# redfoot baby dying :(



## deer_tribe_gold (Apr 3, 2013)

Sadly I got my baby redfoot a couple of months ago and definitely receieved him sick. he had a respiratory infection twice and worms. he SEEMED to be recovering and all of a sudden i woke up this morning to find him breathing through his mouth and bubbles coming out of his nose. hes also scratching his eyes and jerking his head strangely. im not sure what to do. i spent all of my cash with the three or four vet bills already and it has not even been four months. any thoughts on whether i should give him away? it sucks because im attached to him, i just cant keep going to the vet and spending hundreds of dollars only to find a new ailment.


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## wellington (Apr 3, 2013)

I'm so sorry to hear this for you. However, you can't sit by and just let him die. I understand the money thing, but it is your responsibility to do something for him. Talk to the vet about the cost and that he never recovered, maybe he will cut you a deal. See if you can find a tortoise/reptile in your area that will take him and help him, or that may help you with the bills. Maybe ask the vet for medication, without bringing him back in. Sounds like the same thing the vet already treated him for. In the mean time, keep him warm. Do warm purÃ©ed carrot baby food soaks, try one or all of the suggestions listed in the next paragraph below.
Electrolytic Solutions and Other Additives.
Dehydrated tortoises and people benefit from taking in electrolytes that were lost while becoming dehydrated. Electrolytic solutions, like Pediolyte or even Gatoraid, may taste salty to a healthy animal, but are delicious to a dehydrated one.

While Pediolyte and Gatoraid work, you can make a cheap, effective solution based on a formula from the World Health Organization.
1 part table salt (sodium chloride NaCL, and iodine, I)
1 part salt substitute (potassium chloride, KCl)
(Note: the two above ingredients are combined already in products like Morton Salt Lite, so you can use 2 parts of this instead.)
1 part baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO2)
12 parts sugar (sucrose, C12H22O11)
(Note: feel free to reduce the amount of sugar, or to substitute pureed fruits or vegetables, etc. instead. If you do change the amount of sugar, you need to change the amounts of mix used below. Halving the amount of mix will usually be close enough.)
If kept dry, this mix will last almost forever. 

To use: Mix as shown below for a standard dilution. Make it half-strength by doubling the water or halving the mix.
1 Gallon of water- a little less than 2/3rds cups of mix
1 Liter or Quart of water- 2 1/2 tablespoons of mix
1 Cup of water- 1 heaping teaspoon of mix (1.133 teaspoons)
You can add other things to the soak water as well-
Liquid vitamins and/or minerals.
Calcium is good, but powdered calcium is hard to dissolve in water. Try dissolving it into boiling water for better results.
Pureed fruits or vegetables can add flavors, sugars and vitamins. Orange vegetables are especially helpful in adding vitamin A. Baby foods are a good choice, especially those made only from real foods.
It is still debated as to what exactly can be absorbed, but even if the nutrients above are not absorbed, the tortoise often drinks during soaks and gets it that way at least.
Good luck, I hope you can do something or find someone to help.


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## Jd3 (Apr 3, 2013)

Perhaps you should give us a run down on your care for this guy. Enclosure, lights, temps, humidity, diet.


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## kimber_lee_314 (Apr 3, 2013)

Where are you located? Maybe someone near you can help?


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## deer_tribe_gold (Apr 3, 2013)

Im in New Jersey and here buying and/ or selling tortoises and turtles is illegal. However, you can buy them from another state. Therefore, no one here is able to really give him the care I believe he deserves. Its so sad because from day 1 he's been sick. Temps are fine 90 on the hot side, 70 on the cool side. Humidity was a bit high so i just layed down a towel to absorb some of the water. He's never had much of an appetite either. It's so sad. But he does drink water!


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## Jd3 (Apr 3, 2013)

Enclosure? Lights? What are you offering for food. 

It seems your asking permission here to let him die. I wouldn't expect that. What treatments did you do in the past?  When?


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## kimber_lee_314 (Apr 3, 2013)

I wish you were closer so I could help. Maybe try contacting a turtle/tortoise rescue? My vet will allow people to "donate" their animals to her if they can't afford to care for them. Maybe there are some reptile vets nearby that would be willing to help you with this. I know it would be sad to give her up, but you could be saving her life. Good luck!!!


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## deer_tribe_gold (Apr 3, 2013)

I am certainly NOT asking for permission to let him die. I have done everything in my power to help him and it seems to not be working. I am solely asking if there are any tips that I can do at home besides the constant Baytril he keeps getting perscribed. I dont want him to take the medicine continuously and die from that....


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## Jd3 (Apr 3, 2013)

So please answer the questions asked. What is the enclosure like? Lights? Diet? Have a pic of the turtle and enclosure? 

