Franklins quarantine tank!

[Liljae9263]

This morning I got Franklins quarantine tank set up! My mom was kind enough to watch Franklin soak while I cleaned out his tank. (He did not go potty at all in there but I add that up to being a morning soak right when he woke up as he’s usually used to a late afternoon soak! He also went potty a good bit yesterday haha)

So I completely cleared the dirt from his tank (I was a little sad bc I had a nice colony of spring tails in there but the dirt was contaminated so I had to do right by Franklin and get rid of it). I took a rag with the tiniest drop of dish soap to wash everything down and then rinsed and towel dried. I let it air dry a little as well. (I hope the small bit of dish soap was fine. I looked it up a while back that said a little bit is fine and I have washed his tank and decor like that b4 and haven’t seen any ill side effects from it. Plz lmk! Otherwise idk what to use to clean his enclosure as hopefully soon he’ll be in a wooden one so like how do u clean that???) after that I washed some of his decor too, some flat stones, his log hide, and two fake plants. I wiped his hygrometer/theromometers with alcohol v lightly in case they also needed disinfecting. I also cleaned out his soak tubs b4 he was soaked and will clean them out everyday to ensure he doesn’t get sick from those! I cleaned out his food and water dish too!

Then I layered two towels in the tank and laid a BUNCH of paper towels on top! (I had to buy extra paper towels bc I’m sure I’ll go thro them fast having to change them everyday for a month! Thankfully we already have a bunch of spare towels to use haha) Franklins checked out the new tank and seemed to not care too much. He did start trying to eat the flat rocks which he’s never done b4???? It could have been just bc he was hungry (I withheld food longer than usual today bc of the cleaning and soaking) but I will keep an eye on this. The rocks aren’t big enough for him to ingest anyways (and I’d be surprised if he could break off a piece. I just have them in there to help retain heat on the bottom and give him something hard to walk on for his nails.)

For the meds I did mix them up in his mashed pellets. At first I tried to feed him just the mash and two tiny pieces of lettuce thinking this would trick him into eating all the mash immediately and then I’d give him more food as I was trying to ensure Franklin ate his meds. He ate the lettuce and ignored the pellets . So instead I filled his bowl with his favorite greens and then slathered the medicine filled mash all over the greens (I made layers on layers of it so it was really well mixed) and he ate it all up! I also added a little bit of calcium since his X-rays came back clear and it’s been almost 2 weeks he hasn’t had calcium since I was concerned about a hard urate problem ! Oh! Also he tried bokchoy for the first time and I think he liked it! (I do have a ? About that. Is it super important he gets organic greens or is nonorganic ok sometimes?? I’ve been trying really hard only to get organic but not many places around sells a lot of the organic greens I need for him so he’s been stuck with a lot of the same stuff :/) today was his first dose of meds and I give him his next dose next Saturday. I will try this medicinal mash again then!

I said I was concerned about humidity and temp when changing from substrate to towels so today after the switch his humidity is around 50-55% (and someone pointed out lower humidity for a month is ok since this is his “getting better” time) and his temp was 101F on the basking side and high 80’s on the cooler side which for Franklin is v hot as he normally is 90 basking and low 80-75 for cool. I lowered his dimmer. It’s probably bc we found out our ac just died today so it was hot throughout the whole house . I’ll have to mess around with his heat again.

He’s been doing his normal routine it seems. He ate his food, hung out under the basking light and when it got too hot moved under his log to nap. I’m a little afraid he’ll start eating the paper towels since his nails have started to shred them up, but I’m watching him. (Under his log his paper towels r COMPLETELY shredded. I think he was trying to burrow ) Should I just leave him only on towels and forget the paper towels ? He doesn’t seem to have an issue with eating things he shouldn’t but I have seen him accidentally eat dirt/try to nibble on things he shouldn’t like his fake plants and rocks (both of which once he realized he can’t eat/doesn’t like the taste of he stops)

I’m working v hard trying to get this stubborn baby better! The worst part I think is just getting him to take the meds which thankfully he eats just about anything I put in front of him BUT heaven forbid I watch him eat. He will refuse to eat if I watch him so I have to leave and hope he eats all his food/medicine ACK. V stressful .

