Russian Tortoise Not Moving Legs and Rubbing Face

[BrianWI]

You need a competent reptile vet.

 

[Kasia]

He is not swollen at all. No red, bloody marks on the shell. He peed and pooped last I think 3 days ago during a soak. He has eaten at least a little every day so far.

Without additional tests, additional blood work don't let Vet give other injections. Ask to run standard morphology, liver and kidney blood work. ASPT, ALT, uric acid . It should be helpful to give diagnosis.

 

[GilbertP24]

You need a competent reptile vet.

I would love to get one, but there aren't any where I am at.

 

[BrianWI]

Where are you?

 

[Kasia]

Is it possible that he could ate something poisonous?

 

[GilbertP24]

Where are you?

I'm in Wyoming. According to the vet thread here, the closest one is 3 hours away.

 

[GilbertP24]

Is it possible that he could ate something poisonous?

No, that is not possible unless it happened at the vet's office, which I'm sure wouldn't be the case.

 

[BrianWI]

OK, does he get regular sun? Have a UVB bulb? Calcium supplementation?

 

[GilbertP24]

OK, does he get regular sun? Have a UVB bulb? Calcium supplementation?

I take him outside often, which is where he gets his UV. No UVB bulb. And I keep cuttlebone in his enclosure, but he doesn't seem do ever much on it.

 

[deadheadvet]

Too many unknowns for me to intervene. No photos, no direct knowledge of how often antibiotics were given, location of injections, etc.
Gentamycin would not be one of my choices for antibiotics, I also would only give Baytril orally not by injection. Don't see how often meds have been given.
There are issues of Russian Tortoises that can be viral in origin. Please include where the tortoise came from, how long you have kept him/her and as previously mentioned, setup, temp, etc.

 

[BrianWI]

Stones, MBD both come to mind, but those are guesses

 

[deadheadvet]

Brian is correct, an xray would be a very good idea to assess bone density and presence of any stones or obstructive process, egg bound?

 

[Kasia]

Brian is correct, an xray would be a very good idea to assess bone density and presence of any stones or obstructive process, egg bound?

All that said if you like to have your tortie for a little longer please go and get those tests done and consutl with a good reptile specialist even if it's 3 hour drive from your home. One that can actually see your pet.

 

[Yvonne G]

It sounds to me as if the tortoise has something stuck in his throat.

 

[GilbertP24]

Sorry it has taken so long to reply. There has been no change in Gilbert's attitude or actions. For some reason, I can't seem to upload any pictures, but I finally got videos uploaded to YouTube, so you can see how he has been acting. All three are only between 10 and 30 sections, so they are short. I have him back in his enclosure, and I'm working on getting a laser thermometer gun to measure all of his temperatures. I got him a new bulb (150 watts) for basking, but when I measured the temperature on top of his shell after about 20 minutes, it was 102ºF, which I felt like was too hot, so I switched back to a 75 watt bulb. He seems to be too weak to move himself out from under the heat into his water or under his bridge. He is still only using his front legs to walk, but he hasn't been using them very much.

I went back to the vet, and she gave me more Baytril, but this time, it is the oral liquid stuff. She said if he doesn't improve by next week, we will take further actions. She didn't seem concerned about him not using his back legs to walk.

I am soaking him right now. He hasn't pooped in probably 5 days now. But he also won't eat, so there might be a correlation there. After this soak, I am going to try to feed him some dandelions to see if he will eat. But let me know what you guys think of how he is acting in the videos please.

Also, I saw that one of you said that Baytril Injections can cause paralysis. Is it temporary or permanent paralysis?

 

[Yvonne G]

He can't breathe. Tortoises don't breathe through their mouth, consequently, when they need oxygen, they gasp in a big gulp through the mouth. I wonder if his nose is plugged. You can firmly squirt a couple of quick squirts of sterile saline up each nostril to try to clear them.

He's rubbing his face trying to get rid of whatever he thinks is plugging him up.

Also, his eyes are not open bright and wide.

Clear his nostrils and finish off the oral Baytril and see if he isn't getting better. Right now, breathing is more important than back leg paralysis.

 

[GilbertP24]

He can't breathe. Tortoises don't breathe through their mouth, consequently, when they need oxygen, they gasp in a big gulp through the mouth. I wonder if his nose is plugged. You can firmly squirt a couple of quick squirts of sterile saline up each nostril to try to clear them.

He's rubbing his face trying to get rid of whatever he thinks is plugging him up.

Also, his eyes are not open bright and wide.

Clear his nostrils and finish off the oral Baytril and see if he isn't getting better. Right now, breathing is more important than back leg paralysis.

What is the best way to squirt the saline in his nostril? Like what do I need? How much should I squirt up there?

 

[Yvonne G]

The pharmacy sells little squirt bottles of saline solution. You place the tip of the bottle just inside the nares and give it a good, sharp squeeze, once, twice, three times...quick blasts in order to dislodge whatever is blocking. The other end of the nares goes into the roof of the mouth, so there is no danger of squirting it into his lungs.

 

[Pearly]

Try flushing airway with saline like Yvonne said and I'd try suctioning it out with baby bulb syringe. Just try to get good seal around his nose and see if negative pressure gets anything out. Keep his habitat VERY HUMID! Like with sick babies with respiratory stuff: warm, humid air to breathe, keep trying to suction out that little nose. Better yet, flush followed by suction. Hopefully you can loosen up some crud and get it out, help this little cutie breathe

 

[Kasia]

He looks very puffy and everything above. Keep him warm, they need time for recovery, my tort needed 3 weeks of antibiotic injections to get rid of RI. Be patient, hopefully it will help. Hugs for your tort