Hello. I'm new here and i believe i have a very sick tortoise.

[MIKEC928]

My name is Mike i live in Arizona and recently got a young tortoise ( African Spur) given to me , maybe 8 inches around, very light for her size. Her shell is severely pyramided, she hasn't wanted to eat and barley moves. I have researched for days now what could have been the cause and i'm sure the previous owners did not care for it in the least, probably a totally wrong diet and no sun. i'm afraid she may even have MBD. My main concern right now is what i can do to get her to eat. can she be force fed? And how can i get her to exercise and move?? If i elevate her with a small block she will stretch her head and front legs out but still cant walk. I don't have the money to take her to a vet, she was a rescue and i'm doing all i can for her so please be kind and don't bash me for her condition. Pics to come.

 

[Yvonne G]

You can start by soaking the tortoise in Gerber strained carrots mixed half and half with water. At that size, you may need to use a couple jars. Get the smallest footprint container you can fit the tortoise in, with tall sides so it can't climb out, and leave it soaking for at least an hour. Longer is even better. The water mixture should come up to the middle of the tortoise's sides.

One thing to consider - sulcatas are prone to bladder stones. When the stone gets big enough to block off the tubes going out of the bladder it also start pressing on the area where the poop discharges from. The tortoise stops eating and slowly dies.

Too bad you have no $$ because it would be helpful to have an X-ray to know if the stone is present

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Hi Mike

Get some baby food maybe carrot mix it in some warm water and give it a bath . The tort will drink and take in some baby food .

 

[Speedy-1]

Hi and welcome ! Do the soaks as detailed , I would go for twice daily ! Its a start , hope it helps ! Best of luck , keep us posted !

 

[MIKEC928]

Here she is. my friend has also posted a tread concerning her in a different category. Sorry for the double post. Thank you all for your help!

 

[Diamond]

So sorry you had this dumped on you, the tort is lucky to have someone that will at least try to help it. Good luck.

 

[Marcus Harrison]

What exactly is pyramiding? All I know is it is bad. The tortoise in that picture looks absolutely beautiful, I know pyramiding is bad and I shouldn't say that but it makes her look amazing! How do I prevent that?

 

[JoesMum]

A tortoise's shell should be a single smooth dome. When each scute becomes a little hill that is called pyramidding.

It's a sign of poor care - caused by poor diet and being kept too dry. Obviously the knock on is that a pyramidded tortoise may well have other health issues related to diet and dehydration.

You can never get rid of it once it starts, but if caught early enough then a the pyramidding will become less obvious as the tortoise grows.

 

[TheSulcata]

Yeah I agree with these guys. Soaking and good natural light should be good for him.

 

[Marcus Harrison]

A tortoise's shell should be a single smooth dome. When each scute becomes a little hill that is called pyramidding.

It's a sign of poor care - caused by poor diet and being kept too dry. Obviously the knock on is that a pyramidded tortoise may well have other health issues related to diet and dehydration.

You can never get rid of it once it starts, but if caught early enough then a the pyramidding will become less obvious as the tortoise grows.

Thanks a lot! That tort does look beautiful though!!

 

[Walter1]

You can start by soaking the tortoise in Gerber strained carrots mixed half and half with water. At that size, you may need to use a couple jars. Get the smallest footprint container you can fit the tortoise in, with tall sides so it can't climb out, and leave it soaking for at least an hour. Longer is even better. The water mixture should come up to the middle of the tortoise's sides.

One thing to consider - sulcatas are prone to bladder stones. When the stone gets big enough to block off the tubes going out of the bladder it also start pressing on the area where the poop discharges from. The tortoise stops eating and slowly dies.

Too bad you have no $$ because it would be helpful to have an X-ray to know if the stone is present

This is a great site for information I hope your Tortoise is better

 

[sibi]

Mike, welcome to the forum. I'm so sad for your tort. She'll need a lot of care, and unfortunately, it's gonna cost money to care for her properly. First thing, soak her as Yvonne suggested. You can also soak her with pedialyte (electrolytes for babies) which could be found in any health care aisle like Walgreens or CVS. Soak her three times daily until she starts to show signs of hunger. Second, offer her a strawberry just to stimulate eating. If she bites, that's a good sign. She needs to be kept in a warm, humid environment. What is the setup for her enclosure? At this point, we know she didn't have a good beginning, and there may be some internal damage that you're not aware of. For instance, if she had sand as substrate when she was a hatchling, she may have a blockage. Tortoises that were left dehydrated will develop stones in the bladder. Organs may even begin to shut down like her kidney. That's why a full medical checkup is necessary. This would include x-rays, blood work, fecal testing for parasites. You really don't know what's going on with this tort. The bad news is that it's gonna cost you money you don't have. So, here's what I suggest. Call a rescue sanctuary near you and tell them what you're up against. Tell them you can't afford to take care of her and if they'll take her. It's not about you; it's about doing what's best for this poor animal. In the meantime, soak her in warm water mixes with baby carrot food, and provide her with a warm humid hide until you can make the transfer. I'm really sorry for you and that poor animal.

