If the tortoise is that badly off, I would strongly recommend one more trip to a good reptile vet to have a feeding tube placed. This will be MUCH more satisfactory than trying to force the animal's head out and its mouth open, then taking the chance of its inhaling whatever you try to feed it and dying from that or the resulting pneumonia, or worse, your putting a tube directly into the trachea by mistake (it happens). It may be easy to get the head out and open the mouth manually while the tortoise is weak, but once it gets a bit of its strength back from your efforts, it can be a problem, plus is very stressful to the tortoise. Additionally, a stronger animal may bite off and swallow a rubber tube attached to your metal syringe before the syringe ever gets into the mouth (and if simply using a metal syringe without a tube, you have the inhalation problems mentioned above).



Feeding tubes work well in tortoises, as the dosages of medications and amount of food which is given can be controlled very exactly, plus the animal can be kept hydrated very readily without any stress. They are sutured into the neck area behind the head, then taped to the shell with a cap which is opened when you wish to use the tube. When the tortoise gains strength, it can eat normally and the tube can be left in place for a month or two as a safety measure in case of relapse. Once removed, the hole will simply heal over.

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