Red foot tortoise baby, shell rot, liquid poop

Klaus’s reptiles

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Hello everyone,
I got my cherry head red foot tortoise at reptile show two weeks ago, he/she was individually put in the plastic box like other animals.

The tank is 10 gallon Zoo Med reptile tank, I put the basking area within 95-100F, very flat water bowl at center of the tank, 12 hours UVB and one hide, I spray the water everyday to maintain moist between 60-80% I feed he/she every day once after noon green and pellets(He/she doesn't like that) Most time are just greens. The first poop I saw was when he/she is soak, is a light color poop, did not dispersion in the water.

He/she is not active first few days, I thought he/she just need little bit more time to fit in the new home. After a week he/she still showing lazy, he/she sleep all day after the soak and eat, does not like some tortoise bask himself or walk around. He/she just find a dark corner and begin sleep.
Today is the fifteenth day, yesterday I found out he/she got shell rot and I start realize he/she poop very liquid and moisture.

I really need some help, I felt my tortoise is not feel good at all. I'm living LA city, if there is any reliable reptile vet I can go to, I would go. I only give he/she some Povidone iodine at where he/she shell rot, I felt is killing the bacterial, but I do not know. Is there anything else I can do to help my tortoise get better? Or any suggestion for the tank sitting and care, anything would help! Right he/she is sleep after the soak, eating, and Povidone iodine. Please help me out !!

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ZEROPILOT

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The shell fungus is mild.
Don't worry about that. Fungus that simple isn't affecting his health. Just place some ATHLETES FOOT CREAM on the spots.
The temperature is too hot. About over 10 degrees to hot.
What are you using for heat?
Why are you just feeding greens? Redfoot can eat and need to eat a giant assortment of different foods.
You also need a larger enclosure. One with a closed top to hold in humidity.
Are you soaking him at all?
I think he is dehydrated. Overheated and suffering from a bad diet.
He could also be stressed from lights being too bright.
They hate bright lights. They hate HOT.
A baby Redfoot that hides a lot is normal. They also eat a lot. Yours is not.
Get the enclosure down at least 10 degrees and give him some fruit to jumpstart his eating.
Soak him in warm water and get on our Redfoot care sheets and read about what you can feed him.
Redfoot can eat hundreds of foods.
Certainly there are dozens of food options for you locally.
 
Last edited:

Yvonne G

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Klaus’s reptiles

New Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2019
Messages
27
Location (City and/or State)
California
The shell fungus is mild.
Don't worry about that. Fungus that simple isn't affecting his health. Just place some ATHLETES FOOT CREAM on the spots.
The temperature is too hot. About over 10 degrees to hot.
What are you using for heat?
Why are you just feeding greens? Redfoot can eat and need to eat a giant assortment of different foods.
You also need a larger enclosure. One with a closed top to hold in humidity.
Are you soaking him at all?
I think he is dehydrated. Overheated and suffering from a bad diet.
He could also be stressed from lights being too bright.
They hate bright lights. They hate HOT.
A baby Redfoot that hides a lot is normal. They also eat a lot. Yours is not.
Get the enclosure down at least 10 degrees and give him some fruit to jumpstart his eating.
Soak him in warm water and get on our Redfoot care sheets and read about what you can feed him.
Redfoot can eat hundreds of foods.
Certainly there are dozens of food options for you locally.
Really grateful for your reply and suggestion.
I have done really bad research for my baby tortoise, that was the reason I only feed him greens, this website is amazing with a lot resource I can read to make my tortoise better.
After I receive your reply I begin fix my error, I clean the tank and put a new substrate with coco coir mixing in sphagnum moss, the left side of the tank I decide to become the basking area, so I put some cypress mulch to keep dry. Also, I exchange the basking light to ceramics light in order to make little bit dark such as the forest. I thermostat the ceramics light at left corner with 85-90F so they wouldn't get too hot inside. Also I place a heat pad at right side to maintain the temperature above 80F all the time.
I have soak him 30 minutes and after the soak I give him four piece of papaya the same size as his head. After he eat all of it I have placed everything back to his tank the clean substrate, then I soak him about 10 minuets for clean in order to place the ATHLETES FOOT CREAM.
Right now he is back to his tank, I hope he will getting better tomorrow.
Also, I'm doing more research on his diet and how to build bigger house for him.
I will keep upgrading this post, so if there are anything I did wrong please let me know!
Again, thank you for your help and suggestion, that really give me a lot of confidence.
 