Something is obviously not right so lets go over it all to see if anything can be improved. Looking for local rescue groups sounds like a reasonable idea too.


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## kimber_lee_314 (Apr 3, 2013)

deer_tribe_gold said:


> I am certainly NOT asking for permission to let him die. I have done everything in my power to help him and it seems to not be working. I am solely asking if there are any tips that I can do at home besides the constant Baytril he keeps getting perscribed. I dont want him to take the medicine continuously and die from that....



I'm sorry - I didn't mean to imply that. We really want to help you pull your little one through. There are other meds you can try. When Baytril isn't working, I use Cipro or Doxy (they are oral meds though - not sure if your baby is big enough for that.) There are also nose drops (I use Genticin) that sometimes help.


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## Steve_McQueen (Apr 3, 2013)

Did you act on the advice given to you in your previous threads? There shouldn't be a "cold" side, and 70Â° with any kind of humidity will give the hatchling a respiratory infection. Bring the ambient temperature up to 80-82 throughout the day and night, and see if that helps. Give it warm soaks with Gerber strained carrot baby food.


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## Jd3 (Apr 3, 2013)

kimber_lee_314 said:


> deer_tribe_gold said:
> 
> 
> > I am certainly NOT asking for permission to let him die. I have done everything in my power to help him and it seems to not be working. I am solely asking if there are any tips that I can do at home besides the constant Baytril he keeps getting perscribed. I dont want him to take the medicine continuously and die from that....
> ...



It wasn't you that implied that. It was me, and I'm sorry for wording it that way. 

My point is the same though, you can't just concede that he's dying. It appears you need to try new things.


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## Minority1 (Apr 3, 2013)

I agree with kimber and jd3, some pictures and more explanations could help with a forum full of tortoise lovers. 

Local tortoise shelters/rescue groups are the second best option.


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## BeeBee*BeeLeaves (Apr 3, 2013)

Boost those temperatures up as already stated. I think I have read that even up to 90 if need be when sick. The 70 cold side may have been just that, too cold. Baby food soaks, do a TFO search for more info about that ... warm and cozy and under the basking area are the bomb for getting some nutrition going in and helping. Helped mine big time. Don't give up. Could be as simple as more warmth ... keep baby hot-humid-hydrated. Pulling for ya and your little one!


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## ascott (Apr 3, 2013)

Hi Honey....I went and read your prior posts to make sure I am up to date 

I would say that in the first pic you have on the forum I can see an underweight tort with eyes that are not so wide eyed and bright....now, with that being said....I also see that this baby has been put through way too much stress, especially for his age...NOW...that is not a knock at you at all...sounds as though you too are feeling overwhelmed and too much stress as well....so i would take a breath and simply access the current situation and not focus on the past...deal with the here and now, okay.

I would first off turn off the bright light that is providing uv rays and replace it with a heat source that does not put off ANY light whatsoever. I would either use a powerful enough che or a night heat light (black heat bulb or red nigh heat bulb) Your tort needs a break and since you had the coil style bulb before he likely injured little eye balls--ouch...you know what I mean? no bright lights for at least a few weeks...

I would decrease the size of his enclosure to about half---slide something down the middle and literally half the size of the enclosure...this will give you a more manageable space to control the warmth and create a snug fit for the little one....I would use some plants in the enclosure to offer a huge huge hiding canopy for your baby....even if you use artificial silk plants (which work really well).

I would use only peat moss for the substrate, no sand, none of that hairy long fiber stuff...just the finely processed soil type peat moss....

I would leave a very shallow lid for him to drink water from but not so big that while his eyesight is off he stumbles into and drowns....

Now, this species is really a humidity lover---but right now this is going to be a delicate balance for you to offer....too much right now is not good and too little is also not good....so I would, for now, offer a warm humid hide always...and for the majority of the remaining space i would not keep it so wet...but lightly moist to assure it is not too dusty....maybe a spraying of warm water a couple times a day on the over all substrate would be acceptable, again, just for now while he is healing up...a little dryer than what he will have once he is better...

Place his enclosure in a place of your home that does not have a draft, that does not have alot of foot traffic, a place that is nice and quiet and little to no distractions....

I would suggest that you keep the temps at 85 degrees, a warm humid hide available, a drinking water dish...thick plant canopy so your baby can completely hide himself and feel some sense of security and to try to de stress some....

I would do your soaks daily in warm water, I would do a soak a few times a day and for at least 20 minutes and make sure the water remains warm the entire time...

I would not force feed him--this is so invasive and painful especially for such a small creature....offer him calmness, comfort and a warm, not bright place, to take a moment to himself....

