My Indian Star Tortoise is not able to walk. Please help

[Ajinkya Rohidas Shinde]

Hello,

My name is Ajinkya Shinde, I have two Indian Star tortoises 12 years old. I adopted them when they were 10 years old. The female tortoise does not walk properly and just slides. It has been a problem for a long time before I even adopted it. The old owner could not specify the correct reason. Recently I noticed a wound on her hind leg, which is due to her shell scratching her leg and she is not walking. Please help me

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I can share the details if required

 

[Mystic_Queen (Llaria)]

Hi. If you can get pictures. I’m sure a pro will be able to help you.

 

[Mystic_Queen (Llaria)]

I could be wrong BUT are both torts housed together? As the injury on the leg could MAYBE be from
The other tort biting the hind leg?
I know some do this as a dormancy thing. And I think I read somewhere that a one male and one female isn’t always a good mix? Not sure if you have 2 females or male and female. Or even have 2 males that have been wrongly sexed (which does happen). Please don’t quote on what I’m saying as I could be wrong. But if they are housed together maybe a possibility? And possibly separate them for now?
Like I mentioned above tho if you can post pictures of the tort in question someone on here will help and advise. Everyone on here is fantastic.

 

[Happytort27]

We need a little more info. Are they housed together? How much UVB are they getting? The reason I ask these questions are because there might’ve been some aggression between the two tortoises if they are housed together (especially in a small enclosure). Most, if not all tortoises are solitary animals who don’t need a ‘buddy’ or ‘friend’. Tortoises can sometimes be okay in groups, but not in pairs. They will fight or bully each other for food, best basking spot, place to sleep, etc. Like Mystic_Queen said, the wound could be from one tortoise biting the other, and it would be best to separate them for now.

Another possibility is metallic bone disease (MBD). It could be a combination of aggression and MBD, but I can’t tell for sure. When a tortoise isn’t exposed to a proper amount of UVB, they can develop MBD. I am not sure if it is entirely irreversible, but just let your tortoises in a proper outdoor enclosure (with shade and hides) to prevent any further damage. I believe at this age, they can stay outside all day. Just make sure they have a good, sturdy enclosure and a heated night box. A thread on this was posted, but I can’t seem to find it... If you're interested, @Tom has a wonderful caresheet and other informative threads for you to read.

I could be wrong about this, but I just gave it my best conclusion based on the information you gave us. Hope your tortoise gets better!

 

[Happytort27]

I forget to add that MBD can also develop from not having the proper nutrition and exercise. Make sure to give a good varied diet and have lots of space for the to roam around. There’s so many weeds and flowers for you to choose from. You can find them in your backyard or at your neighbor’s house. Just make sure that they weren’t sprayed with pesticides. There’s wonderful seed mixes at Tortoise Supply. The Testudo Mix is great for almost any tortoise and a good way to start off a varied diet. They also sell ‘Herbal Hay’, which is really great stuff. It consists of dehydrated flowers and greens. From there, you can expand the list. There’s other seed mixes from Amazon too, but just make sure you read the contents. I think MBD could also develop from lack of calcium too, but I can’t be for sure.
Sorry if I was all over the place and confusing. Just let me know if you need some clarification!

 

[Yvonne G]

It might be a couple different things, but calcium deficiency is probably the main reason.

Tortoises need calcium in order to grow strong bones and shell. And calcium needs the sun (UVB) in order for the tortoise to make vitamin d3, which helps the calcium to work inside the tortoise's body.

So calcium-rich foods, or a supplement, and UVB either from the sun or from a GOOD light.

Metabolic Bone Disease (calcium deficiency) is painful. Try to get it fixed ASAP.