Btw, have you seen her poop? When you soak her, it should stimulate bowel movements. If she's not pooping, and continues to show no signs of pooping or eating for more than three or four says, you've got a tort in critical condition and she will need to get help immediately or she may die. I'm not being melodramatic here. I'm telling you from personal experience what may happen in her present condition.

 

[MIKEC928]

When we got her she was in a 10 gallon aquarium with dirt and some dried up lettuce . Now she is has been spending her days outside ( it was 100 degrees here in Arizona) either sunning or soaking or both. She is brought inside during the night and kept in a warm room with a humidifier. She was taken for x-rays Friday and we are awaiting the results. She has not pooped after 3 days of soaking. I'm aware I probably do not have the money to properly care for her and it has been discussed that if we are unable to give her what she needs we will find a place that can. I have a feeling my next thread will be asking who or where she can be taken to get the care she needs. Thank you all for your advice .

 

[sibi]

When we got her she was in a 10 gallon aquarium with dirt and some dried up lettuce . Now she is has been spending her days outside ( it was 100 degrees here in Arizona) either sunning or soaking or both. She is brought inside during the night and kept in a warm room with a humidifier. She was taken for x-rays Friday and we are awaiting the results. She has not pooped after 3 days of soaking. I'm aware I probably do not have the money to properly care for her and it has been discussed that if we are unable to give her what she needs we will find a place that can. I have a feeling my next thread will be asking who or where she can be taken to get the care she needs. Thank you all for your advice .

Please let us know what the x-rays show. I'm surprised that the results weren't given to you that same day. I mean, the vet sees the x-rays and there's either a blockage or stone, or there's not. Is your vet consulting some other vet about the x-rays result? That's the only explanation for the wait on results. I believe your tort is I critical condition and is in need of a feeding tube. However, if there's a blockage, they'll need to try using an enema. If it's a stone and it has grown too large that it's blocking the bowels, I'm afraid your tort may be dying

 

[Yvonne G]

By the time they had the x-ray done, the person who reads them had already gone for the day (and week-end). They will be emailing the x-ray to me on Monday. Mike's friend said what little she saw of the x-ray it looked like there may be a bladder stone. If that's the case, the only cure is surgery. And that's awfully expensive.

 

[sibi]

Many torts can live many years with bladder stones and most don't ever get surgery done. You'll need to get through the initial emergency and provide critical care now. The tort may recover. The risk is, however, that if there's a stone and it doesn't break up and gets explelled, it just may continue to grow and eventually become a blockage which is life-threatening. And, yes, if surgery is required, not only is it expensive, but the tort may not survive it. A rescue organization may take the risk and try to save the tort's life. If I were you, I'd continue to soak the tort and keep it warm and humid until you can decide what you want to do. If the tort bounces back, then you can provide an environment that may prevent future bouts of dehydration. Please keep us posted.

 

[sibi]

By the time they had the x-ray done, the person who reads them had already gone for the day (and week-end). They will be emailing the x-ray to me on Monday. Mike's friend said what little she saw of the x-ray it looked like there may be a bladder stone. If that's the case, the only cure is surgery. And that's awfully expensive.

So, the vet was not able to read the x-rays? Only a tech can read the X-rays? Is this vet experienced in treating Tortoises? Whether or not there is a stone, it's likely that this tort will need a feeding tube and fed electrolytes and medicine to try and cause the intestines to contract in order to push fecal matter out. Cause if electrolytes and medicine can't cause the blockage to break up, I fear she may be too sick for surgery.

 

[Yvonne G]

Many torts can live many years with bladder stones and most don't ever get surgery done. You'll need to get through the initial emergency and provide critical care now. The tort may recover. The risk is, however, that if there's a stone and it doesn't break up and gets explelled, it just may continue to grow and eventually become a blockage which is life-threatening. And, yes, if surgery is required, not only is it expensive, but the tort may not survive it. A rescue organization may take the risk and try to save the tort's life. If I were you, I'd continue to soak the tort and keep it warm and humid until you can decide what you want to do. If the tort bounces back, then you can provide an environment that may prevent future bouts of dehydration. Please keep us posted.

The tortoise is in such bad shape it is my opinion it already is blocking. That's why I suggested the x-ray. The vet doesn't treat tortoises and only took the x-ray as a favor to Mike's friend.

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum, @MIKEC928 .

Very sorry that your tort's pyramiding got that far. Please give your tort daily soaks in warm water so as to avoid that pyramiding from getting worse.

Keep us updated.

 

[sibi]

The tortoise is in such bad shape it is my opinion it already is blocking. That's why I suggested the x-ray. The vet doesn't treat tortoises and only took the x-ray as a favor to Mike's friend.

Oh, now that makes sense. Can Mike get the tort to a rescue asap? She needs critical care now. I look at that tort's sick face, and my heart breaks. Baby Runt was in that same situation about 2 years ago. She survived, but she spent 2 weeks in the hospital and the medicine that was being feed to her took about 3 weeks to take effect. Fortunately for her, the treatment worked and the blockage cleared out. The cost was nearly 2k.