De-sexing Surgery
We do not normally recommend routine de-sexing for tortoises, but we do often recommend it when there has been a problem diagnosed with a tortoise’s ovaries or uterus.
Tortoises can develop a medical problem known as ‘ovarian stasis’. In this condition the ovary develops large follicles which resemble the yolks of eggs, but does not then develop these into eggs or pass them. With this condition this yolk material can sit in the body cavity for many years, and often leaks and causes inflammation of the body cavity (peritonitis) which can make your tortoise very sick. If ovarian stasis is identified your vet will recommend surgical removal of these abnormal ovaries.
In Hong Kong most female tortoises in captivity don’t regularly pass eggs, but if yours does and starts laying eggs at abnormal times, lays unusual numbers of eggs, or stops laying eggs it is possible your tortoise may have ovarian stasis or may have eggs stuck in their uterus.
Often the only sign shown when your tortoise has these problems is a lack of appetite!
To diagnose these problems our veterinarians will need to perform blood tests, to see if there are problems in any of the other body organs, perform x-rays (to see if there are any eggs with shells in the uterus) and perform an ultrasound examination to identify any large follicles on the ovaries.
If de-sexing surgery is needed to correct your tortoise’s problem our vet will perform the surgery assisted with an endoscope. An endoscope is a very small camera and light source which helps our vets perform surgery through small holes.
In these de-sexing cases our vet will make an incision into the tortoise’s body cavity through the skin in front of her hind leg and then use the endoscope to examine her body cavity, ovaries and uterus. Occasionally the shell may need to be opened up for access. Depending on her exact problem our vet will then remove the ovaries and follicles or operate on her uterus. During the surgery our vets will also normally insert a feeding tube into your tortoise to ensure she can be provided with the correct nutrition to aid her recovery.
Most tortoises do recover quite quickly after this surgery and within a few weeks are back to normal.
If you are worried please schedule a consultation with your vet.