Tortoises may have scaly skin on their bodies, namely on their head, legs, and arms but these areas are still vulnerable to injuries.
This article looks into why your tortoise is bleeding at its leg.
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Tortoise bleeding leg:
Your tortoise’s legs aren’t protected by its shell so this area can become injured very easily.
If your tortoise’s leg starts bleeding then the reptile likely suffered an injury.
Here is what you need to know if your tortoise’s leg is bleeding:
Self-inflicted injury:
Simple, and even self-inflicted, injuries can lead to bleeding in your pet’s leg. Your pet may have injured its leg climbing over something or put its leg through wire mesh a couple of times and caused an injury.
What to do:
This injury is likely minor and likely isn’t something that needs to be seen by a vet
You can clean the wound gently with water and a mild soap. Adding betadine using a cotton ball onto the animal’s wound can be helpful in preventing an infection.
You can use sterile gauze or non-stick pads on the wound after it is clean.
However, if the wound is swollen, oozing pus, or is red then you’d need to take the animal to the vet.
Male wanting to breed:
Another reason why your pet may be bleeding at its feet may be that it is a female tortoise who was bitten by a male.
When a male wants to breed, but the female doesn’t, she will run away from him and he will chase her and bite at her legs to slow her down.
This biting is usually gentle, but, because he has a sharp jaw, if he bites down too strong then he can cause her leg to bleed.
This strong biting is usually seen when a smaller tortoise male wants to breed with a larger tortoise female, the male has to add more strength to the bite so he can really slow her down.
What to do:
If your female is not bleeding then your pet will be fine, and you don’t have to do anything. If the female starts to bleed then separate the two and allow her injury to heal.
Clean and disinfect the wound the same way that you would if the animal injured itself.
The tortoise was bitten by rats:
Rats are opportunistic feeders and tortoises are vulnerable to rat attacks, especially during hibernation when the reptiles are sleeping and can’t get away from the rats.
These animals may bite your pet on their hind limbs, tail, or forelimbs.
Because your tortoise is sleeping during hibernation it won’t feel the bites and the rats may gnaw quite deeply into your reptile’s legs.
What to do:
Unlike the shallow cuts mentioned above, if your pet has deep wounds, because of the rat bites, then the reptile would need to be taken to the vet, or better yet a vet who specializes in reptiles.
The vet will examine the pet, put it under, and perform surgery to address the problem.
Dog bites:
Your dog may also be the reason why your tortoise has a wound on its leg, these furry animals seem to have an irresistible urge to bite these slow creatures even if they have lived with them for a while.
What to do:
If your tortoise is bitten by your dog then it likely needs veterinary treatment just as it would if your tortoise was bitten by rats.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other tortoise/turtle related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Baby Tortoise Leg Problems, Tortoise Cut On Leg, Tortoise Having Trouble Walking At Night, Turtle Bulging Out Of Shell, Red Spots On Turtle Belly, Algae Growing On Turtle Head, Adding Salt To A Turtle Tank, Wheat Germ Pellets For Turtles, How To Fix Retained Scutes