Sudden death of my Star Tortoise

by Carrie
(Singapore)

My star tortoise shows signs of lost of appetite and had a few diarrhea during the past two weeks before it passed away today. I have tried to change it's diet by giving different kind of vegetables, hopefully it will bring it's appetite back to normal but it didn't. There were no signs of runny nose nor teary eyes and i just couldn't tell what was wrong with my star. I could not bring to a vet in my country as the star tortoise as i wasn't sure if the local veterinarians would be able to treat tortoise. I am extremely sad that it has died today with his head stuck inside his shell and a drop of nasal discharge on the right nostril. Can you tell me what was wrong with my star?

Comments for Sudden death of my Star Tortoise

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Nov 01, 2023

Is this tortoise dead or alive
by: Shelly

If a tortoise is alive, it will be breathing, even if the breath is slow. Put something light, like a feather or tissue, close to the nose and watch for movement.

If a tortoise is alive, it will respond, even if slightly, to being touched on the head or legs.

If a tortoise is alive, it has control of its muscles. If the head or legs droop, the tortoise may be dead.

What you do with a dead animal depends on where you live. Contact a veterinarian to learn what is legal in your area.

Keep it slow and steady.

Oct 30, 2023

Can u help me
by: Anonymous

My baby don’t is she alive or died how can u help me ?
If died than how to perform their last ride ?

What to do submerge in water or sand ?

Sep 14, 2023

But that's not..
by: Anonymous

I'm sorry but how did you define your star was dead? Because a dead tortoise can not keep its head and limbs retracted inside the shell! Never. Their neck become loose and drop outside.

Are you sure you didnt call it without checking? My tortoise was also behaving the same, kept head and limbs inside but was hibernating, not dead. Did you check for reflexes??? I'm sorry but this is an unnatural way of a tortoise death.

Mar 11, 2023

RIP ❤️ my little BaoBao
by: Ling

My BaoBao star tortoise died on 8Mar2023. We had her for 24years and it’s so heartbreaking to lose her. I felt lonely without her and i just can’t stop crying.

RIP my BaoBao. I missed you so much.
Hope you have better next life. Goodbye 👋

Aug 30, 2021

So sorry for your loss
by: Shelly

I am so sorry for your loss. Your story could be repeated many times. It can be difficult to tell when a tortoise is not well.

Keep it slow and steady.
Shelly

Aug 30, 2021

Miss you
by: Anonymous

My star named SHREE died today ..He was in good health yesterday ate his food and all ..Suddenly at morning he was not at his usual place so I went to tease him a little bit .but today he did not respond .he was very responsive ..I tried everything .his limbs were out eyes closed .head out ..his shell was softer .no signs of life. He left us..

Mar 19, 2021

by: Shelly

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. It sounds like you had some good times together.

Keep it slow and steady.
Shelly

Mar 14, 2021

RIP my Little Bro star tortoise❤️🐢🛐13.03.2021
by: Anonymous

RIP my Little Bro star tortoise.
he should be about 1year old +/- when I bought him in 1993 somewhere around end Jan to early Feb.

he passed on, on 13.03.2021 at around 2pm+, in his usual sleeping position, not retracted. nothing, no screaming or struggling.

we did not know until we try to tease him and realise he is very stiff at around 5pm+

Thank you Little Bro for being my younger bro when I was 13yo. my most authentic true love in my life 🙏🏻 ❤️🐢🛐

Dec 24, 2018

Difficult breed of tortoise to raise
by: Anonymous

Hello everyone, most of us here are because of a death of our beloved Indian Star tortoise, me included which broke my heart. I have come to the conclusion, that Indian Stars are very difficult to raise. Since the death of my tortoise, a friend of mine sold me his Redfoot tortoise and I’ve had her a good couple of years. She is a hardy tortoise and is thriving. It’s purely just a suggestion to look at a hardier breed of tortoise. Has anyone managed to rais a star tortoise to adulthood?
Merry Christmas everyone.

