VicMorgan was on her back when I went on my rounds last night. She was tight in her shell and no leg movement when I turned her back upright. But I figured (Hoped) she was ok, just stressed out.
But this a.m. she's still in the same place and upon further inspection, her eyes are sunken in. I'm afraid she's gone.
This really bums me out. VicMorgan is the only Manouria that is strictly mine. All the rest are mine and my partner's. I bought her as a hatchling and raised her up to this stage. She left me quite a legacy of eggs in the incubator. I'm hoping that at least one of them will hatch and she will live on.
Thursday night I went to the ER with pain that I thought was a diverticulitis attack, but it turned out to be a kidney stone. I was in the hospital Thurs night, Friday and came home Saturday afternoon. While there, they poked a hole through my back and inserted a needle and tube to drain the kidney...a temporary measure until I could get in to see my Urologist. So when I came home on Saturday, I really wasn't in any shape to do my evening chores, but I sent my daughter home and made the rounds on my own. I usually count all the tortoises to make sure each group is ok, so it was my habit to check on all of them...however because of the way I was feeling, I'm not sure, and I don't remember if I saw all of them Saturday night or not. She probably was on her back Saturday and Sunday. That's just too long for a large tortoise like that to be laying on her lungs, even though she was in the shade.
I just feel terrible. What a waste. This beautiful, 50lb animal, gone because I was too self-absorbed to make sure they were all ok.
But this a.m. she's still in the same place and upon further inspection, her eyes are sunken in. I'm afraid she's gone.
This really bums me out. VicMorgan is the only Manouria that is strictly mine. All the rest are mine and my partner's. I bought her as a hatchling and raised her up to this stage. She left me quite a legacy of eggs in the incubator. I'm hoping that at least one of them will hatch and she will live on.
Thursday night I went to the ER with pain that I thought was a diverticulitis attack, but it turned out to be a kidney stone. I was in the hospital Thurs night, Friday and came home Saturday afternoon. While there, they poked a hole through my back and inserted a needle and tube to drain the kidney...a temporary measure until I could get in to see my Urologist. So when I came home on Saturday, I really wasn't in any shape to do my evening chores, but I sent my daughter home and made the rounds on my own. I usually count all the tortoises to make sure each group is ok, so it was my habit to check on all of them...however because of the way I was feeling, I'm not sure, and I don't remember if I saw all of them Saturday night or not. She probably was on her back Saturday and Sunday. That's just too long for a large tortoise like that to be laying on her lungs, even though she was in the shade.
I just feel terrible. What a waste. This beautiful, 50lb animal, gone because I was too self-absorbed to make sure they were all ok.