside enclosure with a doggy door to outside but currently she is being housed in a 3ft by 6ft pen with peat sphagnum moss as the substrate she has a UVB light above the pen and a heat lamp in a corner of the pen so she has the option to be warm how ever I did just recently get the UVB light for her since her last one broke about 6 months back but this was when it was still warmer so she would roam outside quite frequently

 

[Brileywayne26]

During the warmer months she has an inside enclosure with a doggy door to outside but currently she is being housed in a 3ft by 6ft pen with peat sphagnum moss as the substrate she has a UVB light above the pen and a heat lamp in a corner of the pen so she has the option to be warm how ever I did just recently get the UVB light for her since her last one broke about 6 months back but this was when it was still warmer so she would roam outside quite frequently

and I have been keeping her heated side of the pen at around 80 degrees and the cooler part at around 70

 

[Tom]

During the warmer months she has an inside enclosure with a doggy door to outside but currently she is being housed in a 3ft by 6ft pen with peat sphagnum moss as the substrate she has a UVB light above the pen and a heat lamp in a corner of the pen so she has the option to be warm how ever I did just recently get the UVB light for her since her last one broke about 6 months back but this was when it was still warmer so she would roam outside quite frequently

What size is your tortoise?

 

[Tom]

During the warmer months she has an inside enclosure with a doggy door to outside but currently she is being housed in a 3ft by 6ft pen with peat sphagnum moss as the substrate she has a UVB light above the pen and a heat lamp in a corner of the pen so she has the option to be warm how ever I did just recently get the UVB light for her since her last one broke about 6 months back but this was when it was still warmer so she would roam outside quite frequently

Your tortoise should have a large outdoor enclosure with a heated night box for colder winter days and nights. Indoors on the floor is not safe or warm enough. The lowest the temp should ever be is 80, and during the day the tortoise needs to be able to warm up into the 90s. Low temps do not allow their immune systems or digestive systems to operate correctly.

3x6 feet is way too small. Without room to roam, they can get constipated.

Peat should never be used as substrate for tortoises. The long fibered stuff will be eaten and can cause impaction. The dirt-like stuff can burn their plastron.

Here is the care info for smaller ones:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Here are two night box examples for larger ones:

Single Tortoise Night Box

I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...

tortoiseforum.org

Double Door Night Box

As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...

tortoiseforum.org

Are you soaking the tortoise in warm water regularly?

 

[wellington]

Too small of an enclosure like you are using also does not give them the room to properly exercise and build muscle strength to properly walk. Also has mention your temps are too cold. You need to know exact temps and build a bigger winter enclosure asap!
What are you feeding?