Anyways, thx for everyone’s feedback so far! Yall made me feel so good about how I handled the vet visit and my care for my sick baby thus far! Thank u! I always appreciate the input! And hopefully Franklin will appreciate it too when he’s better haha (I have a feeling now he’s just annoyed with all the vet visits and yucky meds and quarantine tank haha. He just needs to tough it out and get better and THEN I’ll have a nice cool enclosure for him soon!)

 

[zolasmum]

Franklin is lovely,and I'm sure you will get his problems sorted out soon. I don't think you need worry too much about always giving him organic greens -of course it is better if you can get organic, but if sold for human consumption, it should be safe for him too.
Angie

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

This morning I got Franklins quarantine tank set up! My mom was kind enough to watch Franklin soak while I cleaned out his tank. (He did not go potty at all in there but I add that up to being a morning soak right when he woke up as he’s usually used to a late afternoon soak! He also went potty a good bit yesterday haha)

So I completely cleared the dirt from his tank (I was a little sad bc I had a nice colony of spring tails in there but the dirt was contaminated so I had to do right by Franklin and get rid of it). I took a rag with the tiniest drop of dish soap to wash everything down and then rinsed and towel dried. I let it air dry a little as well. (I hope the small bit of dish soap was fine. I looked it up a while back that said a little bit is fine and I have washed his tank and decor like that b4 and haven’t seen any ill side effects from it. Plz lmk! Otherwise idk what to use to clean his enclosure as hopefully soon he’ll be in a wooden one so like how do u clean that???) after that I washed some of his decor too, some flat stones, his log hide, and two fake plants. I wiped his hygrometer/theromometers with alcohol v lightly in case they also needed disinfecting. I also cleaned out his soak tubs b4 he was soaked and will clean them out everyday to ensure he doesn’t get sick from those! I cleaned out his food and water dish too!

Then I layered two towels in the tank and laid a BUNCH of paper towels on top! (I had to buy extra paper towels bc I’m sure I’ll go thro them fast having to change them everyday for a month! Thankfully we already have a bunch of spare towels to use haha) Franklins checked out the new tank and seemed to not care too much. He did start trying to eat the flat rocks which he’s never done b4???? It could have been just bc he was hungry (I withheld food longer than usual today bc of the cleaning and soaking) but I will keep an eye on this. The rocks aren’t big enough for him to ingest anyways (and I’d be surprised if he could break off a piece. I just have them in there to help retain heat on the bottom and give him something hard to walk on for his nails.)

For the meds I did mix them up in his mashed pellets. At first I tried to feed him just the mash and two tiny pieces of lettuce thinking this would trick him into eating all the mash immediately and then I’d give him more food as I was trying to ensure Franklin ate his meds. He ate the lettuce and ignored the pellets . So instead I filled his bowl with his favorite greens and then slathered the medicine filled mash all over the greens (I made layers on layers of it so it was really well mixed) and he ate it all up! I also added a little bit of calcium since his X-rays came back clear and it’s been almost 2 weeks he hasn’t had calcium since I was concerned about a hard urate problem ! Oh! Also he tried bokchoy for the first time and I think he liked it! (I do have a ? About that. Is it super important he gets organic greens or is nonorganic ok sometimes?? I’ve been trying really hard only to get organic but not many places around sells a lot of the organic greens I need for him so he’s been stuck with a lot of the same stuff :/) today was his first dose of meds and I give him his next dose next Saturday. I will try this medicinal mash again then!

I said I was concerned about humidity and temp when changing from substrate to towels so today after the switch his humidity is around 50-55% (and someone pointed out lower humidity for a month is ok since this is his “getting better” time) and his temp was 101F on the basking side and high 80’s on the cooler side which for Franklin is v hot as he normally is 90 basking and low 80-75 for cool. I lowered his dimmer. It’s probably bc we found out our ac just died today so it was hot throughout the whole house . I’ll have to mess around with his heat again.

He’s been doing his normal routine it seems. He ate his food, hung out under the basking light and when it got too hot moved under his log to nap. I’m a little afraid he’ll start eating the paper towels since his nails have started to shred them up, but I’m watching him. (Under his log his paper towels r COMPLETELY shredded. I think he was trying to burrow ) Should I just leave him only on towels and forget the paper towels ? He doesn’t seem to have an issue with eating things he shouldn’t but I have seen him accidentally eat dirt/try to nibble on things he shouldn’t like his fake plants and rocks (both of which once he realized he can’t eat/doesn’t like the taste of he stops)

I’m working v hard trying to get this stubborn baby better! The worst part I think is just getting him to take the meds which thankfully he eats just about anything I put in front of him BUT heaven forbid I watch him eat. He will refuse to eat if I watch him so I have to leave and hope he eats all his food/medicine ACK. V stressful .

