Changes in how your pet acts can be the result of unsuitable environmental conditions, an issue with the animal’s diet, or, your pet may have caught something from a sick tortoise.
If your tortoise has a swollen neck then you may think that there is something wrong with it, this article looks into why your tortoise has a swollen neck.
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Tortoise swollen neck:
Swelling in any pet isn’t good and is something that will understandably worry you, swelling at your pet’s neck is quite alarming
Here is why your tortoise’s neck may be swollen:
Abscess:
One reason why your pet’s neck may be swollen may be that the animal has an abscess on its neck. Abscesses are masses full of pus under an animal’s skin.
Your pet may have suffered trauma to the neck, causing an open wound. Foreign objects or bacteria may have entered the wound and this could have been how the abscess started.
The body would have sent white blood cells to fight the foreign body or bacteria and this fighting would have killed the tissue around the area. This area would have been closed off by the body forming an abscess.
Other signs of an abscess in your pet include pain and redness in the area.
What to do:
The best way to treat your pet’s abscess would be to take the animal to the vet for professional care.
The vet will start off by examining the animal’s swollen neck to confirm that the animal has an abscess.
Once it is established that the swelling is an abscess the vet will clean the area and then use a sterile scalpel or needle to puncture your tortoise’s skin and drain the pus from the abscess.
Once drained, your vet will flush the opening out to get rid of anything that may be left over.
Once the opening is all clean your vet will pack sterile gauze into the opening and then offer your pet antibiotics
Illness:
Another reason why your pet’s neck may be swollen may be that the animal is suffering from either heart failure or renal failure
Other signs that indicate that your pet is suffering from heart failure include the animal struggling to breathe, and the animal being very quiet.
Other signs of renal failure in your pet tortoise include weight loss, lethargy, and dehydration.
What to do:
You’d need to act as soon as you can once you realize that there is something wrong with your pet, in this case, every minute counts, taking action as soon as possible can save the animal’s life.
The chances of your pet recovering decrease as time goes on so taking your pet to a vet, or better yet a herp vet, is recommended.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other turtle/tortoise related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Baby Tortoise Crying Noise At Night Sick, Why Is My Turtle Making Clicking Noises?, Tortoise Making Whistling Noise When Eating, Tortoise Clicking Jaw, Tortoise Making Whistling Noise, Tortoise Gasping, Baby Tortoise Gasping, Why Is My Tortoise Squeaking At Night?, Sulcata Tortoise Making Clicking Noise