Poofy tort

[Diana Stone]

Hi, I picked up a little Russian male yesterday from a guy who's son has become disinterested. Appears to be in good health but a vet check will confirm. He has a healthy weight on him too.
In the meanwhile I was wondering something. Around his neck area as well as the front and rear legs, where the skin is not the tough scales, he is, for a lack of better description... poofy. Kinda like he has air under the skin. Its not poofed up all the time however. It does tuck back inside when he does. I was told that he loved kale and that was the main staple of his diet, could this be an effect of to much kale? Any thoughts?

 

[RTfanatic]

Probably overfed. Get in a routine of feeding him 20 minutes a day and then remove what's left. That'll regulate his eating and he'll probably lose weight.

 

[tortoisenerd]

This could be way off base and I can't find much info on it, but I know that kale is part of a family of veggies that in excess can cause goiter, and goiter can cause swelling. Could just be tortoise fat though...hard to know without more info and a picture.

Hope the vet visit goes well!

 

[Crazy1]

torts4me, any update on your little Russian yet?

 

[Diana Stone]

torts4me, any update on your little Russian yet?

The vet visit came back as a clean bill of health. She thought he was a bit fat and that could be the cause for the puffiness. No more Kale and we are watching his diet and getting him some exercise too. He is a very nice little guy.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Yay! Sounds like a good visit.

 

[Jentortmom]

Thats great news. Glad to hear it.