PLEASE HELP HEALTHY LEO TORTOISE NOT MOVING

leotortoise1

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Hello,
My 5 year old healthy leopard tortoise is not moving. He's been happy, healthy, we were playing with him outside Friday on a hot southern California day. I always put him outside when it is over 74 degrees and inside always at night. He played as he usually did. Yesterday we were gone and I left him inside with food as we usually do. When we came home he didn't bang on his cage to get out but sometimes he is sleeping. This am I put food in and he was by his water dish and I just too him out to put him outside and he's not moving at all. His head is out and hanging a little and I'm so confused. Nothing different has changed, he had a huge poop Friday, we've done nothing different at all. He's such a huge part of our family I am heartbroken. Please can someone tell me what to do I'm trying to soak him in a little warm water right now with his head above. He's about 8-9" and loves people. Please if someone can help he won't move or respond at all.
 

leotortoise1

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also he's not swollen in the legs, discolored, leaking fluid or anything and he doesn't smell at all when I pet his head he's not super cold although his cage is kept warm. I just don't understand
 

vladimir

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I hope someone else can jump in with suggestions soon. If you gently tug at his leg, does he instinctively pull it back at all?
 

leotortoise1

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No nothing at all I'm so scared he's such a good guy I have no idea what could've happened I'm going to look in his yard outside to see if I can find anything. He's out there all the time so nothing changed, it's in our front and I'm worried that maybe neighbors used a pesticide or something I have no idea there's just nothing different that's changed
 

vladimir

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Do you have a reptile vet nearby? It may be worth it to try to get an emergency appointment to get him checked out by a qualified tortoise vet.
 

leotortoise1

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it looks like he head is getting a little red now that he's been soaking for about 25 minutes around his cheek areas, I'm not sure if that's a good or bad sign though? the vet office aid to immediately soak him and that they would have the doc call as soon as she could
 

Neal

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Poke around his rear side where the tail is. If you see his body contract then he's still alive. If no movement, then he is dead.
 
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leotortoise1

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ok I'll try right now. I looked all over the yard and can't find anything different or new or left outside that he could've gotten, everything looks exactly the same just the plants are super big and green right now bc its been so warm. I called the gardener but haven't heard back because it looks like there might be some new soil in places but I can't tell 100%
 

leotortoise1

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there was no movement that I could see. his limbs would slightly retract but I think only bc I pulled it a little. it's not like areas I wasn't pulling on were moving if that makes sense.
 

leotortoise1

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here are some pics, I think I'm starting to smell a little odor but I'm not sure if I've been soaking him too long. his head didn't have that redness until I started to soak him.

IMG_4629.jpeg IMG_4628.jpeg IMG_4630.jpeg
 

leotortoise1

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does anyone think putting him outside in the sun will help, it's very warm today and I can put him on a heat pad
 

Tidgy's Dad

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No, keep him cool and hydrated and in the dark.
The sun and heat is one of many possibilities of what's wrong, but i suspect something else.
Keep up with the soaks,but it sounds as if he may be gone .
 

Neal

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Judging by your descriptions, and by the pictures, your tortoise is dead.

I'm sorry this has happened. It could have been a variety of causes. Looking at one of the pictures above, it looks like his shell is relatively flat. Perhaps it's just the quality of the photo, but was he more flat than domed?
 

leotortoise1

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Okay, I'll turn off the extra heat in his enclosure and make it dark for him. We were on a family vacation and returned Thursday night, our niece stayed at our house while we were gone as she usually does. We woke up and played with him and put him outside Friday morning for the day which he loves. I remember he usually kicks a lot when I put him inside and will stretch really long to give a kiss but he did seem a little more tired and didn't stretch as usual thinking back.

We travel somewhat often so it wasn't the first time we were gone or anything and he's always been fine, she's taken care of him and our house when we travel since he's been a baby and bathes and soaks him daily just as I do.

Yes in looking at pics on the internet of other 3 year old leopards tortoises that I can find, he's definitely not as domed. Did I do something wrong? He loved being outside and I would put him out as much as possible but never when it was cooler or damp. His enclosure has radiant heat panels on the side and below his sleeping area and and a hot lamp that he would walk and stand on if he wanted to warm up and always let me know. He was super interactive whether he wanted attention, etc.

I'll feel terrible if I did something wrong. I studied the forum on what to feed, mixed it up, barely gave him a strawberry probably only about 6x year, he ate mix of spring mix, raddicio, dandelions (different things diff days) ground hay that I would mix 2x week with soaked pellets and he got acidophilus sprinkle (I was told that when we got him) and calcium 2x week not with the pellets. I tried to keep him in the sun and outside as much as possible. He pooped in his baths mostly and averaged around 2x/week. sometimes if if played outside more days in a row he would poop more maybe because he ate all the fresh grass? I feel terrible if I did something bad to him it's just he's always done the exact same since he was a baby.
 
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