Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well a week or so ago I posted here that my russian tort hadn't eaten for a week. As of today still no change.Took her to the vet. and found out that she has pneumonia and pin worms!!!!!The vet also told me to force feed her!!!Has anybody done this before? how do you do it right?

hmm, force feeding a tortoise. To be honest, the best way to do this is reverse psychology and get the tort to want to eat on it's own. Optimum husbandry is a must, and warm temperatures are a part of this. Whatever initiated the pneumonia must be corrected. Weigh the tort regularly to monitor loss of mass.

Optimally, actual force feeding for a tortoise is a vegetable slurry, worked into the mouth with a syringe and gently administered allowing the tort to swallow. The risks are inhalation which will complicate the pneumonia, and stress, which will complicate everything. If corrected husbandry and medical treatment will not entice an appetite, then a surgically placed feeding tube needs to be decided upon. They work really well, and also make it easier to administer medications. Go to the box turtle forum for an account of "Chip" who is having this done right now.

The pinworms are not an immediate concern, if one at all, unless they are in sufficient numbers as to be causing clinical signs. You would be seeing a soft runny, stool that is not related to inappropriate diet.

Ian

At this point it seems the animal will simply shut down and wait for death. Force feeding is a must and it is most economical for you to do it yourself. Not everyone cares to spend $500 in vet bills on a $50 tortoise for a chance that the animal will make it.

It is fairly easy but you need a helper. I brought back a sub-adult cherryhead red foot for a friend that was on the brink of death from severve pnemonia through force feeding and non-diluted Bayril injections of .03/cc for every 100g in weight.

First you need to acquire a rubber catheter or thin metal feeding tube for doing this. It must be long enough to go deep down the throat so the animal won't regurgitate. Ask your vet to buy one from him/her or search online. Use baby formula of varied greens.

Coax head out of shell in order to grab it behind the head (top of neck) with your thumb and forefinger so the animal can't retreat. You will need to apply some gentle force here. You are holding the tube with other hand. Have your partner use a credit card to pry the mouth open from one side. Soemtimes a finger on the lower mandible is all that is needed to get mouth open. Once the mouth opens adjust credit card so the tort cannot close its mouth. Gently insert tube in middle of throat straight down to about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way of the length of the plastron.

I have fed up to 5cc of baby food for every 500g of weight every other day for 5 times. The tort seems to be in great shape and eats more than any of the 4 other similar sized healthy cherryheads right now.

Good luck.

Not all vets charge $500.00 for treatment. I'm surprised the vet said force feed without showing you how... or did the vet do that?
Ian is right, if they aspirate food which means it gets into the lungs rather than the stomach then the animal is in serious trouble.
Fluids are something to be very much concerned with too. If the tortoise is already dehydrating, too much food without addressing the dehydration first could send him over the edge.

Ian mentioned Chip, it's been only 15 days since he got the feeding tube. His recovery is going to be a long term committment, 2-3 years worth but his life is worth it to me, Chip is my turtle.
He does have a feeding tube surgically implanted & it's working great for him but he hasn't cost me anywhere near 500 dollars in vet bills! Not even close to that huge amount.
Getting him into my possession only cost me the price of driving a mile to meet the people who handed him over to me.
His case is one where it really goes to show you...having a good working relationship with your vet is vital when you have pets.

Have you called the vet back for more help? If I were in your shoes that would be my first step. Ask about fluids, Chip was treated with fluids and meds first, then he got food after he was no longer dehydrated.
Good luck with this little guy, please let us know how it's going.
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PHRatz

Surgically inplanted feeding tube is the way to go. If your vet didn't suggest this I'd find another vet. Force feeding a tortiose that has any strength left is very difficult.
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Tim Madsen

Nobody cares how much you know,
Until they know how much you care.

You're absolutely right in that this is a suitable method of force feeding. With experience, it is also rather safe. This experience cannot be acheived over the internet unfortunately. It is also very worth mentioning for other readers that this process is supplementary to vet care and not a substitute. Just as importantly is mentioning the risk that if your mouth gag (or credit card, or finger...) slips, and the tort bites the soft tube in half, it's an emergency surgery to remove the rest of the tube from the stomach. All pro's and con's I guess, just like the initial cost of a pet is more important to some than others.

Ian