Now, please understand---you may do all of these things, you may do them all and still have an undesirable outcome....BUUUUUT, you may also do all of these things and have a tort recover entirely....my motto is to never give up....never stop...try to offer your will to your baby until he can get his back up in strength....a baby is a baby, remember all the world is new and this can be overwhelming for a creature who is designed to come into this world and instantly hide itself---to constantly be out of sight so it can have a small chance of survival and not to be eaten up....

I hope your little one comes out and recovers 150% and I hope you take a deep breath and focus at the task at hand.... You can two can do it...


one other thing....you said that the vet gave the baby an injection...what was in that injection? Was it a vitamin a shot? was it a calcium shot? was it an antibiotic shot?


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## Steve_McQueen (Apr 6, 2013)

Any update on this?


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## Madkins007 (Apr 6, 2013)

Ascott/Angela has given you some good advice. If your vet cannot offer any concrete help, you should definitely try a basic nursing routine, like https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/health-and-medical/basic-nursing-care. 

Baby tortoises are often a challenge. Some are just not in great health to begin with, others can get ill early on and be very difficult to treat. I am glad you are fighting and hope things turn out well.


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## AZtortMom (Apr 6, 2013)

How's he doing?


Life is good


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## lkwagner (Apr 6, 2013)

I would use a 10g hospital tank and decrease the humidity and boost the temps. Mine went through the same stuff but I cured his uri that he had when i got him doing this.


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## BeeBee*BeeLeaves (Apr 6, 2013)

Me, too. Been wondering. Good thoughts that the changes helped!


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## sibi (Apr 6, 2013)

What part of New Jersey do you live in? If you were given the tortoise, there's nothing illegal about that. Having said that, there might be a reptile vet in neighboring New York or Connecticut. Can you get the tort to one of the specialists? If money is an issue, than you should have calculated the cost before you brought your tort home.
For now, maybe you can get someone in Jersey that's a member here to help you out. Post a thread for help from Jersey members here. I hope you can get a quick response before he dies. In the meantime, do all the soaks mentioned above. Keep him warm, and talk to the vet who treated him before to give you more antibiotics now! I would ask you to ship him to me where i can get him to a specialist, but I'm afraid he may not survive the trip to Florida.

quote='deer_tribe_gold' pid='646575' dateline='1365044680']
Im in New Jersey and here buying and/ or selling tortoises and turtles is illegal. However, you can buy them from another state. Therefore, no one here is able to really give him the care I believe he deserves. Its so sad because from day 1 he's been sick. Temps are fine 90 on the hot side, 70 on the cool side. Humidity was a bit high so i just layed down a towel to absorb some of the water. He's never had much of an appetite either. It's so sad. But he does drink water!
[/quote]


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## WinterRose (Apr 6, 2013)

This just breaks my heart.., please let us know how he's doing.


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## tortoise007 (Apr 6, 2013)

I've read a few posts like this one where someone has a baby that is not doing so well. Lots of people tell them to increase temps and give them warm soaks/baby food soaks. One of two things happens: 1, they do what the people say and the baby recovers. 2, they don't do what the people say, they leave everything the way it is and all they do is hope that the baby recovers. While hope is a fantastic thing, the babies in scenario 2 usually die...  I'm not saying that you are not taking advice, so don't take this the wrong way, but please keep us posted, increase temps, give the little one warm soaks and lots of places to feel cozy, and every thing will probably turn out OK.


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## AZtortMom (Apr 6, 2013)

I always feel so bad for the little ones, they are so helpless 


Life is good


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## pspryu101 (Apr 6, 2013)

I wonder how's he's doing? he hasn't replied back to anyone yet  things like these scares me for my torts but at the same time it pushes me to work harder and take all advice and keep learning from everyone here on the forum to improve care for my babies to grow healthy


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## BeeBee*BeeLeaves (Apr 6, 2013)

This forum is a gem of a find because of the wealth of information and the experienced keepers so willing to give help. I really do hope this little baby is doing better and that his keeper is just busy. Hot Humid Hydrated worked for me when I needed it badly and did not know any better and manna from heaven found this forum. Fingers crossed it helped here also.


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## luvpetz27 (Apr 7, 2013)

Please let us know how he is doing!!!! All these caring people took time to help you and really are wondering how he is.


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## tortoise007 (Apr 7, 2013)

What's the little guy's name? Any pics? Is he doing OK? I think we would all like an update.


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## tortoise007 (Apr 8, 2013)

any update yet?


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## pspryu101 (Apr 8, 2013)

tortoise007 said:


> any update yet?



I guess not


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## tortoise007 (Apr 9, 2013)

pspryu101 said:


> tortoise007 said:
> 
> 
> > any update yet?
> ...



Do you think the little is all right?


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