question about health of my tortoise

Question
he has been very inactive the last week, his eyes are closed and i can't stimulate him to open them, he rest with his neck out and i think he has some edema (dependent) to his neck, as well maybe to his eyelids that remain closed, he has not eaten the romaine lettuce within the last week and even soaking him, he does nothing.  He does move his head in and move his legs when stimulated.  Could he be sick?

Answer
Hi Laura,

Lack of appetite and lethargy can be caused by being kept too warm or too cool, dehydration, or parasites, but what you're describing is a tortoise that has been in poor health for some time and is now very sick.  Your tortoise is in serious trouble, and you need to take him to a reptile vet as soon as possible.  This really isn't something that you can treat yourself, because it's difficult to say what's causing his problem.  I can help you correct any inadequate conditions in how you're keeping him, if you can post back with his species and exactly how you have him set up now (enclosure type and size, substrate, brand of basking/UVB bulb, complete diet, etc.), but what he needs most at this point is vet treatment.  To locate a vet in your area, you can try http://www.arav.org/ECOMARAV/timssnet/amm/tnt_mdsearch.cfm.