Tortoise making really strange movements, please help!

Raven Wilcox

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Jul 2, 2015
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Hello! I have a redfooted tort and he's almost five years old. He's got a lot of different environments (his cage with basking and night lamps, pool, food etc), his outdoor enclosure with his dog house, and the floor of my house. In the past month or so, I've noticed he's been making some really weird movements with his neck that look very uncomfortable, where he sticks his head all the way out, twists it a little bit, and moves one of his front legs along with it. My boyfriend says he looks like he's got an itch, but I've been noticing it happens after he's been outside all day. When this happens, he also looks wet, which is strange because I know tortoises don't sweat and he was not around water for him to get wet in. Has this ever happened to anyone else's tort? The episodes pass but they scare me, I took him to the vet and the vet said everything looked fine and that he was healthy but the episodes keep happening and are starting to really freak me out. Please let me know if you have any info!
 

Average-Joe_15

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Jul 2, 2015
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Hmm...
I think I've experienced this as well, and I was just as concerned-!!

I'm a real worrywart but I came to the relieving conclusion my tort can simply feel annoyed by natural itches and even water sitting on their heads, just as we can~

I would:
1) monitor what could habitually cause a neck itch in the habitat and try to find if there is a hidden source of water,
+
2) test to see if your tort is annoyed by water droplets sitting, or hanging, on their head
(use a clean 'ear dropper' to drop a single water droplet on the top of their head).

Hopefully this isn't a more serious issue.
 

Yvonne G

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He might have picked up something off the floor of the house and it is now stuck in his throat. It's not a good idea to allow a tortoise to wander around on the floor of your house.

Give the tortoise a good, long soak in a tub of water. The water should come up to the middle of his sides. Just leave him in there for a half hour or more, checking on him frequently to make sure he's ok.
 

Dovydas

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He might have picked up something off the floor of the house and it is now stuck in his throat. It's not a good idea to allow a tortoise to wander around on the floor of your house.

Give the tortoise a good, long soak in a tub of water. The water should come up to the middle of his sides. Just leave him in there for a half hour or more, checking on him frequently to make sure he's ok.
Could this be a sign of a respiatory infection?
 

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