russian tortise

Question
hi i have a Russian tortoise I'm not sure how old it is, the shell is about 6 inches from front to back. i recently moved into a much smaller apartment and have not been able to take him out of the pen. yesterday i noticed he was not using his back legs to walk with. He is just dragging them along. if i touch them hell move them but he wont use them to walk. he usually eats lettuce, carrots, cucumber,apples, orsometimes bananas but i noticed hes not eating as much. Is this a serious problem or is it because he hasn't been exercised much?

Answer
Dragging back legs is often a serious problem with their nerves- often due to a shortage of certain vitamins and nutrients. I notice your diet is very 'wet' and sugary rather than the drier and more fibrous foods they need.

You can try the vet, but I also know of many instances where tortoises like this have been rescued and rehabbed by some 'tough love'. The site http://www.russiantortoise.org has great care information that works nicely when followed. http://www.tortoisetrust.org has good stuff as well.

Give their instructions a try for a couple weeks and see if you see an improvement. If not, you should see a vet.

You can try http://www.tortoiseforum.org to chat with other keepers and try for some second opinions.

Good luck!