I think my male tortoise is dying

Potato_king

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Hello everyone
Yesterday, my tortoise was very active, he walks around, tried to climb everything and he ate a lot. Today, i was about to feed him in the morning, I noticed that he is not okay. For the first time, he wasn't trying to climb or move around the enclosure. he was burying himself. I took him out and gave him a soak, but after that he just wanted to sleep. He ate a little bit and moved around the garden, but soon after he fall asleep. I watched him fall asleep in two places in the garden, and this very unusual because he doesn't sleep much. Now, I put him inside the enclosure, but for the first time he didn't try to climb out. I watched him close his eyes and sleep again. Im very worried about him. The pen is outside and they have access to both sun and shade. The temperature here is really high, so I don’t think he is hibernating.
 

Lyn W

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If it is too warm and dry, tortoises can aestivate.
What are the temps in his enclosure and the humidity?
Did he have access to shade and water when he was outside?
Did you separate the torts and change the substrate from straw/hay to something more suitable for tortoises.
If you update your photos so we can see the improvements you've made we'll be able to help you more just in case he is ill.
 

Potato_king

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Hello, thank you for the feedback,
i cant tell for sure what the temperature and humidity are , but i spray the enclosure everyday.
i changed the hay to dirt. the pen is outside and they have access to shade anytime they want.
also, yes. I separated them.
792D26C3-CC64-4A24-8767-5F186DDE414D.jpeg
Sorry the picture is bad, but this is him inside the pen few days ago,
i clean it everyday and they both seems to like it more than the hay.
i didn't put water inside because i soak him almost everyday.
 

Potato_king

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i really hope he is in aestivation, because yesterday he was very active, but today he looks like he is on sleeping pills
 

Lyn W

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Hello, thank you for the feedback,
i cant tell for sure what the temperature and humidity are , but i spray the enclosure everyday.
i changed the hay to dirt. the pen is outside and they have access to shade anytime they want.
also, yes. I separated them.
View attachment 323322
Sorry the picture is bad, but this is him inside the pen few days ago,
i clean it everyday and they both seems to like it more than the hay.
i didn't put water inside because i soak him almost everyday.
Torts need access to clean water and fresh food all day and everyday especially if it's warm.
If you have a plant saucer sunk level with the substrate he can access it to self soak when he needs to.
Do you have a hide in there for him so that he has to somewhere to go to feel secure?
A full picture of his enclosure would give us a better idea of any changes you still may need to make.
You can't guess temperatures and humidity, you need a reliable thermometer and temp gun, and a hygrometer so you can see exactly what the temps are at tort level.
 

Lyn W

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i really hope he is in aestivation, because yesterday he was very active, but today he looks like he is on sleeping pills
He could be sick, so you need to keep an eye on him and get the right tools and provide the right environment to keep him healthy.
Most tort problems are because of poor husbandry, so we have to be prepared to change anything that could be affecting their health or behaviour.
 

Potato_king

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Torts need access to clean water and fresh food all day and everyday especially if it's warm.
If you have a plant saucer sunk level with the substrate he can access it to self soak when he needs to.
Do you have a hide in there for him so that he has to somewhere to go to feel secure?
A full picture of his enclosure would give us a better idea of any changes you still may need to make.
You can't guess temperatures and humidity, you need a reliable thermometer and temp gun, and a hygrometer so you can see exactly what the temps are at tort level.
They have fresh food all the day,
i will put some water for them.
Yes, he has a hiding place.
As for the thermometer and temperature gun, i will definitely buy them as soon as possible.
 

Potato_king

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Good morning,
So today my tortoise is much better than yesterday, he didn’t fall sleep and he started to walk again, however i noticed that his limps are slightly weak and he kinda shakes when he walks. He is not dehydrated because I soaked him today and his shell and skin looks much better. I also put some water for them.
I want to attach a video for him but i dont know how, so i will put some pictures
7161D577-F70E-4BF4-AE6C-D4D7EC2190BC.jpeg

95ED8EDC-91CD-4BDF-8594-77A60148707A.jpeg

Please don’t mind the dirt on his shell, he was trying to climb the enclosure and he fell on his back
 
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Lyn W

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What are you feeding him?
Do you use any supplements?
 

