tortoises

Question 1

you are presented with a tortoise that is cold to the touch and completely unresponsive. it isnt moving its limbs but they are movable. how do you work out if the tortoise is dead

Answer 1

• warm the patient
• assess reflexes (corneal reflex, withdrawal reflexes, jaw tone, limb rigidity (limb rigidity not always great indicator as rogor mortis can set in but goes away after while)
• check heart with doppler
• if still unsure, keep in warm environment (25 degrees) for couple hours and if still unresponsive death can be announced

Question 2

does a cold tortoise indicate death? why or why not

Answer 2

no - unlike mammals tortoises are poikilotherms so their body temperature depends on their environment

Question 3

how do you detect heart rate in tortoises

Answer 3

use a doppler ultrasound to pick up a pulse (over jugular)

Question 4

what should you do to the tortoise to increase your chance of detecting a heart rate (increase heart rate)

hint: tortoise is cold

Answer 4

warm the tortoise. warming will increase HR, RR, and give best chance for survival. aim for 30 degrees celcius

Question 5

how would you warm a tortoise quickly and maintain that temperature

Answer 5

• use warm fluids
• heat pads
• hot hands
• plastic box with air holes to create a warm space that keeps heat in for tortoise

Question 6

where do you take blood from on a tortoise and how

Answer 6

sites: (depend on size and species)
brachial plexus
- pull front limb away from body and palpate tendon near the radiohumeral joint
- use 22-20 g needle attached to 1-3 cc syringe
- insert at 90 degree angle to skin and angled towards the radiohumeral joint
subcarapacial venous sinus (back of neck)
- 1 inch to 11/2 inch 27-20 g needle or a 2 inch spinal needle attached to a 1-3 cc syringe
- needle inserted upward at 60 degree angle just dorsal to the neck
jugular
- place in lateral recumbency
- head and neck should be pulled away from shell
- 27-20 g needle attached to 1-3 cc syringe
dorsal coccygeal vein
- midline to tail at 90 degree angle
- keep slight negative pressure until blood enters hub

Question 7

why cant you run a blood sample on an in-house machine

Answer 7

most often, in house machines are designed to analyse mammal blood samples. reptiles have different shapes and sizes of cells than mammals.
reptile RBCs are elipsoid, nucleated and larger than mammalian and a typical machine may count them as a different type of cell

Question 8

why would a tortoise have a low PCV after waking from hibernation

Answer 8

Not replenishing RBCs

Question 9

why would a tortoise have low WBC counts after waking from hibernation

Answer 9

when they hibernate their body functions shut down and the WBCs have a short lifespan and therefore die without being replaced

Question 10

what are WBCs in reptiles called

Answer 10

• heterophils = neutrophils
• azurophils = monocytes
• lymphocytes
• eosinophils

Question 11

how long should tortoises hibernate

Answer 11

6-12 weeks
younger tortoises should hibernate for shorter periods and each subsequent hibernation increased until a maximum of 12 weeks

Question 12

when is it recommended to have a veterinary consult prior to tortoise hibernation

Answer 12

in august/september, a vet visit is recommended to check for underlying illness. a fecal sample should also be taken to ensure not entering hibernation with severe worm burden
tortoises shouldnt be hibernated if underweight or suffering from disease

Question 13

what advantages are there for using a fridge to hibernate your tortoise

Answer 13

• can control temperature
• safer

Question 14

how do you wake up a hibernating tortoise

Answer 14

• slowly, checking for discharges of the eyes nose and tail end
• bath the face and eyes and wash mouth
• leave at room temp for a few hours
• then give warm bath for at least half hour. can be repeated twice daily
• monitor urination and defecation, if not happening bring to vet
• keep warm in vivarium or heated enclosure until the days get sufficiently warm
• feed succulent foods initially before weaning back to normal diet

Question 15

how should you prepare tortoise for hibernation

Answer 15

• stop feeding and allow to stay warm for digestion
• after this temp can be decreased by 5 degrees per week until hibernation
• mimic lighting of winter
• bathing should be continued at least every other day to ensurre tortoise entres hibernation with a full bladder as this will be important fluid reservoir
• once body temp reaches 13 degree tortoise can be moved to refrigerator and maintained between 2-9 degrees