Whats wrong with Pearls Leg!!??

Frank Condon

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Hello fellow sulcata owners/lovers,

So my 8 year old Sulcata,Pearl, for some reason has been walking really wierd for the last month or so and i cant figure out what is wrong with her. One minute she will be walking fine than the next minute she starts teetering and walking very quickly in circles like she may be in pain. At first i thought it may be something on the bottom of her foot but i checked that and theres nothing but a couple spots where she might of barely scuffed a scute or 2 off. So i ruled that out. In checking that i seen that her back right leg was a little puffy or swollen. When i put her down she walks perfectly normal for about 30 secs and than boom back doing circles again so i pick her up cuz i cant help but feel like shes in pain. When i pick her up i can tell she relaxes. But when when i put her down again the same thing goes on until she gets to wherever shes going. Im thinkin she may have dislocated it, or even worse broke it somehow. So what should i do, any ideas?
 

wellington

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Without seeing her do this, it's hard for us to really give any insight. Your best move would be a reputable reptile/chelonian vet visit.
 

MPRC

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It sounds like you're probably going to want to have a vet manipulate the leg at the very least, and xtays may not be a bad idea. Is there any way you can upload a video to Youtube to show us?

If you want referrals for veterinarians, let us know where you're located and we'll try to help!
 

sibi

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Do you think she could be egg bound? Only an x-rays can confirm that, in addition to seeing if there's anything out of sorts with the leg. Btw, when was the Las time you've seen a bowel movement from her? Is her daily diet routine been the same?
 

GingerLove

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If her butt seems poofier than usual on both sides, it may mean she is going to lay eggs or is egg-bound. (I've heard that sometimes you can tell by touching your tort's butt and you can feel an egg). I would recommend an x-ray if it doesn't seem to get better.
 

Yvonne G

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Time for a reputable vet, Frank.

I had a large Manouria tortoise that was limping on a back leg earlier this year. X-rays showed his hip came out of the socket. There is no way to put this back and have it stay in place, so surgery is required. It doesn't fix itself.

Where are you? We may be able to put you in touch with a good tortoise vet.
 

Frank Condon

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Im in california and i have a video of her doing this ... Does anyone have an email i can se3nd it to
 

Kathy Coles

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I don't have any tort experience with this problem but it sure looks dislocated when she does that "funny" walk. Vet visit ASAP. Let us know how she does. I think it is a good thing she can walk normal for a short time.
 

MPRC

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That is really bizarre behavior. I would take that video with you to the vet.

There are a lot of CA members, I'm willing to bet someone can suggest a vet. What area are you in?
 

Yvonne G

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To me it looks like a traction thing. The cement might have worn the bottoms of her feet smooth and she's losing traction.
 

Gillian M

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A very warm welcome to the forum. :D

Am not a tort expert, but the one thing I'd suggest is a visit to the vet.

Please keep us updated, and good luck. ;)
 

wellington

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Does she only do this on the cement? It almost looks like she is trying to scratch herself on the cement. Put her on grass and dirt and see how she does. If she doesn't do it at all, then my guess would be she's either trying to scratch herself on the cement or what Yvonne suggested. If she does do it, I would bring her and the video to a vet
 

TerrapinStation

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That is very interesting. It looks like the leg cannot support the weight and buckles?

Poor thing, hopefully nothing serious. Best of luck to you and Pearl.
 

Fredkas

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I hope she is fine. please keep us updated.
Any recent news?
 

Frank Condon

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Does she only do this on the cement? It almost looks like she is trying to scratch herself on the cement. Put her on grass and dirt and see how she does. If she doesn't do it at all, then my guess would be she's either trying to scratch herself on the cement or what Yvonne suggested. If she does do it, I would bring her and the video to a vet
No i thought the same thing and i tried that and its the same on grass she gets really stressed out so i just pick her up n put her back in the house so she can sleep
 

TortoiseDoc

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As a baby vet, while we've not discussed neurological issues in reptiles, if she were a cat/dog, I would call that ataxia, which is a neuro problem. I have no clue what neuro issues are in reptiles, but anything with a brain/spinal cord can, in theory, have problems with it. especially with the way she's trying to compensate for it with her other back leg... I agree with everyone else, I would get her to a repti vet pronto
 

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