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Originally Posted by alliebaad
I dont know the gender but i refer to him as he. His name is speedy and i got him a few months ago from a friend whose tortoise had babies so i basically knew almost nothing about tortoises and i dont know what type of tortoise he is. I got him along with another tortoise. He had a shiny healthy looking shell when i first got him and i recently noticed how dull and dry his shell is looking. Also, i noticed the skin around his eyes is a bit puffy and slightly whitish and the skin on his legs is pale and slightly yellow. He used to explore the sunny garden whenever i took them into the yard but now he doesnt move around much unless its nibbling on grass. his legs feel week when i hold him and he walks with a bit of a wobble and seems very energyless.
He had a habit of soaking in their water bowl so i initially though the symptoms were due to water soaking into his skin and shell but after a few days of having him in the fresh sunny air for longer periods and noticing no improvement, i knew something more was wrong. I feed them lettuce, cabbage, carrots and spinach and they snack on the grass in the garden. The folds by his neck and legs have tiny black dots almost like freckles but im not sure if those were their before he go sick. His shell isnt as strong as it used to be, it is not soft but it seems a bit flexible. he usually rubs his eyes as if they are itchy or painful.
He is much smaller than my other tortoise which leads me to believe that he is having trouble growing as their size difference is significant. my other tortoise seems as healthy as can be and is not experiencing any of these symptoms. In the country i live in, tortoises are not usually kept as pets and have little to no knowledge about them and there are also no specialists here so i have nowhere to go. Any help or advice will be highly appreciated. Thanks
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Sounds like your tortoise needs a UV lamp if the shell is flexible, as it should be hard:0)
I would get him/her to a tortoise vet, as you dont want things to get worse.
A picture as has been said would help us more to help you:0)