Is my tortoise OK?

[DrKylePile]

We are very afraid that our cherryhead tortoise Darwin passed yesterday. We made a habitat outdoors for him for nice summer days. We were sure, or as sure as we can be, to only have plants in there that are safe for torts. Yesterday was the first time putting him in there, along with his little sister redfoot Dandie. It topped out around 75 degrees but was very sunny. The habitat has a large pool of water, where I started them, and also a cave for hiding and shade. I checked in a few times and noticed he was just lying by the edge of the habitat with his body inside his shell each time. They were out there for about 5 hours, but he hasn't moved since I brought him inside. From some reading my wife did, it's not uncommon to leave torts out for longer than that and on hotter days, but maybe that isn't for cherryheads. She also read that when they die their arms and legs come out, but everything is still in the shell and stiff as far as I can tell.
He definitely seems to be gone, and this has been very hard emotionally on us because an animal under our care has possibly died, and likely our fault if that's the case; it's really devastating. He's 5 years old and healthy as far as we can tell otherwise, never had any problems for years.
My biggest fear is that he's somehow just not moving but still alive and I'll bury him alive. I just don't know how to tell for sure, but I'm soaking him in shallow water just in case.
Can anybody advise what to do? We're just beside ourselves right now
KC

 

[dmmj]

if he is stiff rigor mortis has set in and your tortoise is dead very sorry. you can bury your tortoise without any reservation.

 

[Pearly]

Do not bury him just yet. Keep him dark and warm. @ZEROPILOT had a very sick RF female who at one point looked very "dead". He didn't bury her this same day, and she started showing signs of life. Today she'e happy and healthy. What do you think may have happened? Maybe a predator? Or ants? Someone started nibbling on Darwin and he got scared? I'm not offering my condolences just yet. I hope that Darwin pulled all in bcs he got very scared of something

 

[DrKylePile]

Any thoughts on what happened? All I can surmise is that he overheated, but he never went to his water bowl or shade, the ground is soft and he didn't burrow. I feel like he would have tried to escape the heat if it was too much. His little sister is fine and she was in the same place, also didn't seek shelter in shade. I don't want to overthink it, but I don't want something like this to happen to Dandie if I did something wrong.

 

[DrKylePile]

Do not bury him just yet. Keep him dark and warm. @ZEROPILOT had a very sick RF female who at one point looked very "dead". He didn't bury her this same day, and she started showing signs of life. Today she'e happy and healthy. What do you think may have happened? Maybe a predator? Or ants?

No ants or predators we're aware of, just not quite sure what to make of it. I can say that he has pillbugs all over him right now (bioactive substrate) like they might be decomposing him. How long should I wait to bury him if he is stiff and hasn't moved?

 

[Pearly]

I don't believe he'd overheat in 75F even in full sun

 

[Pearly]

No ants or predators we're aware of, just not quite sure what to make of it. I can say that he has pillbugs all over him right now (bioactive substrate) like they might be decomposing him. How long should I wait to bury him if he is stiff and hasn't moved?

Hmmm... Puzzled with those pillbugs... I'd wait till tomorrow. Keep him warm, put him in his hide. And see what happens. Is he all pulled in his shell?

 

[DrKylePile]

Hmmm... Puzzled with those pillbugs... I'd wait till tomorrow. Keep him warm, put him in his hide. And see what happens. Is he all pulled in his shell?

Yes he's been pulled in his shell since yesterday, and if I poke him or try to gently tug a leg it's stiff. Otherwise he looks normal and alive, I'm just used to him moving even when he's pulled into his shell.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Have you soaked him in shallow, warm water? That may help you see signs of life.

How large a tortoise are we talking about? A five year old could be pretty substantial - hard to overheat to death, especially if air temperature was only 75F (which is a little cool for a red foot).

The pill bugs crawling all over him is a bit of a concern, but I wouldn't bury him until he starts to stink. I don't know why he might have died - there isn't something obvious here. Getting a necroscopy done by a vet is really the only way to know.

 

[Pearly]

Have you soaked him in shallow, warm water? That may help you see signs of life.

How large a tortoise are we talking about? A five year old could be pretty substantial - hard to overheat to death, especially if air temperature was only 75F (which is a little cool for a red foot).

The pill bugs crawling all over him is a bit of a concern, but I wouldn't bury him until he starts to stink. I don't know why he might have died - there isn't something obvious here. Getting a necroscopy done by a vet is really the only way to know.

Good idea, try to gently rinse off his shell openings see what flushes out (other then pill bugs), then try soaking, just shallow enough not to cover his nostrils in there

 

[Yvonne G]

You may be misinterpreting "stiff" with strong muscles holding the legs inside. It could be that something bit or stung him and he's holding himself inside his shell to keep it from happening again. I'd separate him from the other one and sit him in a little tub of warm water. Have the water so it comes up to the middle of his sides, but does NOT cover his nostrils. Put it in a quiet place and hope for the best.

 

[Pearly]

You may be misinterpreting "stiff" with strong muscles holding the legs inside. It could be that something bit or stung him and he's holding himself inside his shell to keep it from happening again. I'd separate him from the other one and sit him in a little tub of warm water. Have the water so it comes up to the middle of his sides, but does NOT cover his nostrils. Put it in a quiet place and hope for the best.

That's exactly where I was going with my idea of "trying to rinse/flush"