獸醫檢查（三）Return Visit to the Vet (Eng. Only)

Her return visit to the vet was not really necessary. We were not sure if a second de-worm was needed. Anyways, the vet was happy to see Tun Tun‘s change and this time the de-worm was done on skin. The vet showed us the study on topical application and we chose not to have the injection. It can be applied on the shoulder or at the back. It is better to do it on the back cause if the tort retracts, the medicine will get into his eyes. That was what happened to Tun Tun.

The vet then needed to rinse Tun’s eyes with saline water. Poor Tun Tun. Although the vet was careless about this, we can still see his love to Tun Tun because he kept apologizing to Tun Tun in a very soft voice.

獸醫檢查（二）How Tun Tun Turned Out (Eng. Only)

It was after a few days I thought about the changes I had made to her environment before the time she stopped eating. I had cut out a long strip of opaque window sticker to block Tun Tun back’s view (to the park). It was because I read info on the web saying that will be safer for tortoises that they are not used to the concept of glass and may walk into it and hurt themselves. Then I removed the sticker. Tun Tun can walk and “climb” on the glass and she looked like she was running in the treadmill in a gym again. She loves doing that in the morning. We also take her out for a walk in the living room every night with the heater turn on. It was still too cold outside. I should pick my tortoise in the spring/summer instead. I got Tun Tun in late November although I know that is not a good time getting a baby tortoise. Even with all the equipments we had trying to mimic her natural environment, it will be hard for her to compact the weather when she is sick.

A few days after we removed the sticker and increased Tun Tun’s activity level, Tun Tun started eating again. Her weight went up slowly.

In conclusion, Tun Tun is very sensitive to any small change in her environment. When there is something wrong with your tortoise, you need to think carefully on what you did or did not do. These can affect the tortoise.

Hatchling Failure Syndrome (Eng. Only)

After I did some research on the web, I was suspecting Tun Tun had hatchling failure syndrome. I discussed this with the vet and he said it was possible. Luckily we found out the cause in a few days.

But here is some info on this topic.

http://www.sulcata-station.org/hatchfail.html

獸醫檢查（一）First Visit to the Vet (Eng. Only)

It was after we had Tun Tun for a month then she became “ill”. She had not eaten for a few days. I have no idea why she just stopped eating. I took her to the vet. The vet asked about the setting and her diet, her behavior etc. and everything seemed normal. Since African Spurred Tortoise is prone to respiratory infection and stones, the vet gave Tun Tun antibiotics for the respiratory infection and de-wormed her just in case. Some websites recommended to deworm a tortoise after getting them from a pet store. The vet also did an x ray of Tun to make sure there was no stone formation. There was no stone and since Tun Tun had not eaten for so long, she got gas in her stomach. The vet used a tube and inserted it into her stomach and forced feed Tun some vitamin and minerals. Or course Tun Tun did not like that.

The vet also commented that tortoise would do okay without eating for more than a week or so. But I still worried a lot as she shows no interest of food. Tun Tun had been a big eater all along. She adapted to the new environment so well and I was able to hand feed her veggies the first night she came.

The vet gave us some antibiotics to take home. We were supposed to inject that into Tun Tun’s shoulder every 3 days. Her skin is tough to puncture and we also need to be aware how much the needle can go in.

Tun Tun came from US captive breeder so it should be a safe source. Parasites should not be too much of a problem unless she contracted some disease from the pet store… I did not see her blowing bubbles from her nose… I went through all possibilities and could not find out the reason. Other than not eating, she seemed normal. She seemed very happy and active when going out for a walk too.

How Tun Tun Traveled to the Vet (Eng. Only)

It was winter when Tun Tun needed to travel to the vet. I bought a small deposable heat pad and wrapped it with a handkerchief. I tested the temperature making sure that it won’t burn Tun Tun. Then I put all these in a small paper box with holes we punctured with a pen on top and on the sides of a box. So Tun Tun could stay warm during the one hour trip. But we should not puncture holes near her level as the paper that stick in from the puncture may hurt her when we move. I also saw Tun Tun biting that paper bit during traveling too.

more on transporting tortoises:

http://www.tortoisegroup.org/index.php