Today before work I checked on Sammy, my African Spurred Tortoise, and he was unresponsive to me handling him. Usually when I would pick him up, he would stick his head out and open his eyes. When I found him today however, he had retracted his front legs to cover his face and when I pulled them away, I noticed his head was retracted fully into his shell, his eyes were barely open and his legs went limp moments later. I read here that soaking a tortoise can sometimes get a response from them but Sammy didn't seem to react to that either.. I took him to a reptile vet nearby and they concluded he was already dead before he got there. What bothered me though was the fact that his head was in his shell when I found him. I had read that when a Tortoise dies, their heads are limp and out of their shells.
Another point is I noticed Sammy had a bit of a runny nose and his eye was swollen. I was giving him turtle eye drops daily for a week but saw no improvement. I had planned on taking Sammy to the vet to get checked out but money has been so tight lately... I was actually going to make an appointment for him tomorrow when I found him today.
I feel like I could have saved him if only I had gotten him to the vet sooner.. Also, if he was dehydrated, maybe if I soaked him a bit longer he would have finally gave me a reaction? I don't know.. I'm just so distraught about this. I had gotten him from a friend who got him from a lady that couldn't take care of him. My roommate and I figured that Sammy may had already been sick when I got him. He was 3 years old, according to the friend I got him from. I have another friend who has a 16 year old African Spurred and when I first got Sammy, I asked them for advice. They made a point that they never soaked their Tortoise before and she grew up fine. Upon reading more and more about Sulcatas though, many people have said to soak them at least once a week. I feel like if I had done that instead of listen to my friend, Sammy might still be alive. I feel like its my fault even though everyone says it's not...
Anyways, I was just curious if a Sulcata dying with its head in its shell is normal. I feel like he could have lived or still been alive...
Another point is I noticed Sammy had a bit of a runny nose and his eye was swollen. I was giving him turtle eye drops daily for a week but saw no improvement. I had planned on taking Sammy to the vet to get checked out but money has been so tight lately... I was actually going to make an appointment for him tomorrow when I found him today.
I feel like I could have saved him if only I had gotten him to the vet sooner.. Also, if he was dehydrated, maybe if I soaked him a bit longer he would have finally gave me a reaction? I don't know.. I'm just so distraught about this. I had gotten him from a friend who got him from a lady that couldn't take care of him. My roommate and I figured that Sammy may had already been sick when I got him. He was 3 years old, according to the friend I got him from. I have another friend who has a 16 year old African Spurred and when I first got Sammy, I asked them for advice. They made a point that they never soaked their Tortoise before and she grew up fine. Upon reading more and more about Sulcatas though, many people have said to soak them at least once a week. I feel like if I had done that instead of listen to my friend, Sammy might still be alive. I feel like its my fault even though everyone says it's not...
Anyways, I was just curious if a Sulcata dying with its head in its shell is normal. I feel like he could have lived or still been alive...