Dec 24, 2018

Choosing a veterinarian
by: Shelly

It's always best to carefully check any veterinarian. I am not in India, so I cannot verify this recommendation.

With that said, this is worth investigating. Any pet owner needs to know a local vet.

Keep it slow and steady.

Dec 23, 2018

Dr vinahrkar in santcruzeast
by: Anonymous

Hey so sorry to hear this but ,I found best dr in mumbai who is specialized in reptiles his clinic is in santacruz east dr vinahrkar amazing dr he treated my star torties who had RNS I suggest for mumbai people to visit this dr it will be really helpful to you and your tortoise and turtle ...

Dec 03, 2018

Jonathan's mysterious death :(
by: Sunitha Simon

My Nonu, was all active and happy on that day, because we had bought him a new star tort girlfriend, he was following her where ever she turned, but the next day i saw him lying flipped lifeless :( the previous day he was so active and what happened the very next day, is really a mystery. Me and my husband loved him like our own baby, its really hard to digest that he is no more :( i miss him a lot. We couldn't save him, i feel so bad that he is no more, the worst thing haunting us is that we don know what exactly went wrong and whats the reason behind his death.

Let me Nonu's soul rest in peace. Miss u Nonu :(

Oct 09, 2018

Tortoise is smelling and not moving
by: Anonymous

My star tortoise hasn't eaten anything since a month and stopped excretion also. Keep sleeping the whole day and it's shell has also become loose.. I'm afraid what has happened.. This morning when I went to greet her good morning, she did not move at all and her bottom shell is smelling.. Please help, what happened to her?

Sep 22, 2018

Sudden Death
by: Shelly

I am so sorry for you loss.

Tortoises often die suddenly because it can be hard to tell that they are ill until it is too late. I can't say exactly what happened in this case, but this is not unusual.

Keep it slow and steady.

Sep 14, 2018

Cheeku
by: Manasi

My dear Cheeku had been part of the family for 5 years. She was my daughter's eighth year birthday gift. She was healthy eating lady's fingers, corriander leaves, cucumber and we used to keep it in a bowl of water up in the sun for about an hour. She used to enjoy splashing in the water and do her business in there. Very low maintenance pet. Just yesterday, she refused to eat anything. Till then everything was absolutely normal. Today morning when I left her on the lawn grass, she did not move. She has passed over.I don't understand, she was absolutely healthy & seemed fine.I live at Goa where the climate is warm. How can she suddenly die? My kids and us are shocked and very sad.

Jul 18, 2018

Hibernation
by: Anonymous

Hibernation is something that happens in the winter.

Jul 11, 2018

I think my Star Tortoise died today
by: Titus

Today 11 Jul 2018 I feel very sad because i discovered my star tortoise (tutu) which i kept for 1.5 years did not respond to me. He is not moving and I don't know if he had died or not. He lost his appetite few days ago and seems very tired and lethargic before that. Other than that everything seems fine, no running nose, no teary eyes, shell is hard, housed in enclosure with UVB / UVA lighting. I don't know if he is hibernating or just in coma now. I hope he will wake up tomorrow. Does anyone know what happen? Sadly miss him if he did not wake up.

Apr 19, 2018

So sorry for your loss.
by: Shelly

I am so sorry for your loss. It is always hard to lose a friend.

Keep it slow and steady.
Shelly

Apr 19, 2018

My star of nine years died all of a sudden
by: Omm

My star turtle died all a sudden, I had two stars from last 9 years, both were fully active and lively used to eat a constant diet of mix vegetables. Yesterday evening too my turtles were roaming around our house as usual but today morning I found one of them died. It had a hard shell no health problems in past. Even laid eggs more than 3 to 4 times since last 2 to 3 years. But now I am totally at a loss.

