Any help or advice needed. Small leopard vomiting/not eating.
 

Hi folks. I'm not a regular poster here... So hello to most of you

We have a small leopard tortoise, Timmy (about 3.5 years old we beleive). Owned him for around 3 years. He is usually extremely active, very curious to his surroundings and generally quite boisterous. Recently, he's been very inactive... His normal diet consists mainly of lambs lettuce, rocket, thistle, garden weeds, hay and grass. He has not eaten much over the last couple of weeks.

Yesterday, he would not eat anything and seemed uninterested in food and vomited. I tried to find something 'naughty' and appetising for him to eat and settled on little gem lettuce after a warm bath, and pooped a pastey green poo. He had some slow going nibbles on it and probably ate 2 leaves of it in all. I made a conscious effort that he swallowed some nutribol (?)

Tonight, he was worse. I bathed him again. He mostly just sat in his bath, not moving. He did have another very tiny poo in the bath. He was quite active after the bath, and stomped around his table. He wouldn't even eat the little gem, however. I even tried a tiny piece of tomato to get him to eat something. Within 2 minutes of having a single bite of the tomato, he vomited it back up. I'm having no luck in getting him to eat his normal diet.

He lives with one other leopard tortoise, Tilly, who is about 5-6 years. Tilly is absolutely fine. Practically eating her body weight in anything edible within eyesight... The tortoise table is 4'x2' and lit by a single 150w Lucky Reptile Bright Sun UV Ultra. The basking spot is 40 degrees at its hottest. The room temperature is 20 degrees.

Timmy has some minor unusual shell shapes/markings. Almost as if the shell has split at the scute joints in areas, I'll try and get some pictures up!!! This may be something to do with it?

I intend to get to Anton Vets, Andover on Thursday (3 days time). This is my next available day off. At the moment, I keep offering food and giving a bath when possible.

What do you think is wrong with Timmy?

http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...psxwtwiiky.jpg
http://i1165.photobucket.com/albums/...psvha0ysai.jpg

I would separate them just now, just in case he is ill, if you can.
All you can really do is see the vet (which I know you are doing) and keep up the baths and offering food.
Hopefully someone will have some more advice until you can get to the vet.

Timmy looks very wellgrown :)
Have a good lookat him, particularly underneath, on his plastron, limbs. Is there any pink/ red?

Its very unusual for a tort to vomit.i have only had it once when my tort had Sceptaceamia. It can be a sideeffect of Sceptacemia or a reaction to antibiotics. Im sure youwouldhave mentioned though if Timmy had been given any.

Be aware Leopards dont dowell with Baytrill. (Im sure if the vets is specialist though, they will know this)

Can you have a lookin his mouth? Might he have something stuck?

Could he have eaten something contaminated?

He had an overnight stay in the vets last night ( managed to peel away from work yesterday). He had a stomach wash last night. X-ray and blood test today. The vet was most concerned that he had vomited... Thought that his shell looked fine, perhaps a little dry. We'll see what happens! It sounds like they're going to keep him in until he's full strength again!

Good advice given by the above, Anton vets at Andover are very good, did you see John Chitty, I would say your tort is in good hands. His shell looks lovely.
Keep us posted.

He is doing fine. He didn't enjoy his stomach wash last night so would not come out of his shell for any further tests. However, after some persuasion they managed it all. The initial x-ray showed gas build up in his stomach so they were worried of a blockage; they fed him with an indicator fluid and xrayed him again after two hours and everything is moving freely inside (which is good!). Bloods and stomach contents are tested today and results tomorrow hopefully. The bacteria takes a few days to grow from stromach wash contents.

Ive met John Chitty a few years ago. Very nice man. Ashton at Anton vets has been dealing with Timmy. I must say that she has been an absolute star. Has kept me up to date with any changes and really sounds like she knows what to do! Full trust in that lady, I must say. She was fully aware of Baytrill with leopards and preferred using an injection style antibiotics as it doesn't rely on the tort having to feed by itself.

Sounds like he is in excellent hands. Please keep us up dated :)

So pleased to read some improving. Please keep us updated.

I did have to smile when I read Timmy had taken his head in and decided no more tests!

Good luck.

Hope Timmy continues to show great improvement. Your vet sounds very good. As sad before, please let us know how he goes.