Is my tortoise dead? :(

undercover

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my tortoise was exposed to direct sunlight for about 2 hours and it was around 90 degrees today, came to find him retracted all the way in his shell, is it dead? i soaked him in water and electrolyte mix for an hour now and still no movement at all :'(
legs are not dangling nor moving when touched.
please help me
 

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tortoisetime565

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Look at his eyes. Are they bruised looking. When they die their eyes bruise and sink into their head.
 

Raymo2477

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I'm sorry but I think your little one passed. I had three that were left out in the sun all day by a well meaning spouse and one did not make it. He just looked like he was sleeping and felt hollow. Though if it was only two hours you shouldn't give up all hope!!

Let the tort be for the night, it may be in shock.
 

Tom

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Just to be clear, you left your tortoise in direct sun, with no shade for two hours? Not too many tortoises are going to survive that on a hot summer day. This is why we all emphasize having shade available at all times. The way to definitively check for life is to touch the corner of the eyeball and look for a blink. No blink = no life.
 

D3sirable

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Just to be clear, you left your tortoise in direct sun, with no shade for two hours? Not too many tortoises are going to survive that on a hot summer day. This is why we all emphasize having shade available at all times. The way to definitively check for life is to touch the corner of the eyeball and look for a blink. No blink = no life.
Why is 90 degrees under direct sun bad? My basking spot is 90-95 degrees and my tort likes to stay under it almost all day.
 

Tom

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Because on a 90 degree day things in direct sunlight get MUCH hotter than 90 degrees. Do you have a temp gun? Wait for a day near 90 and go temp some rocks or objects that have been sitting in full sun for a while. I've gotten temps as high as 183 on a dark colored rock. Temps of in the 160s are normal here. Much too hot for a tortoise. That is why they stay out of the sun on hot days. So they don't over heat.

Indoors we set our bulbs so that it never gets too hot directly underneath them, and even then the tortoise can move out from under the bulb when it feels warm enough and go to a cooler section of the enclosure. Outside in full sun, with no shade, they will just keep getting hotter with no way to cool off. ALL outdoor enclosures need to offer shade. Especially in the summer months.

If your tortoise is sitting under its lamp all day, you have a problem. Basking temp might be too cool, or your ambient room temps might be too cool. Indoor heat bulbs emit very high levels of carapace desiccating IR-A. It is a necessary evil, but things should be warm enough that they don't want to hang out under the bulb all day. Failure to heed this warming will likely result in a pyramided and disfigured carapace on your tortoise.
 

D3sirable

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Because on a 90 degree day things in direct sunlight get MUCH hotter than 90 degrees. Do you have a temp gun? Wait for a day near 90 and go temp some rocks or objects that have been sitting in full sun for a while. I've gotten temps as high as 183 on a dark colored rock. Temps of in the 160s are normal here. Much too hot for a tortoise. That is why they stay out of the sun on hot days. So they don't over heat.

Indoors we set our bulbs so that it never gets too hot directly underneath them, and even then the tortoise can move out from under the bulb when it feels warm enough and go to a cooler section of the enclosure. Outside in full sun, with no shade, they will just keep getting hotter with no way to cool off. ALL outdoor enclosures need to offer shade. Especially in the summer months.

If your tortoise is sitting under its lamp all day, you have a problem. Basking temp might be too cool, or your ambient room temps might be too cool. Indoor heat bulbs emit very high levels of carapace desiccating IR-A. It is a necessary evil, but things should be warm enough that they don't want to hang out under the bulb all day. Failure to heed this warming will likely result in a pyramided and disfigured carapace on your tortoise.

My tortoise doesn't stay there exactly all day, said it a bit wrong, but very much. It is exactly 87 degrees under the basking spot and room temp is 75-80 degrees, is this fine?

And to undercover, I'm very sorry to hear about your tort :(
 

Tom

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My tortoise doesn't stay there exactly all day, said it a bit wrong, but very much. It is exactly 87 degrees under the basking spot and room temp is 75-80 degrees, is this fine?

What species and age?
 

annastortoise

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Oh, I am so sorry. Again, looking for blinking and follow the other tips. Praying for you. Keep us updated...


:p I <3 Russians :p
 

D3sirable

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Room temps are fine, but your basking spot needs to be closer to 100. That is why your tortoise sits under it all day. It can't get warm enough.
Wow I was afraid that hot would burn my tort, Im gonna put the basking light lower then. So I will try to put a rock under basking light, and measure the rock temperature that it gets 100, is that correct?
 

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