Mar 27, 2018

So sorry for your loss.
by: Shelly

I am so sorry for your loss. A soft shell is a very serious issue for a tortoise. Sadly, 15-20 minutes of sunlight is not anywhere near enough unless the tortoise also has access to proper lighting. If you get another tortoise, pay special attention to lighting. This link is excellent. http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/lighting.html

Keep it slow and steady

Mar 27, 2018

RIP. popli, our star tortoise.
by: Saraswati

We had a star tortoise "popli" from our friend Akshay. She wasn't eating since past 1 month. We kept her in sun for 15 to 20 minutes everyday. Also used to give her bath in shallow water. Initially she wasn't even walking, but later showed some sign of walking a bit. But hasn't been eating at all. Yesterday she suddenly stopped responding. We took her to vet immediately and he said she passed away. She didn't have any sign of running nose, nor any other symptom that we can understand her problem, nor did the vet, except that her shell was soft.

Jan 04, 2018

I found my star turtle dead while bathing tym
by: Anonymous

I just don't know what happened in the morning my turtle was amazing was roming inside the house every where bt when I was giving him a bath I just kept him in side the water for 5mins n the level of water was till turtles leg .... later on I saw him n he was not moving just has closed his eyes tightly ..

Dec 27, 2017

for Unnati
by: Shelly

You bought a tortoise that was already ill. I am so sorry for your loss.

Dec 20, 2017

Sudden death of my tortoise
by: Sachin Yadav

My STAR tortoise was not eating any thing for last 3 days.His one eyes was swell and not opening. Today I find my tortoise both eyes are closed and swelled but later in gets sunked and still there was any movement. I am not sure what happens to my little bro but I m feeling very sad. Please help and let me know the reason.

Nov 24, 2017

Ketut
by: Unnati

I just got a male star totoise, i think he was sick. The shopkeeper gave me a sick tortoise. However it was first time, i bought it. He didn't eat for first day. I thought he was weak so i decided to wait for a day but the next morning i found him deep inside shell, with no movements. Did he die?

Nov 14, 2017

died tortoise
by: gaurav

Actual two tortoise in a tub but 1 died small tortoise elder tortoise is fine but what is the reason died small tortoise.. kindly help me.

Jul 03, 2017

Drug overdose
by: Shelly

I am so sorry about the death of your animal.

It is most unlikely that your pet died from the injections. Unhappily, most tortoises and turtles do not see the vet until they are already extremely ill.

I hope that if you have other pets you will take them to a vet as soon as you think there might be a problem.

Keep it slow and steady.

May 25, 2017

Star Tortoise Died After Injection
by: Anonymous

My Indian star tortoise, Shy Girl, died today. She was 3 years old and only 2.5 inches. She had runny nose for few months and had not been eating. I took her to the vet yesterday and the vet gave her antibiotic injection, calcium injection, and vitamins A and E injection plus de-worming oral medicine. She kept crying all night long. She died this morning. I think it was from drug overdose. I'm so sad. Never taking my pets to the vet again.

May 11, 2017

Sudden Death
by: Anonymous

Today morning, when I saw my baby tortoise, he did not moving, not doing any activity.I could not understand what is happened to him.I keep him in warm water and did what is in my capacity and knowledge but I couldn't understand what happened, I feel guilty and sad, that I did not take care of him, feel very sorry.can anyone tell me a reason?

Apr 20, 2016

My turtle died
by: Honey

I have a star turle (crush) since nov 2014, he is our family member but yesterday he was died .
He left eating food before died n walking . This time is too difficult for us . May god bless him. RIP

Apr 13, 2016

maybe a respiratory infection?
by: jenn

Oh I am sorry maybe he had a respiratory infection.it's a very bad thing for tortoises and turtles to get. If not treated ASAP they usually won't recover. One symptom is nasal discharge. And is very contagious.so sorry. Just my guess from your details.

Jan 13, 2016

So sorry
by: Shelly

Ray
I am very sorry that you lost your friend.

Take comfort in your happy memories.

Keep it slow and steady.