Anyways, thx for everyone’s feedback so far! Yall made me feel so good about how I handled the vet visit and my care for my sick baby thus far! Thank u! I always appreciate the input! And hopefully Franklin will appreciate it too when he’s better haha (I have a feeling now he’s just annoyed with all the vet visits and yucky meds and quarantine tank haha. He just needs to tough it out and get better and THEN I’ll have a nice cool enclosure for him soon!)

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I'm glad he is not too stressed with the change!

Since you placed cloth towels in the tank, they should be changed daily as well. Carefully take out the towels and wash them in the machine at 70C (160F) or higher temperature.

There is no easy way to kill worms eggs with desinfectants (only 95% ethnanol or 10% Betadine are effective when applied for several hours), so I would not rely on them. If you have a hot steam cleaner - it would be effective (yet it's an overkill in your current situation).

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

This morning I got Franklins quarantine tank set up! My mom was kind enough to watch Franklin soak while I cleaned out his tank. (He did not go potty at all in there but I add that up to being a morning soak right when he woke up as he’s usually used to a late afternoon soak! He also went potty a good bit yesterday haha)

So I completely cleared the dirt from his tank (I was a little sad bc I had a nice colony of spring tails in there but the dirt was contaminated so I had to do right by Franklin and get rid of it). I took a rag with the tiniest drop of dish soap to wash everything down and then rinsed and towel dried. I let it air dry a little as well. (I hope the small bit of dish soap was fine. I looked it up a while back that said a little bit is fine and I have washed his tank and decor like that b4 and haven’t seen any ill side effects from it. Plz lmk! Otherwise idk what to use to clean his enclosure as hopefully soon he’ll be in a wooden one so like how do u clean that???) after that I washed some of his decor too, some flat stones, his log hide, and two fake plants. I wiped his hygrometer/theromometers with alcohol v lightly in case they also needed disinfecting. I also cleaned out his soak tubs b4 he was soaked and will clean them out everyday to ensure he doesn’t get sick from those! I cleaned out his food and water dish too!

Then I layered two towels in the tank and laid a BUNCH of paper towels on top! (I had to buy extra paper towels bc I’m sure I’ll go thro them fast having to change them everyday for a month! Thankfully we already have a bunch of spare towels to use haha) Franklins checked out the new tank and seemed to not care too much. He did start trying to eat the flat rocks which he’s never done b4???? It could have been just bc he was hungry (I withheld food longer than usual today bc of the cleaning and soaking) but I will keep an eye on this. The rocks aren’t big enough for him to ingest anyways (and I’d be surprised if he could break off a piece. I just have them in there to help retain heat on the bottom and give him something hard to walk on for his nails.)

For the meds I did mix them up in his mashed pellets. At first I tried to feed him just the mash and two tiny pieces of lettuce thinking this would trick him into eating all the mash immediately and then I’d give him more food as I was trying to ensure Franklin ate his meds. He ate the lettuce and ignored the pellets . So instead I filled his bowl with his favorite greens and then slathered the medicine filled mash all over the greens (I made layers on layers of it so it was really well mixed) and he ate it all up! I also added a little bit of calcium since his X-rays came back clear and it’s been almost 2 weeks he hasn’t had calcium since I was concerned about a hard urate problem ! Oh! Also he tried bokchoy for the first time and I think he liked it! (I do have a ? About that. Is it super important he gets organic greens or is nonorganic ok sometimes?? I’ve been trying really hard only to get organic but not many places around sells a lot of the organic greens I need for him so he’s been stuck with a lot of the same stuff :/) today was his first dose of meds and I give him his next dose next Saturday. I will try this medicinal mash again then!

I said I was concerned about humidity and temp when changing from substrate to towels so today after the switch his humidity is around 50-55% (and someone pointed out lower humidity for a month is ok since this is his “getting better” time) and his temp was 101F on the basking side and high 80’s on the cooler side which for Franklin is v hot as he normally is 90 basking and low 80-75 for cool. I lowered his dimmer. It’s probably bc we found out our ac just died today so it was hot throughout the whole house . I’ll have to mess around with his heat again.

