Not walking red footed

wellington said:

A lot of tortoises can swim. Best to let him do it with being on a bowl as many will just sit there doing nothing. That's are tortoises are weighed. Put a bucket or bowl, depending on tortoise size on a scale and tortoise on top of the bucket or bowl. This keeps them from scrambling away, but most just sit still. You need him to use his legs to build of strength and muscle if this is his problem. If he can't swim, either place a couple fingers under him to hold him up or get a small piece of flat Styrofoam and put that under him between front and back legs.
I used my bath tub. Most tubs are a little slanted at the end furthest from faucet. My tortoise would swim from the deeper end to the shallow end where he could barely touch bottom. Then I would either pull him back to deep end or turn him around so he would swim back to it and then he would turn himself around and go back to shallow end.

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Thank you. I’m afraid he will sink but I will be with him every second and will try. It’s a mystery. I know his diet is good. Today kale. A few blueberries. Arugula. Red lettuce. 2 tortoise pellets. He ate all and peed and pooped. Daily soaks. UVB light is 12 inches away. I also take him outside for about an hour. It’s summer here in nj. UVA light. Heat lamp to 85oF. I got him a skateboard and trying to teach him how to use it.

Blinderl said:

Thank you. I’m afraid he will sink but I will be with him every second and will try. It’s a mystery. I know his diet is good. Today kale. A few blueberries. Arugula. Red lettuce. 2 tortoise pellets. He ate all and peed and pooped. Daily soaks. UVB light is 12 inches away. I also take him outside for about an hour. It’s summer here in nj. UVA light. Heat lamp to 85oF. I got him a skateboard and trying to teach him how to use it.

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Also reptifogger

Blinderl said:

Also reptifogger

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It is not related to the walking problem, but foggers are not recommended due to the risk of respiratory problems. Humidity should be maintained using a closed chamber and pouring water instead.

Thank you. I’m also attaching a photo of the st up. This is his temporary until he can walk. I have a much bigger place for him the. The uvb is about 12 inches groom shell. The uva is about 2 feet. He has a ceramic heater which I adjust

The_Four_Toed_Edward said:

Can he stand up or does he try to? If you touch his feet, does he pull them in?

Have you tried physical therapy in water? Balance him on some object like a upside down bowl so that his feet don't touch the bottom and let him paddle in the water.

I will tag @zovick here.

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Thanks. I am moving his legs and will try the water therapy. When he soaks he’s on a small support and does. Move legs a little. I’m hoping he was so weak from illness but now getting stronger

A 30 min soak in warm water. I move his legs. I really appreciate the advice. Intensive is me working with him on a little skateboard. He hasn’t figured it out yet. I have to bring him to his water bowl which I do multiple times a day. I have him outside with me on warm days for an hour.

Things I am about to say are not intended to insult you or upset you. This is constructive criticism of te theings I see that not the best for your tortoise.

First ~
Show us the top you put over his enclosure please.

2. What are your humidity and temperature readings?

3. Why is there hay/grass in his enclosure? Red Foots do NOT eat it, and it only absorbs moisture and goes moldy in a Red Foot enclosure. It needs to be removed before it causes problems.

4. What is the little container/barrel thing on the right with the tube coming out of the top?

5. Replace that gray water bowl with a terracotta saucer that is sunken down into the substrate. Those gray plastic things are not safe around tortoises (worse for young ones than for adults). The walls are too abrupt to easily get into and out of, and you don't have it down into the substrate at all, so it is like a fence keeping your tortoise out of what he needs to be able to access easily. Its even harder to get into with his back legs not working right now. Then think about how slippery the surface of the dish itself is. With the water in that gray bowl, the bottom is like oiled glass. Get rid of the gray plastic dish. A clean new terracotta plant saucer has much better traction, and when sunk down into the substrate it is exactly what a tortoise needs. (Don't use one that has been used under a flowerpot - chemicals and fertilizer can have been absorbed by a used saucer and then put those into your tortoise's water.)

6. When you say "bring him to his water bowl" do you place him inside it in the water or only put him outside it but near it?

Let's deal with those for now.
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Pneumonia can cause paralysis in tortoises. If the pneumonia was not treated immediately and turned into a severe case, it can affect part and/or all of their bodily functions. I would highly suggest trying the hydro-therapy as mentioned above. In order for hydrotherapy to be successful, you have to be patient and consistent, however in this instance, if this is caused by pneumonia, he may never walk again. Has he been back to the vet since the treatment for the pneumonia? If not, I would recommend seeing a tortoise specialist.