Sick tortoise

Danielle148

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My 5 year old sulcata started acting weird yesterday very lethargic just sitting in her little pool. She had no interest in the mazuri I thought maybe she was dehydrated so I gave her foods rich in water content and I did that today too she did perk up but she still seems lethargic she will get up and move around for food though. I thought maybe it was a respiratory infection because she was breathing a little loud
(maybe I'm paranoid though because sometimes she breathes heavier when she sees food I've got it checked out before). She has no nasal discharge her eyes are clear she's just lethargic and only eats greens. If it is dehydration would it be better in a day? She is better than yesterday but still not herself.. Making her an appointment tomorrow any ideas on what it can be?
 

vladimir

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My 5 year old sulcata started acting weird yesterday very lethargic just sitting in her little pool. She had no interest in the mazuri I thought maybe she was dehydrated so I gave her foods rich in water content and I did that today too she did perk up but she still seems lethargic she will get up and move around for food though. I thought maybe it was a respiratory infection because she was breathing a little loud
(maybe I'm paranoid though because sometimes she breathes heavier when she sees food I've got it checked out before). She has no nasal discharge her eyes are clear she's just lethargic and only eats greens. If it is dehydration would it be better in a day? She is better than yesterday but still not herself.. Making her an appointment tomorrow any ideas on what it can be?

Where are you located? What are the daytime and nighttime temperatures? Can you share any pictures of the tortoise and/or the enclosure?

❤️
 

wellington

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The answers to the questions Vladimir asked will help us a lot.
I personally would not rush to a vet. They can do more harm then good lots of times.
Do you know is she is pooping?
Does she have a basking area that will get to 90 plus?
Is she inside or outside?
What are the day and night temps where you are and where she stays at night?
What is her normal diet?
 

Lyn W

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If you post pics of her enclosures (inside and out) with lamps etc it will help us see if there's anything affecting her behaviour. Has your weather changed this week?
Weeds and leafy greens and flowers as listed in the caresheet should be her main diet, so I wouldn't be too worried as long as she's eating plenty of those. Just double check her temps to make sure she is warm enough and getting uvb either from outside time or lamps.
 

Tom

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My 5 year old sulcata started acting weird yesterday very lethargic just sitting in her little pool. She had no interest in the mazuri I thought maybe she was dehydrated so I gave her foods rich in water content and I did that today too she did perk up but she still seems lethargic she will get up and move around for food though. I thought maybe it was a respiratory infection because she was breathing a little loud
(maybe I'm paranoid though because sometimes she breathes heavier when she sees food I've got it checked out before). She has no nasal discharge her eyes are clear she's just lethargic and only eats greens. If it is dehydration would it be better in a day? She is better than yesterday but still not herself.. Making her an appointment tomorrow any ideas on what it can be?
We can help but we need more info.
 

Danielle148

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I'm located in California she is outside in an enclosed area along with a little house we made her.on average the temp has been 100 in the day occasionally lower/higher. At night its in the 70s. I have an umbrella proving shade, and also a tarp proving shade. She also has a mister and a kiddie pool. The tarp doesn't cover the whole enclosure so she can also bask if she wants to
 

Danielle148

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If you post pics of her enclosures (inside and out) with lamps etc it will help us see if there's anything affecting her behaviour. Has your weather changed this week?
Weeds and leafy greens and flowers as listed in the caresheet should be her main diet, so I wouldn't be too worried as long as she's eating plenty of those. Just double check her temps to make sure she is warm enough and getting uvb either from outside time or lamps.
She's outdoors, the weather did get hotter this week than it's been usually actually. Since it gets hot we have umbrellas and a tarp covering some of her enclosure but she still has places to bask in if she wants. Normally she grazes in the yard and a couple days out of the week she gets mazuri/leafy greens. She normally loves the mazuri so when she was lethargic and didn't want to eat it I got worried. Since it's been pretty hot I thought maybe she could be dehydrated
 

Danielle148

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The answers to the questions Vladimir asked will help us a lot.
I personally would not rush to a vet. They can do more harm then good lots of times.
Do you know is she is pooping?
Does she have a basking area that will get to 90 plus?
Is she inside or outside?
What are the day and night temps where you are and where she stays at night?
What is her normal diet?
I'm not too sure if she's pooping. She's outdoors it's been pretty hot this week up in the 100s she has plenty of shade but also has areas she can bask in if she likes I've also been changing the water in her pool more often. At night it's in the 70s. Her normal diet consists of grass and weeds, and a couple days out of the week mazuri/leafy greens
 

vladimir

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Is there a night time heat source / shelter / night box or anything to maintain body temp at night? Low 70s is too cold for night time sulcata habitats.

Do you have temperature sensors it anything to give you an accurate reading at night?
 

Danielle148

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Is there a night time heat source / shelter / night box or anything to maintain body temp at night? Low 70s is too cold for night time sulcata habitats.

Do you have temperature sensors it anything to give you an accurate reading at night?
Yes she has shelter I don't have sensors what should I get? We built her a home with wood and we also insulated it but I'm not sure of the exact temperature
 

vladimir

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Two babies

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I'm located in California she is outside in an enclosed area along with a little house we made her.on average the temp has been 100 in the day occasionally lower/higher. At night its in the 70s. I have an umbrella proving shade, and also a tarp proving shade. She also has a mister and a kiddie pool. The tarp doesn't cover the whole enclosure so she can also bask if she wants to
If you are getting smoke/ash from the fires, that might be the problem. My tortoises have stopped grazing and are staying close to their houses under large bushes. They even stopped going to their feed dishes so I moved them under the bush. I also moved the water there. I check their poop every day. It is a good way to see how they are doing. It should not be loose. They tend to go in the same spot so check where they hang out the most and also in their house. You will get lots of good advice from others on here. Hope she's okay.
 

Danielle148

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If you are getting smoke/ash from the fires, that might be the problem. My tortoises have stopped grazing and are staying close to their houses under large bushes. They even stopped going to their feed dishes so I moved them under the bush. I also moved the water there. I check their poop every day. It is a good way to see how they are doing. It should not be loose. They tend to go in the same spot so check where they hang out the most and also in their house. You will get lots of good advice from others on here. Hope she's okay.
She is pooping and is back to normal now grazing and eating her food I think that might have been it there has been terrible air quality lately
 

Two babies

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She is pooping and is back to normal now grazing and eating her food I think that might have been it there has been terrible air quality lately
That's great news! So glad she's feeling better. We had a breeze yesterday that cleared the air, and my torts were back on patrol and grazed all day.
 
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