Tortoise dying of old age?

[ZEROPILOT]

I pretty recently acquired two female tortoises from a breeder who had them for eight years and is not sure how old they are, but guessed 16-20 years old. This, for my point, could actually mean 30-35.
One has acted strangely soon after I got them. I have taken her to the vet twice. (Two different vets) No issues found. She just will not eat. She has taken a bite or two out of a mango and a banana, but most days will not eat. She has been treated for worms because she may or may not have had them. About a half dose because of her weakened state. No change. She walks a little and sits in her pool.
Has anyone lost an adult tortoise to what seems like old age?
She has less and less energy each day and I think she is slipping away.
I'm at a loss as to what to do.
P.S. I have already tried every food item I can imagine.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

This sad story just keeps going doesn't it?
i can't remember if you tried the carrot baby food soak to get some nutrition into her when she drinks or not.
You may have to force feed her at this point, though hopefully someone else will have a better solution.
Really hoping you girl makes it, I know how concerned you are, heartbreaking.
good luck.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Soaking would take a very large bucket of baby food as she is close to 15" long. She does drink. And she eats just enough to not starve. Just enough.
Thanks. Luck is all I still have.

 

[mike taylor]

What kind of tortoise?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Redfoot. Suriname Female.

 

[dmmj]

Fecal? Blood tests?
Two vets visits, but what did they consist of?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

X rays blood work no fecal never pooped I sent her a photo of some worms I thought she passed and purchased Panacur. Dosed per her instructions.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Rain storm. Misting twice daily in the isolation pen.
Temps stay over 80 and up to 88 in the sun. There's also a house for shade and a pool.
This is a day that she took 2 bites of watermelon.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Tortoises are biological immortal (in an actuarial sense). To have one die of old age is not likely. Something kills them. Just because the vet couldn't figure it does not mean there is not some disease process at work.

The range of diseases know is a subset of the diseases they can/do get/have. Then there is nutritional issues which are not exactly disease. And lastly I think they have a feedback system that leads to physiological depression, not emotional like we might experience, but the same physiology when we are depressed.

Tortoise have a strong mapping capability. That they are long lived would lead me to think that their mapping has some adaptability to it, as their natural environment will change over their life. However a 100% change, like when a tortoise is moved from one collection to another is not likely within that adaptability.

When I acquire a new animal I will most often limit it's area so that it won't wander around looking for the new place to translate from the old place. Sometimes this is not required, as some tortoises do well with 100% change of the map. If that is it though, that the tortoises is 'confused' by their map not working, and they get depressed, you have to help them along. Show them to water, food and warm spot several times.

When I acquire an animal that shows what I consider disorientation. I make the enclosure small, so everything is within view of everything else. I will house them singly so they don't have any con-specific stress. Sometimes these extra measures are the difference.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

I pretty recently acquired two female tortoises from a breeder who had them for eight years and is not sure how old they are, but guessed 16-20 years old. This, for my point, could actually mean 30-35.
One has acted strangely soon after I got them. I have taken her to the vet twice. (Two different vets) No issues found. She just will not eat. She has taken a bite or two out of a mango and a banana, but most days will not eat. She has been treated for worms because she may or may not have had them. About a half dose because of her weakened state. No change. She walks a little and sits in her pool.
Has anyone lost an adult tortoise to what seems like old age?
She has less and less energy each day and I think she is slipping away.
I'm at a loss as to what to do.
P.S. I have already tried every food item I can imagine.

Did you ask the " Breeder " what he feed ? Cause it sounds like the tort maybe addicted to dog food .

 

[tortadise]

How close are you to UFL? I'd do a cloacal swab and get a PCR done. What has the rain been like there too? This spring here in Texas has been incredibly wet. Lots of fungi new and common species I've seen. Could be a poisoning of some sort that won't be yielding on physical examination, or fecal investigation. At this state I'd stop the Protozoa treatment, it's more than likely adding stress on the stomach and overall well being of the animal.

