Emergency Fostering, I need some advice!

[leigti]

I read in another thread earlier today @yvonne said to squirt, I would insert gently there, the water in the tortoises eyes using an eyedropper. Try not to get it up his little nose but it might be very hard to avoid.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

The Vitamin A in the babyfood will help his eyes. I also put Terramycine eye ointment in them. I soak my sick babies 2 X a day in babyfood carrots and once in plain water. I keep him warmer then usual and my tortoise does not move so I cover her with a towel. But right now the baby food soaks are your best bet...

 

[spud's_mum]

This is so devastating! Poor babies! I can't help with the pets as I'm a noob myself but do you know what the cause of the fire is? Also about the baby hermann do you know if he had a coil lamp in the petshop?

 

[Katelynn]

I read in another thread earlier today @yvonne said to squirt, I would insert gently there, the water in the tortoises eyes using an eyedropper. Try not to get it up his little nose but it might be very hard to avoid.

I got an eyedropper last night and rinsed his eyes out twice before I went to bed. This morning, his eyes are less puffy and he for sure can open them now! I'm very glad.

The Vitamin A in the babyfood will help his eyes. I also put Terramycine eye ointment in them. I soak my sick babies 2 X a day in babyfood carrots and once in plain water. I keep him warmer then usual and my tortoise does not move so I cover her with a towel. But right now the baby food soaks are your best bet...

I took your advice and bathed him (and a few of the other Torts) in some carrot babyfood/water mix and they all seemed to drink up. You're very right, the Vitamin A will help the Hermanns eyes.

This is so devastating! Poor babies! I can't help with the pets as I'm a noob myself but do you know what the cause of the fire is? Also about the baby hermann do you know if he had a coil lamp in the petshop?

I found out today that all of the little Torts had coil bulbs in the pet store, but they hadn't had any problems with his eyes until the fire yesterday. He is no longer under coil bulbs however. The cause of the fire was some bad wiring in the building. The building was old and the wiring needed replaced, but unfortunately was not done soon enough.

UPDATE: A couple Torts seem to be showing more stress today than yesterday. The smaller Elongated tortoise has puffy eyes and I noticed some swelling around her back legs as I was rinsing her off today. The other torts seem to be curious about where they are. They're not touching the food yet, but I hope here soon they will.
We made a trip to the vet to see about the other reptiles who made it out of the fire. In the end, I have about 5 more tortoises. There are three Russians who are in pretty bad shape, 1 small marginated, and another cherry head. Luckily my sister is taking some of those to her house to care for them there. 11 tortoises are definitely too much for me to handle.
Thank you for all your help guys!

 

[leigti]

Are these tortoises going to be for sale or up for adoption?

 

[Lyn W]

As it's an emergency will the vet charge for treatment?

 

[Katelynn]

Are these tortoises going to be for sale or up for adoption?

I'm not sure. For the moment I'm fostering these torts indefinitely. I would hope they would go up for adoption but since they are not mine, I cannot say for sure.

As it's an emergency will the vet charge for treatment?

The vet didn't charge my sister and I when we went to check on the other reptiles (along with a group of employees from the store) but I'm not sure if they're going to charge the owners of the store.

 

[Lyn W]

That's great just wondering if he will help your little hermanns

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Update?
How are all the poor little creatures.
And bless you for what you're doing for them.

 

[Rachel Sobran]

I am so sorry about the animals. Was there a makeshift funeral?

 

[Katelynn]

Update?
How are all the poor little creatures.
And bless you for what you're doing for them.

Well, the Hermanns is doing exceptionally well. He is eating like crazy and is tearing up his enclosure as he goes. It's so amazing because I was worried he wouldn't make it through the first night when I got him. The marginated tortoise has some swelling on her neck which causes her to hold it up at a weird angle, but she is able to drink and eat so I'm keeping an eye on her, hoping that the swelling will go down soon. The two elongated are doing great - eating and exploring. The other day we went outside and they ate a ton of clover. The cherry head and leopard aren't eating very well. They will walk around a bit after their baths but they completely ignore their food. I ended up giving them carrot baths the last time I bathed them because I'm not sure when they ate last. I've started keeping a log of their weights as well. I'm not sure what else to do to get them to eat. I try to tempt them with little fruits but nothing is working thus far.
There was another cherry head I was taking care of but he was returned to his original home. Apparently his owner was boarding him at the pet store for the weekend. I'm real glad he made it out okay. I'm happy to report that that he seemed absolutely fine. After we came home from the vet he ate what seemed to be his weight in food, had clear eyes, and wanted to explore everything!
Now for the Russians. Originally I was really timid about the Russians because they were doing the worst. These poor guys didn't move for anything and they wouldn't open their eyes. They were holding their back legs out at weird angles like they couldn't move them. BUT I'm glad to say that they have made progress. They don't have any problems opening their eyes and now they've taken to climbing around the logs in their enclosure. I'd like to think that means their legs are feeling a little better. The only things I'm worried about for the Russians are 1) that they are peeling in some spots (especially around the neck). I haven't ever seen my own tort peel like that. 2) They aren't eating as much as they normally did in the pet store. I'm trying not to get too worried about it because after all they've had a traumatic experience but I always assumed that a happy, healthy tort would eat a lot.

I am so sorry about the animals. Was there a makeshift funeral?

Yes, there was a funeral at the owner's farm just outside of town. They also had a memorial in town and everyone was surprised by how many people showed up. There is a lot of support in the community. Home Depot has offered to donate supplies to build enclosures and fill them up. We've had people donate heat lamps and bulbs and a nearby grocery store has been giving me lettuce for free for these little torts. I suppose we're lucky that we live in a community that is so caring.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Thanks for the update.
Pretty much good news, all in all.
You've done a terrific job.
Let's hope the ones still struggling will continue to make progress.

 

[mikeylazer]

Sorry to hear about the store... At least these torts have a good caring owner who knows there stuff. That does seem like a huge responsibility and if you need to adpot them out upon the owners request, and you are willing to ship the little ones I would love to help take that burden off of you for so many fosters.

 

[MyrtlesMum0131]

I'm so sorry to hear about the fire; that's incredibly tragic. You are so generous to take in those torts and care for them so well. Best of luck to you; I hope they all recover soon!

 

[peggy davis]

You came to the right place for advice. There are lots of knowledgeable people here, willing to help you. What little I do know, is that I would separate all of them before I went to the store Just put their temporary containers next to each other so they can share the heat source.. Being so small, you should be able to find a number of different things to put them in. I'm sure I speak for most in saying good luck to you and a HUGE hug from all of us for taking care of these little ones. Are you able to get any help from friends/neighbors? This is a big job.

 

[Moozillion]

You came to the right place for advice. There are lots of knowledgeable people here, willing to help you. What little I do know, is that I would separate all of them before I went to the store Just put their temporary containers next to each other so they can share the heat source.. Being so small, you should be able to find a number of different things to put them in. I'm sure I speak for most in saying good luck to you and a HUGE hug from all of us for taking care of these little ones. Are you able to get any help from friends/neighbors? This is a big job.

Peggy, this thread is 2 years old. [emoji6]