Susan

Hi Sam 

I am in the UK and have 4 Aldabra tortoises ,I have been watching you on instagram and check out your website .I know you are in Florida and I also have a home in Florida but with things right now will hopefully fingers-crossed be going out in July 

I think I have a problem with one of my tortoises I purchased her last year and the seller told me she was around 7 .She is lovely her shell is not great but I am hoping that will resolve with time 

I am worries because she is not moving around a-lot She in in the house with me they all are and get lots of attention every day so I can see she is not herself she seems to have no getup and go she is eating I feed them on a variety of lettuce greens kale the very odd strawberry natuzi complete food 

they will not eat hay at all i do offer dried grasses fresh dandelion where available dries hibiscus flowers and always 2 bowls of fresh water , She gets regular showers this she loves but i think something is wrong 

Can you help me . I was hoping if it is possible to come and see you in the summer when I go over I am there for 2 months and would really love to visit 

Any way thank you Sam 

All The Best Susan

Sam

Hi Susan, great to meet you, I would love to see you in the summer.

Can you send me Videos of the 4 tortoises 

send me some pics of their setup.

how old are your other tortoises?

can you tell me the straight line measurement of the tortoises.'

have you changed anything recently around their environment ?

have you moved them or changed their heating or lighting in any way?

What are her stools like?   When was the last time you have seen specifically her stool?

does she have any discharge from or Eyes,or mouth and nars (nose).

or around her mouth, do you see foaming from her mouth?

does she make any noises?  any hissing, whistling, chirps of sneezing?

if you can see in her mouth,  is it a nice bright pink or pale?

Do you see any white or cheese-like material in her mouth? 

when she does walk, does she stand up high and walk for a period of time or does she keep stopping for a rest.

Do you hear any gugerlings or gas sounds coming from her. 

Sam

Susan

Hi Sam 

Nakia is around 7 i purchased her last summer from a guy on an advertisement To be honest she was not standing much then but how she was kept was not good the home was like a horders home no room to walk at all 

They are kept in my home outside my office  they have mercury vapour all in one basking lamps 

They have an outside home as well but right now they are inside with me 

Nakia is 20 inches long and 14 inches wide 

Nothing had changed at all ,I will keep a look out for her stools if the do poo it is cleaned up straight away 

She has no discharge from her mouth or nose or her mouth and no foaming 

But she has made some chirping not much but is hissing a-lot more  she stands up when you stroke her with her head right out normally this she is not doing as much 

She is eating and I put her outside for a few minutes to see if she would walk for me and all she done is lay and eat the grass 

I think her mouth is ok but i will check later today 

she does not stand tall when she walks inside but she has always been like this but did outside in the end of the summer  .All 3 are so chilled out and will lay in the same spot for hours and watch the world go by 

I  will get my son to attach video as its not working for me 

Many Thanks Susan

Sam

Lets focus on that diet a little better,  what does he typically?  eat just grasses, or do you feed any store bought greens or fruits?

On the lighting, how old are those lights, how many watts are they and how far are they away from the top of the shell?

do you have a UVB meter , if you do or get one then you can measure the actual UVB output of those lambs.

you might be surprised they could be very low.

This is not an unusual problem. I have dealt with issues like this many times.

I am just trying to figure where we are on the progression , if it is what I think it is.

Sam

Susan

Hi Sam 

She eats fresh greens romaine lettuce green curly kale  a dry tortoise mix that you have to wet called komodo holistic tortoise diet on a very occasion melon and pumpkin  and natrazu  

They are fed fresh daily

the bulbs are 160watts uva uvb irand no i dont have a UV metre. should I get one 

I am going to send you the video on whatsapp today 

Sam I cannot thank you enought for your time and help Sam