Page 8 - winter 2020

8 Friends oF red rock canyon

Article and Photos by Chelsea Conlin

here’s never a dull moment in the Tortoise with a fecal exam. All the results were perfectly
T Habitat and summer is always a busy time. normal, so back we went to the vet on July 2.
This past year I held five Tortoise Habitat moni- This time Libby got some subcutaneous (under
tor training classes, one each month from April to the skin) fluids because we were a little worried
August. Many newly trained volunteers jumped she might be dehydrated. The vet also took a
right in to help with feeding and soaking the torts. urine sample to look for anything unusual, and
Of course, the long-time volunteers were wonder- we put Libby on a course of antibiotics in case
ful, answering questions and showing our new- she had an infection that might be causing the
bies the ropes. The Rock Stars are lucky to have abnormal drinking and urinating.
such dedicated caretakers.
The antibiotics seemed to work right away, as
Due to the incredible amount of rain we had the very next day Libby had her appetite back.
over the winter and spring, the enclosures were Over the next few weeks she began to drink and
starting to get overrun by an invasive grass called urinate less. However, by September her prob-
Red lems returned. I consulted with the BLM Wild-
Brome. life Biologist and the vet and we decided that
It’s not a it wouldn’t be safe for Libby to brumate if she
Volunteers dedicated to the preservation of Red Rock Canyon
healthy wasn’t 100% healthy.
plant for Brumation can be hard
tortoises on tortoises if they are
to eat, ill - they sometimes don’t
and the make it through the win-
sharp ter. With BLM approval,
ends we planned for Libby to
can even get lodged in their mouths or throats. spend the winter inside
And so the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) my house and to have
organized a weed-pulling day on May 29. The exploratory surgery for a
Red Brome didn’t stand a chance! You can see an kidney biopsy. I brought
example of this small, noxious weed in the photo her home to stay with me on October 4, where I
behind Hugo. set her up with a UVA/UVB/basking lamp and
plenty of room to roam in my spare bedroom.
Mojave Desert Tortoises store water in their
bladders and can go a whole year between drinks On October 11 Libby went in for surgery. The
if necessary. That’s why volunteers found vet was able to get a kidney biopsy and
it so unusual when one of our girls, was very surprised by the large amount
Libby, began drinking and urinating large of free fluid in Libby’s body cavity. This
amounts every day. We also noticed that isn’t normal, so it may have been related
she was barely eating, so I brought her to the increased thirst and urination.
to the vet on June 25 for a check-up. She While we waited for the results of the
had blood work and x-rays done along kidney biopsy and bacterial cultures from

the Rock - Volume 10 Issue 2