My tortoise got fat and I'm scared

[annster]

Hello, I went away to college and my family did not take Leonardo Maximus (russian tortoise, around 9 years old maybe) out of his tank and he got depression, so now he's really tired and lazy all the time. He's also become a super picky eater. I don't know what to do! please help. See in the picture how bloated his neck and shoulders are.

 

[Tom]

Hello, I went away to college and my family did not take Leonardo Maximus (russian tortoise, around 9 years old maybe) out of his tank and he got depression, so now he's really tired and lazy all the time. He's also become a super picky eater. I don't know what to do! please help. See in the picture how bloated his neck and shoulders are.

Tank? There is no tank big enough to house a tortoise that size. He needs exercise and sunshine. A large outdoor enclosure for fair weather and a large indoor enclosure the rest of the time. 4x8' minimum inside and larger outside.

When he gets hungry, he won't be picky.

Where are you?

 

[Sa Ga]

Hello, I went away to college and my family did not take Leonardo Maximus (russian tortoise, around 9 years old maybe) out of his tank and he got depression, so now he's really tired and lazy all the time. He's also become a super picky eater. I don't know what to do! please help. See in the picture how bloated his neck and shoulders are.

Are you sure they were feeding him properly? Keeping his humidity and temps at proper levels? Keeping hydrated with soaks, and access to fresh drinking and soaking water in his enclosure? These things are vital and can't be half-assed--it can be life-threatening and cause damage that can possibly become chronic and/or shorten his life.

I fear that he got neglected and now has kidney injury from improper feeding and dehydration. Bloating, lethargy, low appetite are all signs of possible kidney dysfunction. If he doesn't improve, take him to a reliable, experienced tortie vet and have a thorough exam (including CBC and kidney/liver function tests, and maybe xrays is appropriate).

This happened to my Morla, and without the special things I do now, she would have died. She will permanently have kidney injury and it will shorten her life, but I'm hoping we can stave off the inevitable for a (long) while!

This is serious--don't wait. The silver lining is that if you catch it in time, it may not be chronic and you can fix the current problem relatively easily. (With Morla, I soak her daily and Tube feed her 2-3x/day.)

 

[annster]

Are you sure they were feeding him properly? Keeping his humidity and temps at proper levels? Keeping hydrated with soaks, and access to fresh drinking and soaking water in his enclosure? These things are vital and can't be half-assed--it can be life-threatening and cause damage that can possibly become chronic and/or shorten his life.

I fear that he got neglected and now has kidney injury from improper feeding and dehydration. Bloating, lethargy, low appetite are all signs of possible kidney dysfunction. If he doesn't improve, take him to a reliable, experienced tortie vet and have a thorough exam (including CBC and kidney/liver function tests, and maybe xrays is appropriate).

This happened to my Morla, and without the special things I do now, she would have died. She will permanently have kidney injury and it will shorten her life, but I'm hoping we can stave off the inevitable for a (long) while!

This is serious--don't wait. The silver lining is that if you catch it in time, it may not be chronic and you can fix the current problem relatively easily. (With Morla, I soak her daily and Tube feed her 2-3x/day.)

Well that's terrifying. I'm not sure what to do because I certainly can't take him to a vet right now with COVID19.

 

[annster]

Tank? There is no tank big enough to house a tortoise that size. He needs exercise and sunshine. A large outdoor enclosure for fair weather and a large indoor enclosure the rest of the time. 4x8' minimum inside and larger outside.

When he gets hungry, he won't be picky.

Where are you?

Maryland. And he still gets picky when he doesn't eat for a day or two.

 

[Tom]

Maryland. And he still gets picky when he doesn't eat for a day or two.

Tortoises can go weeks with no food. A couple of days is nothing. A reduced ration over several weeks will create a sense of urgency about eating and get rid of the picky behavior.

 

[Yvonne G]

You need to soak him daily to help flush out the kidneys. The swelling is not fat, its edema (water). Make some sort of temporary (but safe from escape) place outside where you can sit him in the sun, while you sit there with him and keep an eye on him. Real sunshine sometimes perks up a depressed tortoise. Take him out in the sun for a half hour or so every day. Then when he's inside, give him a larger space to live in.

 

[Sa Ga]

Well that's terrifying. I'm not sure what to do because I certainly can't take him to a vet right now with COVID19.

There are some vets still open but of course make sure they're experienced w/ ur tortoise breed. It sounds like he a.) Needs some competent medical attn, and b.) Be left w/ ppl who will give him the care he needs while u're at college (or take him with you), or 3.) Look into rehoming him with someone who can give him this.