Help!! (Something stuck in throat???)

[Jenanprid]

partnered with JustAnswer so that you can get an answer ASAP.

I have had my tortoise for 4 days now and i have noticed after eating its reaching its neck all the way out and lifting its legs off the ground. Is this normal? Is my tortouse ill? I have noticed it opens its mouth as if food is stuck. I am really worried. It is lying under the heat lamp and closing its eyes
JustAnswer

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm not understanding what you mean by "partnered with JustAnswer".

What kind of tortoise is it? Can we please see a picture of the tortoise inside his habitat?

 

[Jenanprid]

It is a horsefield tortoise 6 n a half months old. I got it 4 days ago.
Can you see the way it has its legs. Its worrying me!

 

[Razan]

Having no experience with small torts my input may be a bit ignorant. Is it possible that is his way a resting and yawning? Yes, he looks kind of contorted or is this just his yoga position? Someone will give a more helpful answer I'm sure.

 

[Jenanprid]

I hope someone does know. Its moving around now. May be it was just digesting its food as i had just fed him

 

[Razan]

Never panic until you have to. You can panic later, after you have looked into all the options and possibilities.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Tortoises often have their limbs at silly angles while basking - they're trying to maximize skin exposure to the light.

The stretching the neck out/mouth opening could mean something is stuck in the throat. It could just be a yawn. It also could be gasping for breath - a symptom of respiratory infection. From your description, it is impossible to diagnose.

Those back legs look skinny to me - what is it's diet like? How warm is your basking spot? How cold is your overnight low temperature?

 

[JoesMum]

Hello Jenanprid

That is a typical tortoise sprawl and is nothing to worry about.

What I am concerned about is your enclosure.

Hay is not a suitable substrate. These babies need humidity to grow healthily and hay goes mouldy. Your tort needs an earth-like substrate such as fine grade orchid bark or coco coir which can be dampened to raise humidity

I know I have given you these before, but I am giving them to you again as you have, as I feared, been given outdated information about the care your tort needs

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Care of young Horsfield tort
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

 

[wellington]

Hard to tell in a pic. However, the way he is laying could very well be the way he likes to bask. Many torts will sprawl out. That said, you need to get him off the hay. It's way too drying. He also needs a much larger enclosure, 4x8 and some humidity if 50% at least. He's already has some pyramiding which isn't as common in Russians and harder to do then in most other torts.
If you can get a video of what you see that makes you think he has something stuck and the movements he does, that would help us more

 

[Jenanprid]

I have orderd the 50/50 top soil and more things i need as i have read the care sheet provided with it. It is doing its normal thing now walking around every where. It is 32 dagrees and in the cool area its 20 dagrees. I got the hay with the enclosure. I am just waiting for my stuff to arrive. I am not sure what they fed it when i didnt have it but it loves it loves to eat a lot. i have been feeding it kale; watercress, romine lettus. I have just bought some coliflower and cabbige and i have orderd seeds to grow stuff my self. I got it from happy tortoise i read a lot of good reviews and it seemed ok. If it needs a bigger enclosure i will buy it i dont care how much it costs i just want it to be happy. I will give what u gave me a read.

 

[Jenanprid]

Does anyone have a picture of what my enclosure should look like please?