5 month old tortoise died suddenly.

[Sandsharko1]

Hello everybody. Back in January I bought a red footed tortoise (Rio) from a reptile expo. The picture shown is just minutes after I got him. He had a large nice enclosure with heat lamps and pads, thermometers, a layer of soil and coconut husk, and was soaked frequently. His enclosure was kept at around 80-85, and he stayed in his hide most of the time. One day I lifted rio’s hide and he looked dry and wouldn’t move. I took him to a vet where the said he had passed. I’ve been struggling with it for a while now, and I think not knowing what caused him to pass so suddenly is preventing me from moving on. My heart breaks for him, and I’m making this post in hopes of that somebody knows or has a theory as to why he died.

 

[Ink]

Sorry for your loss. What type of pads did you use in the enclosure?

 

[Sandsharko1]

Sorry for your loss. What type of pads did you use in the enclosure?

I used the zoo med medium reptittherm pads.

 

[Ink]

Maybe @ZEROPILOT can help. Could you take pictures of the enclosure?

 

[wellington]

So very sorry. We can only guess. My guess is it likely was started very wrong by the breeder.
They should not be on soil, but coconut coir or orchid bark/fir bark is fine. Humidity should be 80% and a wide varied diet should be fed. Calcium should be given 2 times a week as a small pinch.
Should be in a closed chamber enclosure.

 

[Tom]

Hello everybody. Back in January I bought a red footed tortoise (Rio) from a reptile expo. The picture shown is just minutes after I got him. He had a large nice enclosure with heat lamps and pads, thermometers, a layer of soil and coconut husk, and was soaked frequently. His enclosure was kept at around 80-85, and he stayed in his hide most of the time. One day I lifted rio’s hide and he looked dry and wouldn’t move. I took him to a vet where the said he had passed. I’ve been struggling with it for a while now, and I think not knowing what caused him to pass so suddenly is preventing me from moving on. My heart breaks for him, and I’m making this post in hopes of that somebody knows or has a theory as to why he died.

No way for us to know, but I see a few things in what you've posted.

-RFs don't need heat lamps.
-Heat pads should never be used on tortoise enclosures.
-Soil should never be used as tortoise substrate. There is no way to know what it is made of and it could be something toxic, like oleander or someone's yard clippings sprayed with toxic yard chemicals. It also typically has foreign bodies in it. I've found nails, screws, glass shards, bits of plastic and metal, plastic wrap, etc...
-Your temperatures sound pretty good, so I don't think that was a factor, and frequent soaks are excellent.

Sorry for your loss. I know that feeling and it isn't fun.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

It's a very sad story... Sorry for your loss.

You didn't mentioned his appetite, what did you feed him, if there were any problems with pooping...
There are numerous reasons which cause death - dehydration, infections, parasites, impaction, poisoning, genetic anomalies, wrong "dry start" by a keeper (less likely with a redfoot as most agree that they need humid environment).

If you post details on his enclosure, diet and routines, we can tell if something was wrong with the husbandry (doesn't sound like that, though).

 

[zovick]

Hello everybody. Back in January I bought a red footed tortoise (Rio) from a reptile expo. The picture shown is just minutes after I got him. He had a large nice enclosure with heat lamps and pads, thermometers, a layer of soil and coconut husk, and was soaked frequently. His enclosure was kept at around 80-85, and he stayed in his hide most of the time. One day I lifted rio’s hide and he looked dry and wouldn’t move. I took him to a vet where the said he had passed. I’ve been struggling with it for a while now, and I think not knowing what caused him to pass so suddenly is preventing me from moving on. My heart breaks for him, and I’m making this post in hopes of that somebody knows or has a theory as to why he died.

The best way to know what happened to any deceased animal is to have a necropsy done. If this happens to you again, take the dead tortoise to your vet ASAP and ask him/her for a necropsy to determine the cause of death. If you cannot get to the vet for a day or two, refrigerate (but do not freeze) the animal and get it to the vet as quickly as you can do so.

Sorry you had a problem with your new tortoise. That is never a good feeling. Don't be discouraged, though. Get up to date care info (on this site only) and try again. Keeping tortoises is a great pastime.

 

[Sandsharko1]

It's a very sad story... Sorry for your loss.

You didn't mentioned his appetite, what did you feed him, if there were any problems with pooping...
There are numerous reasons which cause death - dehydration, infections, parasites, impaction, poisoning, genetic anomalies, wrong "dry start" by a keeper (less likely with a redfoot as most agree that they need humid environment).

If you post details on his enclosure, diet and routines, we can tell if something was wrong with the husbandry (doesn't sound like that, though).

He ate infrequently, I forgot to include that in the post. I did see him eat, but it seemed to never be much. Same with pooping

 

[2turtletom]

Hello everybody. Back in January I bought a red footed tortoise (Rio) from a reptile expo. The picture shown is just minutes after I got him. He had a large nice enclosure with heat lamps and pads, thermometers, a layer of soil and coconut husk, and was soaked frequently. His enclosure was kept at around 80-85, and he stayed in his hide most of the time. One day I lifted rio’s hide and he looked dry and wouldn’t move. I took him to a vet where the said he had passed. I’ve been struggling with it for a while now, and I think not knowing what caused him to pass so suddenly is preventing me from moving on. My heart breaks for him, and I’m making this post in hopes of that somebody knows or has a theory as to why he died.

I'm sorry for your loss. Was this your first tortoise? Sometimes, hatchlings fail to thrive. Did your tortoise grow at all? Did you consistently monitor his weight? How much did he weigh when you got him and how much did he weigh before he passed?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I'm sorry for your loss.
From that limited information I'm unable to theorize what may have killed your little Redfoot. You've been given some good advice.
When you have a healthy tortoise you can often see a decline in them. If you start with an unhealthy tortoise. It may already be too late to help once you see an "issue".
If you decide to try again, buy from a reputable breeder and let us help you get everything set up correctly beforehand.