Red foot isn’t acting right

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I have seen such tiny little bugs a couple of times too but they should not be an issue. You can look for similar posts on the forum. One member reported that the bugs were gone after applying coconut oil to the shell.

Yeah I guess I just thought it was odd seeing them for the first time and her being sick, I’ll mention it to the vet but I don’t think they’re anything too concerning either from what I’ve looked at so far, probably a coincidence.. we happen to have some coconut oil so might give that a go, when it comes to her next deep clean maybe we should freeze the substrate first

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Yeah I guess I just thought it was odd seeing them for the first time and her being sick, I’ll mention it to the vet but I don’t think they’re anything too concerning either from what I’ve looked at so far, probably a coincidence.. we happen to have some coconut oil so might give that a go, when it comes to her next deep clean maybe we should freeze the substrate first

There’s the odd post that mentions the possibility of them being some sort of mite, I hope that isn’t the case cause I don’t want them bothering her😕most are saying harmless, either way don’t really like to think they’re crawling on her face at night, that might be annoying her😣

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Yeah I guess I just thought it was odd seeing them for the first time and her being sick, I’ll mention it to the vet but I don’t think they’re anything too concerning either from what I’ve looked at so far, probably a coincidence.. we happen to have some coconut oil so might give that a go, when it comes to her next deep clean maybe we should freeze the substrate first

There are some black springtails that are completely harmless, I hope that it is the case. But heating the substrate up is much better way to get rid of any bugs than freezing. I have successfully used heat sterilization on logs I have collected from the nature, here is an example article: https://joshsfrogs.com/blog/how-to-sanitize-vivarium-decor

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

There are some black springtails that are completely harmless, I hope that it is the case. But heating the substrate up is much better way to get rid of any bugs than freezing. I have successfully used heat sterilization on logs I have collected from the nature, here is an example article: https://joshsfrogs.com/blog/how-to-sanitize-vivarium-decor

The guys I saw are white and definitely not springtails😕ah ok we’ll pre plan next time and bake it

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

The guys I saw are white and definitely not springtails😕ah ok we’ll pre plan next time and bake it

These can be mites (if they looks like spiders - have more than 6 legs). But not all of them bite and drink blood.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

These can be mites (if they looks like spiders - have more than 6 legs). But not all of them bite and drink blood.

Mmm ok, I’ll try and get a closer look at them and see what the vet thinks tomorrow😕

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

You could maybe ask your vet it you could try to catch some or bring some soil with them in it to the vet to look under a microscope. At least my dogs mites were identified this way, maybe a reptile vet can identify mites that could cause trouble to tortoises

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

You could maybe ask your vet it you could try to catch some or bring some soil with them in it to the vet to look under a microscope. At least my dogs mites were identified this way, maybe a reptile vet can identify mites that could cause trouble to tortoises

Yeah might be worth a shot.. I’m not sure how successful this vet visit is going to be tbh, the fam are telling me we can’t make multiple trips there because of the expensive and stress to squirt, so unless they can run a test that give us results tomorrow like an xray or scan to be able to diagnose and give treatment, this is just going to be a general check and given some advice, which won’t be all that helpful if there is something underlying but idk what else I can personally do, if I was in the position myself she’d have the works but I’m limited in what I can get my family to do. I certainly don’t want them injecting her with antibiotics without even knowing what’s going on, I just don’t know if they’ll afford the tests needed😣the expensive of exotic vet care was never considered when they got squirt, it’s very frustrating

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I certainly don’t want them injecting her with antibiotics without even knowing what’s going on, I just don’t know if they’ll afford the tests needed😣the expensive of exotic vet care was never considered when they got squirt, it’s very frustrating

Or worse vitamins... Yeah finding the right vet is always hard with tortoises, but you are in a especially hard situation.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Or worse vitamins... Yeah finding the right vet is always hard with tortoises, but you are in an especially hard situation.

