Emergency help request (baby sleeps constantly)

[MissyGru]

Our baby redfoot is about 5 months old. He started off healthy and eating. This was a pet for my 15 year old and it ended I was taking care of him daily instead of her. I took a stance with her that she needed to care for him about two weeks ago (she fed him on my insistence and several times I found him with no water). Over the last week I have noticed a total decline in his health. I’m sad to say after three days of doing everything I can think of: soaking daily, bought Mizuri diet, offered every fruit veggie green combo, he is sleeping basically constantly now. I just soaked him, he wouldn’t wake up like usual. I put him down in a plate of grated carrots, which just a week ago he chowed down, and he is collapsed and sleeping into the middle of them. He can’t be dehydrated after all the soaking, but should I try to force feed him a little? I literally don’t know what to do. He has everything he needs, the UV lights, the proper temps, just switched him to a better hide that keeps the humidity in... could humidity have caused this severe of a problem? I can’t believe he seems worse every day. I’m so sad for him.

 

[JoesMum]

Photos of the enclosure and lighting will help us to help you.

What temperatures do you have?
What's the humidity?
Is the enclosure open or does it have roof of some sort?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

What exactly are the temps and humidity?

 

[MissyGru]

Just to add I noticed he seemed ill at first because his plastron seems very sunk in compared to normal. I thought he was dehydrated. But he has not been eating hardly any food for two weeks. I feel like he’s starving.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Just to add I noticed he seemed ill at first because his plastron seems very sunk in compared to normal. I thought he was dehydrated. But he has not been eating hardly any food for two weeks. I feel like he’s starving.

There are a few factors that would keep him from digesting food. Such as too cold or too hot.
Can you take photos of him and his enclosure?
Also the temps and how you are reading them.

 

[MissyGru]

Humidity in the outer cage is only around 55%. He generally sleeps in the log with spagnum moss which I hoped kept it a little higher. Switched yesterday to a small upside down plastic container to keep in humidity, maybe too late. Temp under the light is 90% and other end is 80%.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

How have you provided U.V and what has been fed?
Normally, baby Redfoot need less U.V if given a correct diet.

 

[MissyGru]

Trying to load photos

 

[MissyGru]

Light is reptiSun uV + heat. You have no under tank heaters or night heat source. House temp is always 72.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Are his eyes clear? Is he breathing o.k?
I'm leaning towards lack of U.V. and poor nutrition coupled with not enough humidity.
But it's just a guess.
Redfoot babies are pretty tough, but decline quickly when they get sick.

 

[MissyGru]

Are his eyes clear? Is he breathing o.k?
I'm leaning towards lack of U.V. and poor nutrition coupled with not enough humidity.

I can’t imagine lack of UV since the UV light is on from 7am - 7pm. His eyes are clear but he hasn’t open them since yesterday. He appears very weak. We have given him every green, fruit and veggie possible, he was eating like a king and yes he gets both repti-cal calcium and multivitamins.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I can’t imagine lack of UV since the UV light is on from 7am - 7pm. His eyes are clear but he hasn’t open them since yesterday. He appears very weak. We have given him every green, fruit and veggie possible, he was eating like a king and yes he gets both repti-cal calcium and multivitamins.

The lamp is very high and quite far away from the animal.
The caved in plastron is what concerns me. It's not good. Not normal. Is the bottom of the shell soft at all?

 

[JoesMum]

The enclosure is too dry. Redfoots are a tropical forest species requiring high humidity, especially at this age, and a steady 80F /27C day and night.

This tortoise needs an enclosure with a roof and damp, not just sprayed, substrate.

Redfoots don't bask, so you provide the heat with a Ceramic Heat Emitter and use that with a thermostat. You then need a separate UVB tube light to provide the essential UVB

They are omnivores requiring a mixture of greens, fruit and protein and a tiny sprinkle of calcium powder 3 times a week.

This is a good care sheet https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/species-information/chelonoidis

@Anyfoot keeps this species in the UK

 

[Tom]

How often were you soaking when you first got the tortoise?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

For right now, place him in some warm water that comes up halfway with his shell and place, if you can some sweet potato or carrot baby food in the water.

 

[Tom]

I can’t imagine lack of UV since the UV light is on from 7am - 7pm. His eyes are clear but he hasn’t open them since yesterday. He appears very weak. We have given him every green, fruit and veggie possible, he was eating like a king and yes he gets both repti-cal calcium and multivitamins.

Another possible factor is that those UV bulbs are now reported to only make UV for about 90 days. Have you had the tortoise and that bulb longer than that?

 

[MissyGru]

The lamp is very high and quite far away from the animal.
The caved in plastron is what concerns me. It's not good. Not normal. Is the bottom of the shell soft at all?

Yes it is soft, like we can push it in. We raised the lamp so high because the temp in that spot was over 100 degrees when lowered.

 

[MissyGru]

How often were you soaking when you first got the tortoise?

Every day, then about three - four times a week, then down to like 2 more recently when daughter took over.

 

[MissyGru]

For right now, place him in some warm water that comes up halfway with his shell and place, if you can some sweet potato or carrot baby food in the water.

Ok... I’m so sad. How long should I let him stay in the water?

 

[MissyGru]

Another possible factor is that those UV bulbs are now reported to only make UV for about 90 days. Have you had the tortoise and that bulb longer than that?

We we got him in mid July. So it’s been about that long.