- Joined
- Jul 16, 2014
- Messages
- 29,126
- Location (City and/or State)
- South Eastern Florida (U.S.A.)/Rock Hill S.C.
My new rescue is a Redfoot I just received from Miami.
I was told that it is blind and has a "cleft palate".
To me, it looks more like an old crushing injury, like a dog chewing incident than a birth defect.
I bought him home and soaked him right away.
It looks like it has been kept very dry. The shell is crazily pyramiding and the skin on the head, arms and legs are very dry.
I've looked at the face, and have already determined that there IS at least partial vision from the left eye. The right eye seems to be missing. The animal does respond to objects placed in front of it, but because of a possible MBD has limited mobility.
The mouth is misshapen. Beak is broken. And it opens up like a small slit.
The tortoise drank a LOT of water in a warm soak and yawned like they do, exposing a very small mouth.
It did bite a cut cherry that was placed in front of it. Which gives me hope. It has been eating exclusively "land turtle pellets" its whole life. Fed by hand because it's been blind and with a damaged mouth.
I've already confirmed some vision. And seen the animal eat it's own food.
Great.
Here's the scary part.
That other stuff is nothing.
This tortoise is tiny. Skinny legged and light weight.
About the size of a sickly 3 or 4 month old Redfoot.
So. How old is it?
CONFIRMED 1.5 years old!
That's NUTS.
This is the most extreme case of stunting I've ever seen.
My diagnosis is:
Damaged head. Healed but disfigured.
Severe damage caused by dehydration
Severe stunting caused by horrible diet
Weak vision. One eye only. And it is damaged
Possible MBD from diet and lack of UVB
I was told that it is blind and has a "cleft palate".
To me, it looks more like an old crushing injury, like a dog chewing incident than a birth defect.
I bought him home and soaked him right away.
It looks like it has been kept very dry. The shell is crazily pyramiding and the skin on the head, arms and legs are very dry.
I've looked at the face, and have already determined that there IS at least partial vision from the left eye. The right eye seems to be missing. The animal does respond to objects placed in front of it, but because of a possible MBD has limited mobility.
The mouth is misshapen. Beak is broken. And it opens up like a small slit.
The tortoise drank a LOT of water in a warm soak and yawned like they do, exposing a very small mouth.
It did bite a cut cherry that was placed in front of it. Which gives me hope. It has been eating exclusively "land turtle pellets" its whole life. Fed by hand because it's been blind and with a damaged mouth.
I've already confirmed some vision. And seen the animal eat it's own food.
Great.
Here's the scary part.
That other stuff is nothing.
This tortoise is tiny. Skinny legged and light weight.
About the size of a sickly 3 or 4 month old Redfoot.
So. How old is it?
CONFIRMED 1.5 years old!
That's NUTS.
This is the most extreme case of stunting I've ever seen.
My diagnosis is:
Damaged head. Healed but disfigured.
Severe damage caused by dehydration
Severe stunting caused by horrible diet
Weak vision. One eye only. And it is damaged
Possible MBD from diet and lack of UVB