Abscess

[Kaitltnboyce78]

Hii everyone my boy has an abscess in his armpit? I'm not sure what you would call it on a tortoises lol but around it his skin is ripping and sort of up his neck he doesn't seem to bothered that much by it but it's worrying cause his skins ripping you know? He is supposed to get surgery but I can't afford it right now so I'm saving up. He doesn't really bask under his light, he's sleeping most of the day, he eats quite alot and when he walks around he's up high if that makes sense. He doesn't really walk around his enclosure but when I take him out he sits under the light and walks around my room no problem (I know some people say not to do that but please don't fill the comments with things just about him being out in my room and make them about the actual thing I'm worried about) will be be okay with his skin like that?

 

[wellington]

I can't see what you are talking about. Maybe @Yvonne G can help.
He does need a beak trim though.

 

[Kaitltnboyce78]

Hii everyone my boy has an abscess in his armpit? I'm not sure what you would call it on a tortoises lol but around it his skin is ripping and sort of up his neck he doesn't seem to bothered that much by it but it's worrying cause his skins ripping you know? He is supposed to get surgery but I can't afford it right now so I'm saving up. He doesn't really bask under his light, he's sleeping most of the day, he eats quite alot and when he walks around he's up high if that makes sense. He doesn't really walk around his enclosure but when I take him out he sits under the light and walks around my room no problem (I know some people say not to do that but please don't fill the comments with things just about him being out in my room and make them about the actual thing I'm worried about) will be be okay with his skin like that? View attachment 375905View attachment 375906

I can't see what you are talking about. Maybe @Yvonne G can help.
He does need a beak trim though.

I can't take a proper picture of it cause he keeps moving and yes I know thank you

 

[Kaitltnboyce78]

I can't see what you are talking about. Maybe @Yvonne G can help.
He does need a beak trim though.

Is that better?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome from a fellow uk member! That she’s indeed look strange, I have no personal experience with anything like it so hopefully Yvonne can help advise.

In the meantime, I am going to include a bunch of care information below for these guys, it’s so easy to have been sold/ told the wrong stuff from elsewhere. It looks a lot I know, but I promise it’s worth the read through😊
Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of people who have spent years finding the best ways to care for them that actually result in healthy tortoise.

As adults they need a minimum of an 8x4 enclosure, roaming is vital to tortoise health, it aids digestion and strengthen their muscles.
Don’t think they can get away with smaller if allowed to free roam, I’d highly discourage indoor free roams, being away from their heat source means they’re being exposed to temperatures that are too low quite often, smooth surfaces like laminate flooring will wreak absolute havoc on their hip joints over time.
There’s just numerous reasons it isn’t a good idea unfortunately, harmful floor cleaners, foreign objects being swallowed, getting stuck under things they shouldn’t like shelving or sofas, low temperatures, no uv, getting hit by doors, one member has mentioned they knew someone who’s tort got their head crushed in a door jam😣, flipping hazards, smooth services, the list goes on and is endless.
They feel most comfortable and safe in a space that best mimics their natural environment, so an appropriate sized enclosure is always the ultimate goal, hopefully we can help🥰

I’m going to include some information below on an example of an appropriate indoor set up, it includes the correct levels and equipment etc, including the appropriate indoor uv, hopefully it helps with any changes you might need to make.
Feel free to include photos of your enclosure/your current equipment.

Basking light should be an incandescent floodlight(example attached) on a 12 hour timer.

Basking temperature directly under the floodlight should be 95-100f. The rest of the enclosure should be ranging 75-80 during the day.

You may also wish to add ambient lighting on the same timer, providing shady areas with hides and safe plants.

Then CHE/CHE’s(ceramic heat emitters) always on a thermostat, for night heat if your house drops below 60’s at night. Set the thermostat for a night temperature place the probe in their cooler end, plug the che into it and the thermostat into the mains, it’ll be plugged in 24/7 but will only turn on when the temperature drops. We’re a cooler climate so I think you’ll most likely need these.

Large wide domes help project the heat down, just don’t rely solely on the clamps, always hang securely.

Any indoor Uv should be a t5 fluorescent tube, avoid the compact and coil uv bulbs, they don’t give out enough uv and can hurt the tortoises eyes. The uv can be on a 4 hour timer from noon. I’ve attached examples of the two brands to go for and some examples of how to mount them. The Arcadia proT5 12% comes with the reflector fitting, the reptisun needs it buying separate.

With lighting always avoid anything labelled halogen or mercury vapour.

For substrates, either coco coir, dampened and packed down by hand as a base, with a layer of orchid(fir not pine) bark or forest floor on top, or just the orchid bark/forest floor. Never use anything with sand mixed in, no top soils and no kinds of moss. The problem with top soil is unless you’ve composted it yourself, you don’t know what kind of plants have gone into it, it could be something toxic. Sand can irritate the eyes and be an impaction risk, moss is an impaction risk too. If that is sand you are using, it needs replacing asap.

You want to aim to have the bottom layer of substrate damp, to do this pour lukewarm water into the corners, not loads but enough to dampen the entire bottom layer. To stop that top layer getting too dry/dusty, mix the substrate now n then. Check your monitors and substrate to do the pours as and when needed.

I’d personally recommend you make your own base to go as big as you possibly can for the space you have. The closer you can get to an 8x4 size the better.

When making your base, just make sure the material is safe, some use flower beds, or take a large bookcase, take out the shelves and lie flat, or just make their own, for all these options I’d line with cheap pond liner to protect the base, making sure the liner goes up the sides too and make sure those sides are deep enough! They can be professional escape artists😂

I’ve also included examples of stands people make/buy to hang their lighting, use a temperature gun to determine how high the basking bulb needs to be, the uv I suggested needs to be mounted 18-20 inches from the substrate(for the Arcadia)

For a water dish a shallow terracotta saucer is considered safest, they have grip in the event your tortoise flips themselves, most pet store options are a known hazard.

I’d also always recommend getting your hands on a temp gun, they’re SO handy when setting up a new environment or for checking your monitors are correct🙂

Also perhaps for the diet side of things you’ll find the link below useful! No fruits for these guys, leafy greens and weeds all the way! In the wildflowers section there’s loads that grow perfectly in our climate! Perhaps you could buy seeds online, plant in organic soil(no added fertiliser or chemicals) that the tortoise doesn’t have access to and forage as they grow😊be very careful picking elsewhere, there’s no knowing if there’s chemicals and there’s also toxic lookalikes.

The Tortoise Table - Home

The Tortoise Table plant database and resource site for Tortoise owners

www.thetortoisetable.org.uk

Hope this all helps in some way🥰 oh and feeding on a large serving slate should help that beak once it’s been trimmed!👍

 

[wellington]

I don't see an abscess but it does look different. See what Yvonne says.
In the meantime, keep an eye on it and if there is any open skin, you could put some OTC antibiotic cream on it