He’s been doing his normal routine it seems. He ate his food, hung out under the basking light and when it got too hot moved under his log to nap. I’m a little afraid he’ll start eating the paper towels since his nails have started to shred them up, but I’m watching him. (Under his log his paper towels r COMPLETELY shredded. I think he was trying to burrow ) Should I just leave him only on towels and forget the paper towels ? He doesn’t seem to have an issue with eating things he shouldn’t but I have seen him accidentally eat dirt/try to nibble on things he shouldn’t like his fake plants and rocks (both of which once he realized he can’t eat/doesn’t like the taste of he stops)

I’m working v hard trying to get this stubborn baby better! The worst part I think is just getting him to take the meds which thankfully he eats just about anything I put in front of him BUT heaven forbid I watch him eat. He will refuse to eat if I watch him so I have to leave and hope he eats all his food/medicine ACK. V stressful .

Anyways, thx for everyone’s feedback so far! Yall made me feel so good about how I handled the vet visit and my care for my sick baby thus far! Thank u! I always appreciate the input! And hopefully Franklin will appreciate it too when he’s better haha (I have a feeling now he’s just annoyed with all the vet visits and yucky meds and quarantine tank haha. He just needs to tough it out and get better and THEN I’ll have a nice cool enclosure for him soon!)

View attachment 395767View attachment 395768

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Aw I hope Franklin feels better soon!

For cleaning moving forward with the new enclosure, are you able to buy reptile f10 spray? That’s what we use

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Aw I hope Franklin feels better soon!

For cleaning moving forward with the new enclosure, are you able to buy reptile f10 spray? That’s what we use

F10 desinfectant is a good stuff in general but isn't effective against worms eggs.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

F10 desinfectant is a good stuff in general but isn't effective against worms eggs.

I was more meaning once all this is all over, to keep the new enclosure clean

 

[Liljae9263]

I'm glad he is not too stressed with the change!

Since you placed cloth towels in the tank, they should be changed daily as well. Carefully take out the towels and wash them in the machine at 70C (160F) or higher temperature.

There is no easy way to kill worms eggs with desinfectants (only 95% ethnanol or 10% Betadine are effective when applied for several hours), so I would not rely on them. If you have a hot steam cleaner - it would be effective (yet it's an overkill in your current situation).

I thought I was doing good with my cleaning (

So do I need to reclean everything again ?? (i don’t have those things or no where to get them but I’ll look into it if I need to) He will hopefully have his new table ready by the time he’s better tho so hopefully I can just move him over but I didn’t realize how difficult worm eggs r to clean away. The vet didn’t actually tell me how to clean :/ just to “clean out the whole tank.”

He gets new towels and paper towels everyday. He actually hasn’t gone poop in his tank so far, only pee (which is normally clear) he potty’s in his soak tubs which I have been cleaning Everytime with the dish soap method. The vet said I didn’t really have to change bedding unless he poops (Altho AGAIN I am still changing it all everyday just in case! They were just saying worms hide in the poop, not pee. So if he just pees in there it’s supposedly not an immediate threat of reinfection?? Idk how true this is)

 

[Liljae9263]

Aw I hope Franklin feels better soon!

For cleaning moving forward with the new enclosure, are you able to buy reptile f10 spray? That’s what we use

I’ll look into that spray!

Today tho I caught Franklin eating the paper towels in his tank after I gave him a soak. I immediately removed them and gave him a piece of lettuce and then a small dollop of pumpkin puree bc ik it’s like a natural laxative and he’s been having trouble pottying thx to the worms anyways. I hope he didn’t eat enough to cause a blockage. After he ate the lettuce he moved on to trying to eat his rocks (which he can’t do. Id be surprised if he could break a piece off as they r made of resin/fake rocks and r p sturdy.) I’ve never seen this behavior from him b4 ?? I wonder if the worms r making him hungry and he’s trying to eat whatever he can? Or did me cleaning them make them smell yummy? Or maybe I just never noticed him eating dirt b4. Idk. Anyways, not sure what to do about this! Is it ok to add more food? Normally I give him just a big pile that fits on his terracotta saucer and that’s enough for him. Sometimes after a soak I’ll give him a piece of lettuce but never more. Idk (