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Klaus’s reptiles

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Location (City and/or State)
California
I keep my babies' enclosures at around 80F degrees over the whole enclosure. I also use a tube type fluorescent UVB bulb with lots of plants inside the enclosure to defuse the lighting. Here's a couple links to articles for you to read:

https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/redfoot-tortoise-care-sheet.175319/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/redfoot-tortoise-caresheet.172531/

Thank you for your reply, I will give his the tube type UVB as soon as possible, I have done really bad research before I had him.
I will definitely read the link you shared, thank you!
 

Klaus’s reptiles

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8/26 I'm updating my RFT today
I have sit up a new tank for my RFT, is just temporary, I'm working on my close chamber enclosure now to give them the best I could.
Yesterday, after I get reply for the post I realize I done very poorly for my RFT, I feed 2x his head size of papaya yesterday, and today I feed 1.5X of the mango (Since he been eating the greens last week only) However, my RFT enjoy his food and eat them all.
Also, the shell fungus is almost fully cured by using ATHLETES FOOT CREAM ( just like magic!!)
The issue now, is my RFT is keep poop very liquid and the color isn't look good, but he got little bit active than before I believe!
I soak him in warm water 20 minutes before eat and 10 minutes after eat, try to get his poop out.
Right now the tank he is living I know is very bad for him, but I need a week or two to build a good one for him, this is just temporary!
My idea for the close chamber is such as the greenhouse, I will build a rectangular base about the size 60x18 inch, this is biggest size I can build that can fit into my room.
There are few questions I need to verify, I will place a tube UVB (T5 or T8) all over the top, and Ceramic lamp with thermostat sit inside the chamber around 8-85F, and provide one normal basking light on one size just in case for him if he want to basking!
Also, I will follow the schedule of 1day green, 1 day fruit, and then 1 day green 1 day fruit, then is some food contain protein (Do you guys have any recommend for this type of food? that can give to Two months small baby RFT?) If the baby cat hydrate food would work, what flavor would they like?
I will keep the five day food cycle for him.

If there are anything I miss understand, please let me know, so I can fix and correct that!
Extremely grateful for you guys who help me!!
 

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Klaus’s reptiles

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Joined
Aug 24, 2019
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Location (City and/or State)
California
This gone be little bit long, I just want to be politeness, and clear.( And my English is bad)
I had post question before, people were very helpful.
Right now there are some new questions I need to get help( I'm sorry that if I asked some repeat questions or stupid questions)

Diet:
The first question is I tried to give my RFT good diet; which now is “1day green, 1day fruit, 1 day green, 1 day fruit 1 day vegetable”Right now is just 5 days cycle, I will add protein food for my RFT, but I do not know what are the type baby RFT can accept such as cat food? dubia? any worm? or just meat? So I can add on as my, day 6 for he/she diet (If there is day 7 diet suggestion I would be so grateful). Also I'm keeping every time is different type green and fruit and vegetable.

Lighting, temperature, humidity environment:
I'm using “Zoo Med Repti Sun 5.0 UVB", and 75 watts ceramic lamp as heat. All the sitting now is just very temporary.
I want to build a close chamber with plywood, and plastic 60x18 inch.
I want to place a tube UVB for my RFT inside, but I do not know how long should I buy for the 6018inch close chamber? ( I will add maximum four RFT later, just depends on how well this one doing).
Is RFT requires a Sun light bulb at corner? (Let them get dry or basking?)
Also, I will place the ceramic lamp inside to keep the temperature inside above 80F.
Hide, water bowls, dish bowls and what else?
Substrate gone be using coco fiber with sphagnum to keep humidity inside, top layer either mulch or bark (which is better for RFT?) Also, for the natural Sunlight, how long does they requires per week?

The last thing is I cured shell fungi a week ago, but the liquid poop(green and liquid) still happening now, and he/she sleep all day except soak( 30 minutes everyday, I like to soak 15 before eat and 15 after to clean his mouth or poop). Eating I think is so so, sometime eat everything, but sometime does not ( the 1.5x size of his head). Not exploring at all, temperature is above 80F always, humidity is about 60% in my room and his tank.
I have an appointment with the vet this Saturday morning, which 49 one time charge is little bit expensive and might add extra for medication. However, I just want my RFT to be healthy and living long as he/she can!

Again, I'm apologize if there are stupid questions, repeating questions or my grammar error.
Thank you all who read this !!
 
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