Yeah exactly, I’m standing firm that they aren’t giving her a vitamin injection, they can fight me on it if they want but it’s not happening on my watch.. ultimately I won’t have the finale say on anything so this is going to indeed be difficult😔
Ultimately I can keep doing my best for her in her home and hope that she recovers but I’m powerless to do much else right now😞

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I’ve got a sterile container for a stool sample so that’s something, it’s a proper one from hospital that’s never been used. I’m sure they’ll let her have a test or two to at least try and find out the cause, but I do think ultimately I need to keep up with the home remedies for the most part😕.
Shes doing better than she was I think so I can only hope she’ll continue to improve and not go downhill
I’ll be sure to let you know how it all goes tomorrow, I’ve got her travel box all set up, it has a spare bit of pond liner in the bottom, with a soft towel on top of that, then on top of the towel a few puppy pads, I’ve put the hot water bottle in and set a timer for how long out journey is so I can temp gun it just to get a rough idea of how warm it gets before we travel👍🏻

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Oh also I read she might get a bit dehydrated after a car journey from pooping etc, is it worth offering her some watermelon or something whilst we travel? Or would it be better for her stomach to be empty for an examination? I could try her with some on the way back?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Oh also I read she might get a bit dehydrated after a car journey from pooping etc, is it worth offering her some watermelon or something whilst we travel? Or would it be better for her stomach to be empty for an examination? I could try her with some on the way back?

I would just do soak before and after the travel. It's only one hour long.
Her gut won't be empty for several days, so you can just feed it a little (keep the routine).

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I would just do soak before and after the travel. It's only one hour long.
Her gut won't be empty for several days, so you can just feed it a little (keep the routine).

Ok thank you, I’m worried if we do a soak before hand she won’t give me a sample to take in, plus I’m not sure we have time for a soak beforehand now😣

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Well guys, I’m SO glad to be able to give you all a positive update today!
The vet we saw was everything I could’ve hoped for in a tortoise vet! I gave her squirts stool sample, said they’ll give it a test and said they’ll worm her if needed(not using Ivermectin! Which I was paranoid about) she reassured me she’d never give a tortoise any kind of vitamin injections which was a huge green flag! And said she’d never use baytril without me even having to mention that one😁
She listened to squirts breathing and was happy with it, said she’s a healthy weight, I gave every possible detail of her symptoms and behaviour, all her levels and took a list of all her foods, photos of the set up etc, she was very impressed, said all temps sound spot on, agreed she doesn’t need a night drop which was another green flag, said her diet is wonderful and all in all thinks squirt appears in good health!
She was very transparent in that, if she were to worsen, that further investigation will be needed like bloods and a xray, but felt there was no need to stress her with invasive tests today, I told her she seems to have improved in that the eye bubbles have gone and that her appetite hasn’t wavered, which she was very happy about.
Ultimately she said she prefers to air on the side of not medicating a tortoise unless absolutely necessary and only after tests have been run, which today she felt squirt simply doesn’t need at this stage.
I mentioned the diarrhoea and she wasn’t overly concerned about it, said it’s possibly because squirt doesn’t move all too much but also explained that red foots do tend to have slightly runny poop sometimes as they tend to urinate and the same time. She told me not to worry too much about squirt hiding most the time as she’s likely still adjusting to the space, but that either way red foots can be a little less active than others types of torts during the afternoons, which I knew but again was nice to hear.

She gave me a really good feeling regarding her treatments of tortoise, really calmed my nerves, and I’m so happy knowing we now have her registered there in the event of an emergency.

