28 Sick Tortoises please help, Bumps under Neck

TeamZissou

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If they need to be euthanized, I dont want them to suffer. How do I know if they need to be euthanized?

If they have Austwicka chelonae confirmed from a biopsy, then you will know.

You'll also need to get rid of all equipment used for these tortoises. I believe one forum member had a similar experience when trying to buy ivory sulcatas, had to euthanize 20 some babies and shut down his reptile room for a year.

@zovick may know a reputable vet in your area who would be able to do a biopsy for austwicka
 

Montana Pearce

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Yes, I got all 28 tortoises from one seller.

They have not been in contact with my other tortoises directly.

I built an enclosure for the new tortoises.
 

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Montana Pearce

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When handling the tortoises, we always use gloves, and we individually rinse off each tortoise before putting them back into their enclosure.

I have a designated room where only the tortoises are kept, with regulated temperature and humidity.

We switch our shoes when entering the room (sandals) and have been taking very precaution to ensure they have a healthy environment.

I have always loved tortoises and I have raised my other 3 without problems so I didnt think that raising more would be a problem.

What can I do different?
 

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zovick

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I informed him, he is very defensive and stating that it is not on him and that he sold me healthy hatchlings.
I dont know what to do, I want to do whats best for the tortoises and if I did something wrong I want to fix it.
My other tortoises are separated and are not in contact with these new tortoises.
Who is the seller?

I know a good exotics vet in LA if you want to go that far.
 

Yvonne G

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I informed him, he is very defensive and stating that it is not on him and that he sold me healthy hatchlings.
I dont know what to do, I want to do whats best for the tortoises and if I did something wrong I want to fix it.
My other tortoises are separated and are not in contact with these new tortoises.
In my opinion, just from reading all the previous threads on the yellow bump disease, you have done nothing wrong. It's all on the seller. It's bad news for the tortoise industry that this seller doesn't want to listen and admit there's something wrong with his babies. More people are going to buy these tortoises and the disease will spread far and wide. Once you get the determination from your vet, don't protect the seller. When people ask you who you got the babies from, tell them.

Did you give your vet the name of the disease (Austwickia Chelonae)?
 

Pastel Tortie

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I do have pictures prior to buying them and I did not see any spots. What is the incubation time on it? I bought them 2 months ago. How do you recommend I hold the distributor accountable?
Austwickia chelonae can remain dormant for weeks or even several months. It can appear to go away, then show up again weeks or months later.

Do you know if these tortoises were hatched on-site, or did the seller acquire them from elsewhere? Were they all from the same clutch?

Make sure you document all contact with the seller. You may need it later.
 

Thundersnow

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I informed him, he is very defensive and stating that it is not on him and that he sold me healthy hatchlings.
I dont know what to do, I want to do whats best for the tortoises and if I did something wrong I want to fix it.
My other tortoises are separated and are not in contact with these new tortoises
 

JoFisch

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I believe they are the same thing. I think cutting the tissue is the 'biopsy' part and then they culture it (grow it in a petri dish) to see what develops.
Biopsy is the act of taking a tissue sample but many people use the word when histopathology is being performed on the tissue sample. This is not the same as a tissue culture. Histopathology is microscopic examination of a tissue sample. Organisms may be identified this way or there may be characteristic tissue changes associated with a particular disease. Culture of tissue is used to grow an organism (usually bacteria) but it can be very important to know what you are growing as some bacteria need very specific culture conditions. It will be very important you give the vet as much info as possible so you don’t waste your money. I am a vet but not a reptile vet. I wouldn’t think that cream would be a good choice. It has a steroid in it as well as some other antimicrobials. I don’t know that it would cause harm but I can’t imagine you’d want to slather it all over those babies. Again, I AM NOT a reptile vet but I wouldn’t use it all over a dog or cat.
 

Thundersnow

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Just found this thread.Hopefully this will help.
 

ZenHerper

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Austwickia is best diagnosed with biopsy...it may not grow in a standard culture.

 

zovick

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Montana Pearce who is the seller. We all need to know who this person is so no one else buys from him.
It is beyond me why these poor buyers feel it necessary to keep the sellers' names a secret after they have experienced such devastation in their collections. This is especially true when sellers have been notified by other buyers that there is a problem, yet continue selling babies just for the $$$

It makes no sense and is totally unfair to other forum members/potential buyers who may also buy from these sellers. The last I knew, one could not be sued for telling the trurh.
 

MenagerieGrl

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It is beyond me why these poor buyers feel it necessary to keep the sellers' names a secret after they have experienced such devastation in their collections. This is especially true when sellers have been notified by other buyers that there is a problem, yet continue selling babies just for the $$$

It makes no sense and is totally unfair to other forum members/potential buyers who may also buy from these sellers. The last I knew, one could not be sued for telling the trurh.
zovick,
Yes, it's sad, but somewhat understandable. By doing so, you/they can be opening up a can of worms, so to speak. Proving that the disease/virus/fungus/ bacteria came from the breeder can be a challenge.
We would ALL really like to know who this is, who is spreading this infection to unsuspecting families.
One thing would to be able to have a "Safe" list of breeder's that are responsible/reputable, and do the right thing.
How we would attain this, I'm not sure...
 

method89

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zovick,
Yes, it's sad, but somewhat understandable. By doing so, you/they can be opening up a can of worms, so to speak. Proving that the disease/virus/fungus/ bacteria came from the breeder can be a challenge.
We would ALL really like to know who this is, who is spreading this infection to unsuspecting families.
One thing would to be able to have a "Safe" list of breeder's that are responsible/reputable, and do the right thing.
How we would attain this, I'm not sure...
This doesn't help the original poster now, but I would say there is already a well curated list of breeders for every tortoise breed. That's not to say there are no other quality breeders out there but for the most part, if you are doing it right, you are well known on this forum.

I know who I would go to for every tortoise I might want to purchase. I also know who I wouldn't go to for any tortoise or turtle.

I was also fortunate to find this forum before I bought my torts. Most people stumble upon us only after they purchased their tort and there is already a problem.
 

Toddrickfl1

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I'd say probably 99% of the people currently selling Sulcatas are already aware this has been going around. I actually know a couple reputable breeders that have stopped working with Sulcatas for the time being because of this.
 

Ghazan

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What were you going to do with 28 sulcatas? I can't imagine how much food, land and poop cleanup that is needed for that many.

Let us know who you bought it from, I'm sure he knows what he is selling...
 

Gijoux

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It is beyond me why these poor buyers feel it necessary to keep the sellers' names a secret after they have experienced such devastation in their collections. This is especially true when sellers have been notified by other buyers that there is a problem, yet continue selling babies just for the $$$

It makes no sense and is totally unfair to other forum members/potential buyers who may also buy from these sellers. The last I knew, one could not be sued for telling the trurh.
One of the reasons I believe some people don't want to expose the seller is because the seller has convinced the buyer that "he sold him healthy babies and it must be the buyer's fault." The buyer feels he is personally responsible somehow as a result of inexperience. You can feel this poor buyers doubts about his husbandry, even in his initial question. I can understand having doubts and fearing the ramification of making a false accusation. This buyer doesn't have the experience we all have had learning about this disease and isn't as sure about this diagnosis as we are.
 

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