ILL TORTOISE, PLEASE HELP

[maisiefrayn]

I am worried about the wellbeing of a tortoise that I have been looking after for a week, it is relatively small and it's shell is about 6cm in diameter and I believe it's species to be of Moroccan origin. It seems to be very weak and in my opinion eating very little. It is in an enclosure with a heat lamp and today when I came home from school i found it outside of it's log bed area which it tends to sleep under. it's eyes were fully closed and it was not in it's shell at all however it was not moving and at first I believed it to be dead but he became responsive when I attempted to take him out of the enclosure. He has been moving very little and will simply just roll is front legs almost as though to move... when he came into my care he seemed to be very active. The family I am looking after it for gave me very little information on how to care for it so I have been trying to encourage it to move around the house however as I have a puppy I cannot leave it unattended so it only gets about half an hour where I can supervise it and apart from that it is in an enclosure. I have been feeding it lettuce so I am not sure what they fed it previously but could this be due to a change in diet? I am also concerned about not having seen it drinking water in a while despite having constant access to it. I am aware the climate of my room is different to the room he was previously kept in as it may be colder

 

[dmmj]

iIt sounds sick to me possibly a respiratory infection was it eating when you received it and what are your temperatures?

 

[Randi]

Can you provide a picture of the tortoise? Even a current picture so we can see what kind of health it is in. We can help identify it, and can then assist you with care. Do you know the four temperatures (basking, cool side, warm side and night time)? What is the humidity like? Can you provide a picture of the enclosure? What are you feeding? The more information that you can provide, the more likely we'll be able to assist.

 

[maisiefrayn]

 

[maisiefrayn]

I do not know the exact temperatures and cannot think of a way of gauging them, I live in England and it is currently winter and my room is front facing with lots of windows that are bad insulating. I have since moved it to a room that tends to be a more consistent warm temperature is it has only one small window

 

[maisiefrayn]

I am feeding it ice-berg lettuce which I have ensured is in date and rinse under water before putting into the enclosure. I know very little about tortoises so any help is appreciated and I am attempting to make contact with the owner

 

[maisiefrayn]

iIt sounds sick to me possibly a respiratory infection was it eating when you received it and what are your temperatures?

I am not sure about the temperatures but was does this potentially mean? Does this mean there is a sense of urgency for treatment by a professional

 

[dmmj]

Yes, if it is one antibiotics will be required.

 

[Randi]

In regards to respiratory - respiratory infections tend to occur if reptiles are kept cold and damp. Their immunity lowers and then they are susceptible to getting ill. This would be a sign of an enclosure where the temperatures are too low. As mentioned above, vet attention is normally required as antibiotics will need to be given. Keeping the enclosure warmer by a few degrees can help as well.

In regards to temperatures - all reptiles need a warm environment, warmer then what we as humans require. I believe they need an enclosure with a temperature that's no lower then 85 degrees farenheit. Warmer then that is preferred, and temperatures will differ with different species. The lower the temperature, the lower the appetite. You always need to know what the temperatures are in the enclosure. Humidity is also important. You can purchase digital gauges that will measure the humidity and temperature. I think once the temperature is corrected, there should be an improvement.

In regards to diet - a diet of just iceburg lettuce will not do. It is not the greatest food item to feed. There are a lot more beneficial items that can fill up the tummy. They need a varied diet, of all sorts of greens. A website that I've found to be helpful is the tortoise table plant database. It lists food items, and has all sorts of info about the food item and how often it should be fed, etc. Google it and browse. There are care sheets for this tort. I believe it is a Greek tortoise. I will tag someone here that can identify, as I'm not very experienced with this species. Then we can direct you to care sheets that list the proper humidity, temps, etc.

@Tom , are you able to assist with identification and some advice on care? Maybe just pointing the OP to the proper care sheet? Any assistance you could provide would be appreciated. Thank you so much.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm very surprised someone would go away and entrust you with the care of this tortoise and not give you any instructions.

1. Every morning place the tortoise in a bowl of warm water. The bowl should have tall sides so the tortoise can't climb out. The water should come up to the middle of the tortoise's sides.
2. While the tortoise is soaking, prepare the food, which should include two or three things from this list: dandelion, clover, plantain, hawksbit, cat’s ear, wild strawberry and thistle. When these items are not available (often during the winter months), they can be replaced by dried, bagged organic herbs. These can be found online. Store-bought greens such as collard, mustard, kale and turnip can be offered sparingly. There isn't much nutrition in plain lettuce.
3. The tortoise needs to be kept warm. Place a thermometer on the floor of the habitat to see if it's warm enough. It needs to be 85F or so. It can cool down at night, but not cooler than 70F. You can drape some sort of cover over the habitat to keep the warm air the light provides inside the habitat, but take care in not starting a fire.

Here is a link to a Greek tortoise care sheet:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/greek-tortoise-testudo-graeca-care-sheet-overview.87146/

 

[Lyn W]

I am in the UK too - try some Florette Classic crispy salad which has a better mix of leaves including radicchio which they love. They are a £1 a bag in some shops like Sainsbury's at the moment. I also use some pak choi, kale, spring greens.
Don't let it wander around on the floor which is the coldest place it could be, as well the dangers of it eating something it shouldn't - dust, pins, coins and even socks! You must keep it warm day and night. Have you tried soaking it in a clean container (not used for any chemicals etc) using shallow luke warm shallow water.
Have you adopted the tort or just looing after it?