Also as I said b4, our ac is busted and won’t be looked at till next week. I’ve been trying to keep Franklin from getting too hot during the daytime but his tank was at 90 today . I’ve turned the ceramic off and put two fans on in the room and whenever I read the floor with my heat gun it’s all 90 ish, cool side high 80s. I’m sure this is too hot for baby boy. I’m not sure how to remedy this. Im gonna buy a Bluetooth thermostat (as rn he just has a dimmer so when im at work i cant change it or check on him.) hopefully this way it won’t get so hot without my knowledge. Ack. They house gets up to high 80s and stays there without ac even with fans and windows open so it’s not much better for us. I just hope it’s not REALLY hurting him!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I thought I was doing good with my cleaning (

So do I need to reclean everything again ?? (i don’t have those things or no where to get them but I’ll look into it if I need to) He will hopefully have his new table ready by the time he’s better tho so hopefully I can just move him over but I didn’t realize how difficult worm eggs r to clean away. The vet didn’t actually tell me how to clean :/ just to “clean out the whole tank.”

He gets new towels and paper towels everyday. He actually hasn’t gone poop in his tank so far, only pee (which is normally clear) he potty’s in his soak tubs which I have been cleaning Everytime with the dish soap method. The vet said I didn’t really have to change bedding unless he poops (Altho AGAIN I am still changing it all everyday just in case! They were just saying worms hide in the poop, not pee. So if he just pees in there it’s supposedly not an immediate threat of reinfection?? Idk how true this is)

1. We are not dealing with a deadly infection here, we try to reduce probability of reinfestation.

2. Worms and eggs are in poop, that's right. However, tortoises have cloaca where everything mixes up and it's not sterile. But chances of dropping worm eggs and eating them again are very low.

All in all, what you do now is sufficient now.

To control temperatures you need to adjust the thermostat (the "dimmer"): if it's properly set up - you don't have to turn off ceramic heater manually. If you want to check temperatures when you are away, you need a temperature/humidity sensor with Wi-Fi function: Bluetooth only works when your phone is nearby, within 30ft or so. Some sensors need a special device (hub or gateway) - sensor itself connects to a hub and hub connects to the Internet through your home Wi-Fi.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I’ll look into that spray!

Today tho I caught Franklin eating the paper towels in his tank after I gave him a soak. I immediately removed them and gave him a piece of lettuce and then a small dollop of pumpkin puree bc ik it’s like a natural laxative and he’s been having trouble pottying thx to the worms anyways. I hope he didn’t eat enough to cause a blockage. After he ate the lettuce he moved on to trying to eat his rocks (which he can’t do. Id be surprised if he could break a piece off as they r made of resin/fake rocks and r p sturdy.) I’ve never seen this behavior from him b4 ?? I wonder if the worms r making him hungry and he’s trying to eat whatever he can? Or did me cleaning them make them smell yummy? Or maybe I just never noticed him eating dirt b4. Idk. Anyways, not sure what to do about this! Is it ok to add more food? Normally I give him just a big pile that fits on his terracotta saucer and that’s enough for him. Sometimes after a soak I’ll give him a piece of lettuce but never more. Idk (

Also as I said b4, our ac is busted and won’t be looked at till next week. I’ve been trying to keep Franklin from getting too hot during the daytime but his tank was at 90 today . I’ve turned the ceramic off and put two fans on in the room and whenever I read the floor with my heat gun it’s all 90 ish, cool side high 80s. I’m sure this is too hot for baby boy. I’m not sure how to remedy this. Im gonna buy a Bluetooth thermostat (as rn he just has a dimmer so when im at work i cant change it or check on him.) hopefully this way it won’t get so hot without my knowledge. Ack. They house gets up to high 80s and stays there without ac even with fans and windows open so it’s not much better for us. I just hope it’s not REALLY hurting him!

Eating rocks or substrate can be caused by mineral imbalance. A supplement like Miner-All would eliminate this reason.

 

[Liljae9263]

1. We are not dealing with a deadly infection here, we try to reduce probability of reinfestation.

2. Worms and eggs are in poop, that's right. However, tortoises have cloaca where everything mixes up and it's not sterile. But chances of dropping worm eggs and eating them again are very low.

All in all, what you do now is sufficient now.