Potato_king

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What are you feeding him?
Do you use any supplements?
I feed them lettuce, grape vines and sometimes sweet pepper,
I know it's not good for them but the male likes it, I give them some fruit once a week
also I let them eat from the garden.
I don't use supplements.
 
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Lyn W

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That isn't a great diet so maybe you should look at adding a pinch of calcium a couple of times a week and something like Nutrabal. If you can't get calcium powder get a cuttlefish bone that they sell for birds and scrape some of that onto food. If you remove any plastic or metal cage clips you could leave it in the enclosure for them to nibble on - but most torts will ignore it so better to add to food.

Without the proper diet you are looking at all sorts of problems which will make your tort sick. Torts need variety and foods with good nutritional value.
Do you know what plants in your garden he is eating?
They may not all be safe so you need to check tyhe arn't eating anything that's toxic for him

Please read the caresheet below which I think I or another member already linked in your other thread.
 

Potato_king

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That isn't a great diet so maybe you should look at adding a pinch of calcium a couple of times a week and something like Nutrabal. If you can't get calcium powder get a cuttlefish bone that they sell for birds and scrape some of that onto food. If you remove any plastic or metal cage clips you could leave it in the enclosure for them to nibble on - but most torts will ignore it so better to add to food.

Without the proper diet you are looking at all sorts of problems which will make your tort sick. Torts need variety and foods with good nutritional value.
Do you know what plants in your garden he is eating?
They may not all be safe so you need to check tyhe arn't eating anything that's toxic for him

Please read the caresheet below which I think I or another member already linked in your other thread.
Thank you very much, your advice helped me a lot. i know the diet is bad, i will start planting aloe vera and other plants for them.
When i put them in the garden, I watch them very closely because there is a lot of nightshade and goosefoot plants and other toxic stuff , but I never let them eat those.
Thank you again ?
 

Potato_king

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I got the calcium powder, I will start giving them some from tomorrow.
I will also try to change the diet.
 

Lyn W

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You only need a small pinch of calcium a couple of times a week.
Look at the suggested foods on the caresheet - aloe vera is OK occasionally but not as a staple and can cause diarrhea if fed too much. You need to find dark leafy greens.
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is based on UK plants but there may be some you have access to.
 

Potato_king

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You only need a small pinch of calcium a couple of times a week.
Look at the suggested foods on the caresheet - aloe vera is OK occasionally but not as a staple and can cause diarrhea if fed too much. You need to find dark leafy greens.
www.thetortoisetable.org.uk is based on UK plants but there may be some you have access to.

Thank you very much
The care sheet was very helpful.
Today, I gave them some lettuce with the calcium.
After they ate the lettuce, I gave them some grape vines, rose leaves, Zucchini, common grass and London rocket plants. The male is being very selective with his food, but the female liked it.
 

Lyn W

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Some torts are picky when given new foods. The trick is to introduce new foods gradually with the foods they are used to.
Chop it up finely and mix it all together so it can't be avoided and only add 1 or 2 new foods at a time.
Be careful of any chunks of zucchini as they can be a chocking hazard. I finely slice or grate any solid foods.
 

COmtnLady

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Torts need access to clean water and fresh food all day and everyday especially if it's warm.
If you have a plant saucer sunk level with the substrate he can access it to self soak when he needs to.
Do you have a hide in there for him so that he has to somewhere to go to feel secure?
A full picture of his enclosure would give us a better idea of any changes you still may need to make.
You can't guess temperatures and humidity, you need a reliable thermometer and temp gun, and a hygrometer so you can see exactly what the temps are at tort level.
Don't use a plant saucer that has been used for plants because the residue from fertilizers can be bad for the Tortoise.
 

Potato_king

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Don't use a plant saucer that has been used for plants because the residue from fertilizers can be bad for the Tortoise.
Thank you for the feedback,
We use organic fertilizers, but still I never use an old plant saucer, currently I'm putting a piece of pottery because I think it looks nice ?
 

Lyn W

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I think COmtnLady was referring to a saucer for the torts' water for drinking and to self soak in. She made a good point about not using a used saucer.
 
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