Kingsley7
Member
Randy told me that he weighed around 20-25 grams when I first got him.
Is the plastron supposed to be rock solid? Because his is not if that’s the case
No just not soft, for a tort this size it might not feel rock solid, what are your temperatures? Basking, minimum ambient...
I went back and re-read from the beginning. Here are the high points.
- Most sulcatas hatch around 30-35 grams. Mine are typically 33-37, but I'll have big batches with some 40-42 grammers in there. My largest was 44 grams right out of the egg before soaking. 20-25 sounds too small.
- Your tortoise is abnormally small for 7 months old, but there could be many reasons for that. Mine are usually 200-300 grams by seven months, but that is with ideal conditions and ideal hydration. At 68 grams, you are not likely to lose this baby due to "hatchling failure".
- I've never dealt with a swelling like the one you are seeing, so I have no first hand experience to share. It sure looks like and abscess or infection of some sort to me. Just be careful with the vet. Most of them don't know much about tortoises. Don't let them use Baytril or give any "vitamin injections... Fortaz is a good antibiotic if one is needed and its safer for tortoises. Baytril is extremely caustic and burns them at the injection site.
Here are my two at 7 months old.View attachment 268965 View attachment 268966
Here are my two at 7 months old.View attachment 268965 View attachment 268966
More than likely, what happened is a sharp piece of something (food, wood, whatever) poked through the inside of the mouth and it scabbed over. Now there's a foreign body in there and the tortoise's system is walling it off. I doubt antibiotics by themselves will help the tortoise. The medication will keep the germ growth under control, but whatever sliver caused the abscess in the first place should be taken out of there.VET UPDATE:
So we just left the vet, they said that there was tissue growth on the inside of his mouth behind where the abscess is... they offered to sedate, lance the abscess, scoop out the puss and tissue and send him home with antibiotics. That route would have been around 1000 dollars which I can’t spare at the moment. so we decided to skip the surgical route and give him the antibiotics (fortaz) for the next 3/4 weeks. Hopefully the fortaz works in completely clearing it up or at least shrinking the abscess, but I am still cautious to the fact that it could easily come back.