- Joined
- Dec 19, 2012
- Messages
- 358
So, back in November, two of my yearling redfoots (Pickles and Hiccup) were attacked and sustained injuries.
They both had the front of their front legs eaten to the bone (it was awful seeing bone exposed), and injuries to their shell. Hiccup's shell damage was much worse than Pickles.
Anyway, they were both treated at the vet here, who did bandage changes, and administered antibiotics for several weeks, as well as pain meds and fluids at the beginning.
I'm happy to report that we just had our last vet visit and both tortoises are doing AMAZING. We're done with injections now. I'm so thankful they both recovered (although they are a little deformed now).
We have narrowed the predator to either a possum (which we see around the yard), or a cat....mostly because of the placements of the shell injuries, it appears the predator has sharp canine teeth (so, doesn't look like a rat, which is what I suspected).
Anyway, I'm still keeping them, as well as out healthy hatching, inside. We are hiring a friend (and fellow tortoise keeper), to build a predator-proof enclosure, but it will still be several weeks before it's complete.
I will end off with a few pics (some were posted on my original thread, when the first one was attacked).
After Pickles's first vet visit:
After Hiccup's first vet visit: (I didn't get pics of the wounds before being bandaged...my mind was preoccupied)
Pickles finally eating (he wouldn't eat much at the beginning):
Hiccup ignoring his food:
Pickles all healed up...no more bandages (they have 2 hours of supervised outdoor time daily):
Hiccup all healed up...he's a trooper, and although his injuries looked worse, he had a fighting attitude....never seemed like anything happened to him, and he uses both legs perfectly (even though on is a little stumpy):
This is after his first long soak since the injuries:
AND, here's a couple pictures of Chomper...our little guy that is healthy and beautiful:
And Belle....our big beauty (she's my 12 year old rescue):
Belle eating weeds in her yard (it's much more lush than it looks in the picture):
They both had the front of their front legs eaten to the bone (it was awful seeing bone exposed), and injuries to their shell. Hiccup's shell damage was much worse than Pickles.
Anyway, they were both treated at the vet here, who did bandage changes, and administered antibiotics for several weeks, as well as pain meds and fluids at the beginning.
I'm happy to report that we just had our last vet visit and both tortoises are doing AMAZING. We're done with injections now. I'm so thankful they both recovered (although they are a little deformed now).
We have narrowed the predator to either a possum (which we see around the yard), or a cat....mostly because of the placements of the shell injuries, it appears the predator has sharp canine teeth (so, doesn't look like a rat, which is what I suspected).
Anyway, I'm still keeping them, as well as out healthy hatching, inside. We are hiring a friend (and fellow tortoise keeper), to build a predator-proof enclosure, but it will still be several weeks before it's complete.
I will end off with a few pics (some were posted on my original thread, when the first one was attacked).
After Pickles's first vet visit:
After Hiccup's first vet visit: (I didn't get pics of the wounds before being bandaged...my mind was preoccupied)
Pickles finally eating (he wouldn't eat much at the beginning):
Hiccup ignoring his food:
Pickles all healed up...no more bandages (they have 2 hours of supervised outdoor time daily):
Hiccup all healed up...he's a trooper, and although his injuries looked worse, he had a fighting attitude....never seemed like anything happened to him, and he uses both legs perfectly (even though on is a little stumpy):
This is after his first long soak since the injuries:
AND, here's a couple pictures of Chomper...our little guy that is healthy and beautiful:
And Belle....our big beauty (she's my 12 year old rescue):
Belle eating weeds in her yard (it's much more lush than it looks in the picture):