To control temperatures you need to adjust the thermostat (the "dimmer"): if it's properly set up - you don't have to turn off ceramic heater manually. If you want to check temperatures when you are away, you need a temperature/humidity sensor with Wi-Fi function: Bluetooth only works when your phone is nearby, within 30ft or so. Some sensors need a special device (hub or gateway) - sensor itself connects to a hub and hub connects to the Internet through your home Wi-Fi.

The dimmer only has a high setting. So it’ll heat till as high as u say, so I’ve been changing it every morning and night. With the ac broken his tank has been stuck at high 70’s during night time, high 80’s-90’s during daytime. (Normally with the ac working it’s basking is 90ish and cool 80 so he can have room to cool off. Rn he doesn’t ) I’m trying a new tactic today and just keeping the ceramic off. I assume with the regular dayheat and his lights it’ll warm up regardless. I do have a WiFi thermometer so I can keep an eye on his temps at work. I can also turn on and off his lights from work, I just can’t adjust the dimmer, so if I need to I’ll turn his ceramic back on from work. It is already set low. It’s supposed to get 80 today tho so it should be hot enough for him. I have a fan running in there too just in case.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

The dimmer only has a high setting. So it’ll heat till as high as u say, so I’ve been changing it every morning and night. With the ac broken his tank has been stuck at high 70’s during night time, high 80’s-90’s during daytime. (Normally with the ac working it’s basking is 90ish and cool 80 so he can have room to cool off. Rn he doesn’t ) I’m trying a new tactic today and just keeping the ceramic off. I assume with the regular dayheat and his lights it’ll warm up regardless. I do have a WiFi thermometer so I can keep an eye on his temps at work. I can also turn on and off his lights from work, I just can’t adjust the dimmer, so if I need to I’ll turn his ceramic back on from work. It is already set low. It’s supposed to get 80 today tho so it should be hot enough for him. I have a fan running in there too just in case.

You can plug thermostat into "smart socket" and turn it on and off.

Set thermostat to 75F and ceramic heater will be off when temperatures are higher. No need to adjust it for day/night. During the day lights (UVB and basking lamp) should give enough heat.

 

[Liljae9263]

Eating rocks or substrate can be caused by mineral imbalance. A supplement like Miner-All would eliminate this reason.

Is this like what ur talking about?? Is this safe for a 2 ish year old Hermann’s tortoise ??

And if so do I just give a pinch of this once a week or so like the calcium? And is it over doing it if I do this AND the calcium one day or should I space them out from each other?? Ik he gets a good bit of calcium but idk about vit a or any other nutrients he needs :/

Also I feed him Mazuri pellets every day, is it supposed to be less than that? I only give him maybe 1-2 tsp of it but it gives him the fiber he needs to go potty as I feed him grocery store foods. I’m still working on getting some more natural weeds and grasses for him but it’s still taking a min! Just tryna get something good for him now till I can move him up to better in the future!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

View attachment 395877

Is this like what ur talking about?? Is this safe for a 2 ish year old Hermann’s tortoise ??

And if so do I just give a pinch of this once a week or so like the calcium? And is it over doing it if I do this AND the calcium one day or should I space them out from each other?? Ik he gets a good bit of calcium but idk about vit a or any other nutrients he needs :/

Also I feed him Mazuri pellets every day, is it supposed to be less than that? I only give him maybe 1-2 tsp of it but it gives him the fiber he needs to go potty as I feed him grocery store foods. I’m still working on getting some more natural weeds and grasses for him but it’s still taking a min! Just tryna get something good for him now till I can move him up to better in the future!

Yep, this is what I am talking about. I don't think you need to give calcium with this, but let's see what @Yvonne G or @Tom say about the dosage.