We just need to keep monitoring and making sure none of her symptoms get worse, she has a theory that because the new viv is holding the humidity a lot higher for much longer, that it’s potentially just been a little too much for her in that regard, it’s still in the 90’s now without any spray so we’ll be letting that comfortably go down slightly. She thinks she may have had a slight RI at some point, but that today she didn’t seem to be presenting with one, at least not a bad one by any stretch👍🏻

I’m SO relieved and feeling so happy for her! It was wonderful getting the reassurance that everything within the viv and our husbandry is spot on! She said I’m one of the best clients she’s ever had which made me feel great🥰

Here’s the first photo of squirt giving me the stink eye.. then finally settling for a little nap in the car🥹I kept trying to get the puppy pad to cover the fluff on the water bottle cover but she kept pulling it down, found it snuggly I think😂

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Squirts eyes have appeared a little less runny both yesterday and today! She’s still in her hide a lot but is continuing to eat like the little champ she is❤️I honestly wonder whether because she was in a small viv for so long and not used to walking much, whether she’s currently on the lazier side🥲perhaps it’ll just take longer than I thought for her to start moving more.
I won’t be seeing her for about 3 weeks now, but she’ll have a close eye kept on her, I’ll start getting some live plants in there on my next visit, hopefully that’ll make things a bit more interesting for her and get her out a little more🥰

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Quick query if anyone can chime in, I’ve noticed both combometers are giving the exact same reading of 96 humidity, we no longer have to give small top up sprays in the viv it seems, the substrate seems moist underneath, but I guess it just feels so odd not having to give her a top up spray as well as a pour anymore🥲the bark is very dry on top and I don’t want it getting too dusty in there, but at the same time I don’t want to boost the humidity right now😂Im convinced that’s what may of caused her slight RI, they were doing top up sprays daily for the first few weeks cause that’s what we’ve been so used to, the old viv couldn’t hold humidity properly.
I think it’s better to go with what the combos say? I think one good pour as and when needed seems to be doing the job. There’s still condensate on the glass each day, but no where near as much when the substrate was fresh. I guess I’m just wondering if anyone else here still gives a small spritz every few days? Or just stick to reading the combo’s, if it’s dropping give it a pour? Maybe scrap sprays altogether?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Quick query if anyone can chime in, I’ve noticed both combometers are giving the exact same reading of 96 humidity, we no longer have to give small top up sprays in the viv it seems, the substrate seems moist underneath, but I guess it just feels so odd not having to give her a top up spray as well as a pour anymore🥲the bark is very dry on top and I don’t want it getting too dusty in there, but at the same time I don’t want to boost the humidity right now😂Im convinced that’s what may of caused her slight RI, they were doing top up sprays daily for the first few weeks cause that’s what we’ve been so used to, the old viv couldn’t hold humidity properly.
I think it’s better to go with what the combos say? I think one good pour as and when needed seems to be doing the job. There’s still condensate on the glass each day, but no where near as much when the substrate was fresh. I guess I’m just wondering if anyone else here still gives a small spritz every few days? Or just stick to reading the combo’s, if it’s dropping give it a pour? Maybe scrap sprays altogether?

Don't spray the substrate. I see no benefits. Regular soaks, high humidity environment and a water dish for taking baths when she wants - it's enough hydration.

You may do a substrate "turn over" from time to time to keep it from becoming dusty. Also it gives a humidity boost without adding more water.

One thing you may try - fill her water dish in the morning with a warm water (like for soaking). She will enjoy it You may place her into the dish a couple of times - she should quickly get an idea.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Don't spray the substrate. I see no benefits. Regular soaks, high humidity environment and a water dish for taking baths when she wants - it's enough hydration.

You may do a substrate "turn over" from time to time to keep it from becoming dusty. Also it gives a humidity boost without adding more water.

One thing you may try - fill her water dish in the morning with a warm water (like for soaking). She will enjoy it You may place her into the dish a couple of times - she should quickly get an idea.

Yeah I agree tbh, the only benefit it had was topping up an environment that couldn’t hold the humidity anymore, but that’s no longer an issue😁did a bit of a turn over just, definitely helps😊
Aw yeah that sounds nice for her, she has a lovely large terracotta dish now🥰