 

[DawnH]

I really have no idea what I am talking about but as a mom to children I have to ask... Is there something that can be given to her to restore her intestinal flora that has been taken out by antibiotics and stress? I wonder if you could work this from that angle if it might help. I seem to remember you saying you have tried Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth as well. It might take a while but I wonder if that option would be good to put back on the table...?

Regardless, I hope you find your answers. I cannot even imagine how stressful and heartbreaking this is for you. She is lucky to have you!

 

[Tom]

Will spelled it out much more eloquently than I am capable of, but I agree with him.

There are a lot of tortoise diseases circulating around out there right now and some are not easily diagnosed.

I've spent thousands of dollars and almost two years trying to diagnose what is wrong with an 18" SA leopard that was given to me. After failure to find the issue and a fair amount of desperation, I started trying to "diagnose through treatment". All of my efforts have resulted in failure. Every test shows there is nothing wrong and no bad bugs, but she's clearly got some bad juju going on.

 

[mike taylor]

I think they get attached to a area or keeper . But I would bump up the temps a little and offer up some protein to boost energy . I know in humans if your gut is off they make pills that have good bacteria in them. Guess what the pills are made of ? That's right human poop, well the bacteria in healthy human poop . I don't know if her good bacteria has been washed out by to much wrong foods ,but you can try and feed her healthy red foot poop . To get good bacteria in her . They love eating poop anyway . I don't see it hurting anything to give it a try .

 

[Anyfoot]

Hi

I agree with Will. I had a new tort that could not find his way around, disorientated. He would follow other torts out of his home then get lost, I left him once and he was a good hour wondering around, we had to put him close to his home, starting actually putting him on the entrance then further away bit by bit. Weird, we didn't think nothing other than he was getting lost, now I just read @Will post this makes sense. He's now out and about as normal.
Is the other female OK. Have you isolated her(if so maybe put other female in with her). Can you get in touch with the old owner and find out what she was fed and what sort of environment she was in. Lastly(asking a lot) can you post a list of every food you tried to feed her.
Sad face for you. Dread the day something like this happens to me.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

They can become anorexic

 

[mikeylazer]

Will is right. They, like lobsters, do not have an "old age" per say. They don't really reach a certain age like us and pass peacefully, but can essentially "live forever" (emphasis on "essentially"), so the age here is not the issue. I hope it all works out.

 

[Gillian M]

This sad story just keeps going doesn't it?
i can't remember if you tried the carrot baby food soak to get some nutrition into her when she drinks or not.
You may have to force feed her at this point, though hopefully someone else will have a better solution.
Really hoping you girl makes it, I know how concerned you are, heartbreaking.
good luck.

Do you (here I mean anyone at the forum) think a tort can be fed by FORCE? Personally I don't, and I'm talking after experience. OLI will eat nothing but lettuce. I've tried all sorts of things, but....NO WAY!

Sorry to have just read your sad story, Zeropilot. Try to calm down.....though I know words are easy..

 

[ZEROPILOT]

The old owner is someone I'm still in touch with. He fed produce being discarded by grocery stores.
When she does eat she only eats when she's in her house and looking out and I must place the food in front of her. If she's outside she looks but then steps over it.
Today she passed up on her rabbi, banana,cooked plantain and red pepper.
I've got some really soft cantaloupe for tomorrow.
I'd like to put her in with her other "sisters" but I'm still worried about them also getting sick.
At 6.3kg her weight has not changed in ten days. However she weighed 6.9kg when I got her.
Thanks everyone.

 

[Tom]

Do you (here I mean anyone at the forum) think a tort can be fed by FORCE? Personally I don't, and I'm talking after experience. OLI will eat nothing but lettuce. I've tried all sorts of things, but....NO WAY!

Sorry to have just read your sad story, Zeropilot. Try to calm down.....though I know words are easy..

Yes. They can be force fed, but its very stressful and only used as a last resort. Its usually pointless because unless the reason why the tortoise is not eating is discovered and corrected, force feeding won't do any good anyway. In other words, there is always a reason why they aren't eating. Forcing food into them doesn't address this reason.