 

[Tom]

This morning I got Franklins quarantine tank set up! My mom was kind enough to watch Franklin soak while I cleaned out his tank. (He did not go potty at all in there but I add that up to being a morning soak right when he woke up as he’s usually used to a late afternoon soak! He also went potty a good bit yesterday haha)

So I completely cleared the dirt from his tank (I was a little sad bc I had a nice colony of spring tails in there but the dirt was contaminated so I had to do right by Franklin and get rid of it). I took a rag with the tiniest drop of dish soap to wash everything down and then rinsed and towel dried. I let it air dry a little as well. (I hope the small bit of dish soap was fine. I looked it up a while back that said a little bit is fine and I have washed his tank and decor like that b4 and haven’t seen any ill side effects from it. Plz lmk! Otherwise idk what to use to clean his enclosure as hopefully soon he’ll be in a wooden one so like how do u clean that???) after that I washed some of his decor too, some flat stones, his log hide, and two fake plants. I wiped his hygrometer/theromometers with alcohol v lightly in case they also needed disinfecting. I also cleaned out his soak tubs b4 he was soaked and will clean them out everyday to ensure he doesn’t get sick from those! I cleaned out his food and water dish too!

Then I layered two towels in the tank and laid a BUNCH of paper towels on top! (I had to buy extra paper towels bc I’m sure I’ll go thro them fast having to change them everyday for a month! Thankfully we already have a bunch of spare towels to use haha) Franklins checked out the new tank and seemed to not care too much. He did start trying to eat the flat rocks which he’s never done b4???? It could have been just bc he was hungry (I withheld food longer than usual today bc of the cleaning and soaking) but I will keep an eye on this. The rocks aren’t big enough for him to ingest anyways (and I’d be surprised if he could break off a piece. I just have them in there to help retain heat on the bottom and give him something hard to walk on for his nails.)

For the meds I did mix them up in his mashed pellets. At first I tried to feed him just the mash and two tiny pieces of lettuce thinking this would trick him into eating all the mash immediately and then I’d give him more food as I was trying to ensure Franklin ate his meds. He ate the lettuce and ignored the pellets . So instead I filled his bowl with his favorite greens and then slathered the medicine filled mash all over the greens (I made layers on layers of it so it was really well mixed) and he ate it all up! I also added a little bit of calcium since his X-rays came back clear and it’s been almost 2 weeks he hasn’t had calcium since I was concerned about a hard urate problem ! Oh! Also he tried bokchoy for the first time and I think he liked it! (I do have a ? About that. Is it super important he gets organic greens or is nonorganic ok sometimes?? I’ve been trying really hard only to get organic but not many places around sells a lot of the organic greens I need for him so he’s been stuck with a lot of the same stuff :/) today was his first dose of meds and I give him his next dose next Saturday. I will try this medicinal mash again then!

I said I was concerned about humidity and temp when changing from substrate to towels so today after the switch his humidity is around 50-55% (and someone pointed out lower humidity for a month is ok since this is his “getting better” time) and his temp was 101F on the basking side and high 80’s on the cooler side which for Franklin is v hot as he normally is 90 basking and low 80-75 for cool. I lowered his dimmer. It’s probably bc we found out our ac just died today so it was hot throughout the whole house . I’ll have to mess around with his heat again.

He’s been doing his normal routine it seems. He ate his food, hung out under the basking light and when it got too hot moved under his log to nap. I’m a little afraid he’ll start eating the paper towels since his nails have started to shred them up, but I’m watching him. (Under his log his paper towels r COMPLETELY shredded. I think he was trying to burrow ) Should I just leave him only on towels and forget the paper towels ? He doesn’t seem to have an issue with eating things he shouldn’t but I have seen him accidentally eat dirt/try to nibble on things he shouldn’t like his fake plants and rocks (both of which once he realized he can’t eat/doesn’t like the taste of he stops)

I’m working v hard trying to get this stubborn baby better! The worst part I think is just getting him to take the meds which thankfully he eats just about anything I put in front of him BUT heaven forbid I watch him eat. He will refuse to eat if I watch him so I have to leave and hope he eats all his food/medicine ACK. V stressful .

Anyways, thx for everyone’s feedback so far! Yall made me feel so good about how I handled the vet visit and my care for my sick baby thus far! Thank u! I always appreciate the input! And hopefully Franklin will appreciate it too when he’s better haha (I have a feeling now he’s just annoyed with all the vet visits and yucky meds and quarantine tank haha. He just needs to tough it out and get better and THEN I’ll have a nice cool enclosure for him soon!)

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-You cleaned out the dirt? You were using dirt?

-How was the dirt contaminated? Contaminated with what?

-The dish soap is totally safe after rinsing, but dish soap doesn't disinfect anything.

-Why would the soaking tubs make him sick? I feel like we are missing part of the story here...

-I wouldn't recommend a wooden enclosure. