Very poorly tort

[BugsnBones]

Hi

I rescued a mediterranean tortoise in November. She was dropped off at a friends pet shop with no history.

She had a noticeable RI so went straight to the vet. She was very dehydrated and underweight alongside her RI and was treated for them all.

The RI went after around 3-4 weeks of antibiotics however she refused food and water. The vet fitted a feeding tube through her neck into her tummy and i have had to syringe feed her ever since.

We had done blood tests, faecal tests, chest xray, CT scan and the list continues but all continues to come back relatively clear.

She is very lethargic, doesnt move AT ALL unless persistently prompted. Wont eat or drink ANYTHING. She has no parasites in her blood or faeces. Is no longer underweight, having gone from 1.5kg to just over 2kg nor dehydrated. She is in a vivarium with heat and UV light (all in one).

The vets i am with are amazing however he is currently scratching his head so thought asking you guys cant do any harm.

The next option is invasive surgery to see if he can find anything but dont really want to put her through that.

Any suggestions welcome!

[Merlin M]

This could be a combination of stress from being in a new home and all the vet treatments and the time of year and tortoises often slow down this time of year even when everything is perfect.

Personally I would keep offering food and bathing but just leave her to it for a bit and see if she comes round, can take weeks though.

Saying that what are the temperatures you are keeping her at? Basking stop, cool end but also night temp?

Sounds like she is very lucky to have found you!

[sandy]

Originally Posted by BugsnBones

Hi

I rescued a mediterranean tortoise in November. She was dropped off at a friends pet shop with no history.

She had a noticeable RI so went straight to the vet. She was very dehydrated and underweight alongside her RI and was treated for them all.

The RI went after around 3-4 weeks of antibiotics however she refused food and water. The vet fitted a feeding tube through her neck into her tummy and i have had to syringe feed her ever since.

We had done blood tests, faecal tests, chest xray, CT scan and the list continues but all continues to come back relatively clear.

She is very lethargic, doesnt move AT ALL unless persistently prompted. Wont eat or drink ANYTHING. She has no parasites in her blood or faeces. Is no longer underweight, having gone from 1.5kg to just over 2kg nor dehydrated. She is in a vivarium with heat and UV light (all in one).

The vets i am with are amazing however he is currently scratching his head so thought asking you guys cant do any harm.

The next option is invasive surgery to see if he can find anything but dont really want to put her through that.

Any suggestions welcome!

It sounds like you have done all you can, the tortoise has been through a lot of stress in a shortish time. If the tortoise was mine, I would treat as normal tortoise, and see what happens. It can take time for them to adjust to a new home, and way of being kept.
Are you letting the temps at night drop?
What temps are you using during the day?
Vets are great with the insides of tortoises, but rarely unless they keep them themselves know tortoise husbandry.
Most med tortoise keepers will use an open topped enclosure, as they need a temperature gradient or around 32c under the heat and the other end around 25c. At night just the normal house temperatures no extra heat.
As keeping a tortoise at the same heat all the time day and night can cause more problems.
I hope this helps:0)

[Suze65]

I agree with Sandy and Merlin, your tort has been through a lot of change and stress. I would now leave her be, give her warm baths, keep offering food and make sure she has a temp gradient, 32c under the basking spot and 22c at the cooler end, and don't let night time temps drop below 17c. As has been said it can take weeks for a tortoise to adjust to change. Give her time .

[CherryBrandy]

WElcome Bugsnbones, hope she is a little better. I wonder if the RI is still a little persistent or she is still tender from it, like getting over flu. I agree with others lots of tlc and quiet. Even my healthy ones can sulk for weeks if their enclosure is changed around and that's pretty minor compared to what she has been through. I moved a water bowl once and he stomped around for days and refused to eat cause he loved to sit in it. CB

[Suze65]

Originally Posted by CherryBrandy

WElcome Bugsnbones, hope she is a little better. I wonder if the RI is still a little persistent or she is still tender from it, like getting over flu. I agree with others lots of tlc and quiet. Even my healthy ones can sulk for weeks if their enclosure is changed around and that's pretty minor compared to what she has been through. I moved a water bowl once and he stomped around for days and refused to eat cause he loved to sit in it. CB

It's true, they get quite huffy if you move anything

[BugsnBones]

She was back at the vets the other day as she had removed her feeding tube. We are seeing how she gets on this weekend with eating. If we get no joy she will be having another operation to have it re-fitted.

Drinking however seems to have taken a change and she is having a drink when she has a warm bath so thats great news!

[Jan W]

Welcome and look forward to an update, so hope all OK?

[Gordon]

Hi your saying it's a Mediterranean tortoise do you know which one and also what are your temps day and night.

[CherryBrandy]

We were hoping for some good news ? CB