- Joined
- Feb 10, 2014
- Messages
- 5
For starters, I live in a 4 seasons climate and we are headed into the cold season. We have 6 acres of land and live deep in the woods. I have an 8 year old male sulcata who I have had since he was 3 months old, we used to live in Southern California but relocated about 3 years ago to the PNW. Our tortoise has always been an indoor tortoise with his own space, basking lamps, regular soaks, fresh lettuces and grasses, mazuri, he has a great diet, beautiful shell/growth rate, and has been very healthy. During the summer months he has a large pen with an insulated shed with lamps, heat pad, etc that he has access in and out of. When it starts getting cold I bring him in the house at night, then he spends the warm days outside basking and grazing until fall when he comes back in full time until next summer. I know eventually he has to go into an insulated shed house, I just haven't been ready to transition him out permanently yet.
About 10 days ago my mother had a hemorrhagic stroke and suffered a brain bleed, she was in the ICU and things were hectic and uncertain so we rushed there to see her. Then while we were there my husband's grandfather got hospitalized and unfortunately passed away abruptly. A friend in the neighborhood was coming daily to feed and hang out/check on my property while we dealt with all this. It's been about 50 at night so I've been having him inside at night. When she came at the end of the day last Thursday to do the routine, the chain link on his pen was busted and it was clear he had escaped. She spent hours searching (even into the dark) looking for him to no avail. We immediately started our drive home when we found out he wasn't there. I posted to all my neighborhood groups and called them all, everyone was looking and on alert. Got home Friday and it began to pour rain, a weather warning came for heavy rain and temperatures dropping to 36 at night. Daytime temperatures about 58-65. My heart has been completely broken. We searched day and night in the wind and rain, got search dogs looking following scents and trails. Begging neighbors to let us search their properties. Some let us, others wouldn't. Every single night I have not been able to sleep, ridden with fear and worry. Every day I spent all day looking and praying. I have feared the worst, assumed by now (a week later) he surely succumbed to the cold.
Tuesday and Wednesday we finally got some bright warm sunshine and temps at 74 as the storm passed. After searching all day and not finding him in the sunshine, I really feared he was dead somewhere. This morning I talked to a neighbor who said that the 15 acres of property he owns down the street that is for sale was shown yesterday, that his realtor called him today and said there was a tortoise on the property during the showing. Y'all I freaked out. He said the realtor didn't know where they were on the property, but my neighbor gave me permission to go look. Immediately I ran there with my shepherd and we searched the whole property, when finally my pup found him basking in the sun near a wood pile. I brought him home and observed him, he walked all over the grass, seemed to have good energy. I gave him a long warm soak, he was very active. I brought him in and put him on a heat pad, he felt pretty cold but not frozen. I've given him several soaks and have had him under his UVA/UVB bulbs. I've tried offering lettuce and mazuri but he's not interested in food yet.
For the past few hours he's been stretching his neck out long, making various strange sounds (similar to a burp) it even sounds like he's farting at times too. Then he opens his mouth wide and lots of liquid comes out, watery and also foamy hut its clear. I'm just sitting here watching his every move. He just did this again, a ton of liquid came out and then he seemed to get frantic and worked hard at working something out... He threw up a MASSIVE chunk of something purple in color that almost looked like a balled up latex glove (I have mashed it up and cannot make sense of what it is). I am so worried about him I feel sick. I have no idea what he could have eaten in all this time he's been missing, I know he was subjected to cold harsh temps as low as 36 degrees at night and it's killing me. I just feel terrible and broken and I fear he's suffering.
I have a call in to our exotic vet, they are trying to see him tomorrow. I have no idea what to do for him right now and I just feel desperate. To be honest I cannot even believe he's still alive and that he survived this past week. The countless hours of searching were worth it to find him and I'm just praying there's hope that he'll be okay and there's no long term damage.
I don't even know what I'm looking for. Any advice would be so appreciated.
Please don't kick me while I'm down... This tortoise is part of our family and all the chaos going on with our families just made for me to not be here when he escaped and that alone is killing me inside.
About 10 days ago my mother had a hemorrhagic stroke and suffered a brain bleed, she was in the ICU and things were hectic and uncertain so we rushed there to see her. Then while we were there my husband's grandfather got hospitalized and unfortunately passed away abruptly. A friend in the neighborhood was coming daily to feed and hang out/check on my property while we dealt with all this. It's been about 50 at night so I've been having him inside at night. When she came at the end of the day last Thursday to do the routine, the chain link on his pen was busted and it was clear he had escaped. She spent hours searching (even into the dark) looking for him to no avail. We immediately started our drive home when we found out he wasn't there. I posted to all my neighborhood groups and called them all, everyone was looking and on alert. Got home Friday and it began to pour rain, a weather warning came for heavy rain and temperatures dropping to 36 at night. Daytime temperatures about 58-65. My heart has been completely broken. We searched day and night in the wind and rain, got search dogs looking following scents and trails. Begging neighbors to let us search their properties. Some let us, others wouldn't. Every single night I have not been able to sleep, ridden with fear and worry. Every day I spent all day looking and praying. I have feared the worst, assumed by now (a week later) he surely succumbed to the cold.
Tuesday and Wednesday we finally got some bright warm sunshine and temps at 74 as the storm passed. After searching all day and not finding him in the sunshine, I really feared he was dead somewhere. This morning I talked to a neighbor who said that the 15 acres of property he owns down the street that is for sale was shown yesterday, that his realtor called him today and said there was a tortoise on the property during the showing. Y'all I freaked out. He said the realtor didn't know where they were on the property, but my neighbor gave me permission to go look. Immediately I ran there with my shepherd and we searched the whole property, when finally my pup found him basking in the sun near a wood pile. I brought him home and observed him, he walked all over the grass, seemed to have good energy. I gave him a long warm soak, he was very active. I brought him in and put him on a heat pad, he felt pretty cold but not frozen. I've given him several soaks and have had him under his UVA/UVB bulbs. I've tried offering lettuce and mazuri but he's not interested in food yet.
For the past few hours he's been stretching his neck out long, making various strange sounds (similar to a burp) it even sounds like he's farting at times too. Then he opens his mouth wide and lots of liquid comes out, watery and also foamy hut its clear. I'm just sitting here watching his every move. He just did this again, a ton of liquid came out and then he seemed to get frantic and worked hard at working something out... He threw up a MASSIVE chunk of something purple in color that almost looked like a balled up latex glove (I have mashed it up and cannot make sense of what it is). I am so worried about him I feel sick. I have no idea what he could have eaten in all this time he's been missing, I know he was subjected to cold harsh temps as low as 36 degrees at night and it's killing me. I just feel terrible and broken and I fear he's suffering.
I have a call in to our exotic vet, they are trying to see him tomorrow. I have no idea what to do for him right now and I just feel desperate. To be honest I cannot even believe he's still alive and that he survived this past week. The countless hours of searching were worth it to find him and I'm just praying there's hope that he'll be okay and there's no long term damage.
I don't even know what I'm looking for. Any advice would be so appreciated.
Please don't kick me while I'm down... This tortoise is part of our family and all the chaos going on with our families just made for me to not be here when he escaped and that alone is killing me inside.