Jan 11, 2016

Passing of Hermanns Tortoise
by: Ray

With great sadness my Hermanns Tortoise born in 2008 passed away within the last few days. We [family] attribute the expiration of the tortoise due the hibernation. She had been our companion since approx October 2010. Kept at home, well looked after, fed and watered, with shelter and heat.

I read other people comments and can only like other feel great sadness at the moment at the expiration of our pet tortoise.

Oct 08, 2015

So sorry
by: Shelly

It is normal to feel guilty where someone close to us dies, and that includes pets. If you took your animal to a vet, however, you did everything you could.

You will feel sad for some time. Please do not feel guilty. You are not guilty.

Keep it slow and steady.

Oct 08, 2015

Star tortoise died
by: rahul

we had Chinu (star tortoise) with us. he was so cute and i use to talk to him and he use to respond also. from last 1 month he didnt went for potty and was not eating much not even he was walking. i took him to 2-3 vet doctors several times but i think they dint understood what the problem was. he passed away 2 days back.we are in grief ....heart broken. i somewhere having a feeling of guilt that i was not able to save him.... I am so sorry dear Chinu....deeply in love with u .. please come back in any form.

Oct 04, 2015

So sorry for your loss
by: Shelly

I am so sorry your pet died.

I cannot say why that happened.

Keep it slow and steady.

Oct 03, 2015

Star tor died within 2 days
by: Anonymous

I got my 5 month old star couple of days back. Initially he was shy to get accustomed with his new home but within few hours he energeticly started exploring every corner of d house right under d bed to d ally. He cheerfully had cucumber, tomato, gord post soaking under d sun for few minitues and went off to sleep under d bed where a stack of grass and shurb was kept for his resting. At night he had few coriander leaves, cucumber and some grourd post which he strolled d room and went off to sleep. In d morning when i checked him he was motionless his head was partially inside his shell with his front legs loosely held which was unusual. Tried to wake him up by touching his hind leg and his mouth, soaked him in warm water left him under d sun for 5 to 7 mins but could not revive him. He did not have running nose nor he had discharged any liquid from his mouth, nor there was a temp fluctuation as mentioned by few people about illness.I'm shattere since TOTO is my first pet of my life. really don't know what happened to him within 7 hours that he died which he did not deserve. Pls can anyone give me some clue or analysis behind his sudden demise.I really need to know

Sep 26, 2015

So sorry for your loss
by: Shelly

It is sad that you lost a good friend. It sounds like you did what you could for an animal who was ill when it arrived at your house.

Keep it slow and steady.

Sep 26, 2015

Sad due to loss of my baby star tortoise
by: Lorraine

I bought an Indian star hatchling in June 2015. It passed away five days ago and had such a short life. I feel so sad. The hatchling named Shelby was having trouble soon after I purchased him. He had an eye that would not open for weeks and his shell was extremely soft even with sun and lots of food. He stopped eating and would not open his eyes. I miss him and feel so bad that I couldn't do more. RIP Shelby.

Sep 15, 2015

So sorry
by: Shelly

This is a sad time for you. I believe the tortoise is dead.

Keep it slow and steady.

Sep 14, 2015

star tortoise
by: Anonymous

indian star tortoise was not eating anything from last 10 days...i tried to feed him by liquid ,,i took him to the vent they dint allow tortoise...and it is not moving lso and is stiff..is he alive or is he dead????

Sep 07, 2015

So sorry
by: Shelly

This is a sad time for you. No one can say for sure what the problem was without seeing your tortoise, and even then, it may not be possible to say what happened.

Keep it slow and steady.

Sep 07, 2015

my family is so sad on death of my star tortoise ( brock) we love you so much brock and we are sorry forany mistakesor uncare of you my brock
by: Anonymous

I am extremely sad that it has died today with his head stuck inside his shell and a drop of nasal discharge on the right nostril. Can you tell me what was wrong with my star?

Sep 07, 2015

So sorry
by: Shelly

I am sorry to hear you have lost your friend.

Keep it slow and steady.

