Hello,
I just found my tortoise an hour ago in a very bad condition and I can think of 2 reasons for what's happening with him.. I hope you can help me..
Symptoms:
-Very numb
-Head on floor
-Bubble nose
-every 30-60 minutes, he lift his head, open his mouth, then i hear a sound like breathing, then he close his mouth and put his head back on floor
-He smells like a corpse
-pooping at night (he never pooped at night before, only once or twice daily in the noon) and the poo is little but continuous.

Possible reasons:
-I forgot him for about 2 hours in the afternoon sun, so it might be sunstroke?
-I fed him apricots and cucumber

Please help :(

I am really no expert but maybe a warm bath might help. Might get his digestive system going if he has a problem with it.

Zoe

It does sound  like he is severely distressed and I would seek out a vet without delay, just to be sure. Keep us posted if possible.

David

Dear Zoe thanks a lot for the advice, he is much better now but his appetite is not so well.
Anyway I tried your advice and it helped him get more energetic.

Dear David he is much better now and he is energetic again and all the other symptoms no longer exist, but his appetite isn't well (he eats but very little). I will take him to the vet as soon as I find a good one (where I live most vets are experts with cats and dogs, but very few knows treating tortoises).
Thanks a lot for your advice.. And I will keep you updated.

Wow, I was very worried by your first posting. It sounded drastic and serious. Great for me to hear that he is on the mend. Regarding possibility of sun stroke, I keep saying  to all and sundry about shade for torts on hot days...and a shaded water supply. They instinctively know when they are too hot, and then seek out a spot to suit them. On hot days even their nest boxes overheat and so then dappled plant shade is the best option you can give them. Let us know when he is 100% again, hopefully very soon.   David in York

Hi Takai, how is your tort now, it did sound very ill?

I agree with you David, shade must be provided, dehydration can be a killer, especially to young torts.  If baby or young torts are put out in cages in direct sunlight,  the plastic bottom of the cages can get very hot.  I tend to put the cage top (bars) directly onto the grass and weigh it down, the babies can then go directly onto the grass which is cooler with lots of hides.

Regards Vivienne