Online appeal enables man to get treatment for pet tortoise with swollen penis

A fundraising effort to raise £200 for treatment for a tortoise in need of an operation on his swollen penis reached its target in less than 24 hours. Four-year-old Cedric, a spur thighed tortoise, is suffering from a prolapse of the cloaca which requires immediate treatment. Miles Jelfs was not aware of the painful problem when he adopted the tortoise on Wednesday. He was told the operation will cost at least £146 - plus any further check ups and medicines.

Mr Jelfs, from Bristol said: "Immediately after taking him in it became clear the poor guy has suffered a prolapse of the colaca - basically his willy - that requires immediate treatment. This will involve either an amputation of the prolapsed area or re-insertion and stitching." Mr Jelfs added: "Unfortunately I am not able to front the cost for this treatment alone and as this is my first pet - that I have owned for less than 24 hours!



"I have no pet insurance in place, neither am I eligible for RSPCA or PDSA funding." He added that besides the obvious issue poor Cedric was facing, the tortoise appeared to be in very good health: It would be a shame to see him suffer as a result of this, when at just four years old, he could be looking at another 90+ years of life, provided he can get the right treatment. Please help me get this awesome little guy the treatment he needs. Any donations no matter how small will be greatly appreciated."

Cloacal Organ Prolapse is a fairly common condition in tortoises and can result from trauma from mating injuries or other males. It can also be caused by excessive libido where randy males excessively and repeatedly protrude their copulatory organ causing it to become extremely engorged and difficult to retract.