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Sookie the tortoise with severe metabolic bone disease

Mrs Catherine Thomas — 21/10/2014 07:44

This is Sookie. Sookie is a one and a half year old Mediterranean Spur Thighed tortoise. She was given as a present. Her new owner didn't have the time to research what she needed so kept her as she had been told without questioning it. She had a heat light but no welling of measuring or controlling the temperature. She had no calcium supplements and no UV light. The result of this was that Sookie's calcium levels were so low that calcium was drawn out of her bones and shell, resulting in a shell which is soft and can be squeezed. It also lead to her muscles weakening and so allowed her organs to prolapse out of her cloaca. Unfortunately Sookie had to be euthanased. Her owner wants her case to be seen by others to warn them and hopefully prevent problems like this for other tortoises.