Sep 06, 2015

Indian star tortoise died
by: Anonymous

Even my star tortoise died today !
I'll miss it a lot !

Jul 28, 2015

So sorry
by: Shelly

I am so sorry you lost your friend.

Keep it slow and steady.

Jul 28, 2015

lost my babbu
by: animal lover

Today morning we lost our indian star tortoise she is pregnant bt i dnt knw wt happen to her she lost her appetite nd today morning we found her dead

May 21, 2015

Sudden death
by: Atul pote

I had a pair of star tortoise but the female one had borken jaw for almost a year and was not eating much. today morning 21 may2015 I found it dead. RIP

Jan 12, 2015

Tortoise dead or alive
by: Shelly

I am so sorry you have had this trouble.

If you touch the animal's head or leg and it does not move, it is probably dead.

Keep it slow and steady.

Jan 12, 2015

dead????
by: supu

mt indian star turtle was not eating anythng form last 10 days...i took him to the vent yesterday...he injected my turtle...but from last night he is not moving and is stiff..is he alive or is he dead????

Dec 19, 2014

So sorry
by: Shelly

I am so sorry to hear about your tortoise. It can be very difficult to deal with infections in a tortoise. Wounds that look healed on the outside can still cause problems on the inside.

Remember the good times you had together.

Keep it slow and steady.

Dec 19, 2014

Lost my tortoise
by: Anonymous

Today suddenly my star tortoise died,,3 months before his left back lag was infection I treatmented and it was going on well but today I am sad to see him dead ooh God

Oct 15, 2014

Death of Horsfield
by: mehulsinh

My very own star tortoise died on oct 14 2014
I have no idea how it did but i miss him

May 08, 2014

So sorry
by: Shelly

Lesie.

I am very sorry to hear about your tortoise. It is sad to lose a friend.

Keep it slow and steady.
Shelly

May 07, 2014

Star tortoise 'pickles'
by: Lesie

Pickles,my female Indian Star tortoise died this morning after having her for 10 years. I feel very very sad and missed her a lot. She weighs 1.2 kg . Something fell on her shell n had a crack last week, since then she hasn't been well , and about 1 am this morning she died. I felt so lousy and bad that I hasn't took care of her well enough.
I missed her so so much..,
Now left only Spot , her other partner the last 10 years , i wonder whethet Spot knew what had happened to Pickles,,.

Nov 19, 2013

So sorry
by: Shelly

I am so sorry to read about your loss.

Keep it slow and steady.

Nov 10, 2013

Death of Horsfield
by: Anonymous

Our tortoise died last week. He had an obstruction in his intestine and was being operated on when the vet rang to say he would not survive. I have cried and cried since I will miss him forever.

Sep 25, 2013

My tyro
by: Khushi

My very own star tortoise died on sep1,2013.
I have no idea how it did but i miss him

May 01, 2013

So sorry
by: Shelly

I am so sorry that your tortoise died.

You are correct that all tortoises need direct sunlight or artificial full spectrum light.

Keep it slow and steady.

Apr 25, 2013

same situation
by: Anonymous

my star tortoise died a few years back, its been living for 20+ years with us. we actually sent it to a vet it says it had lung cancer..they injected two injection, the next morning my tortoise died, it died so terribly, bloated, four legs open wide.. what i know is that they really need alot sunlight, my tortoise always stays to the area where sunlights are and hide under corner when sleeping.

Nov 07, 2011

STAR TURTLE
by: Anonymous

my turtle also died in sleep.it was just a baby.poor pet had a runny nose and his mouth was leaking with water.i cried a lot.it was such a innocent and cute baby.i feel extremely sad about it :(:(

Oct 24, 2011

Same thing happend with my star
by: Anonymous

I had just brought it and it problably died in its sleep. I felt very sad after dat it was a small baby.Never gng 2 play with life again.

Jun 10, 2011

So sorry
by: Anonymous

I'm so sorry your tortoise died. I can't say why. I don't know if anyone can without actually seeing the situation.

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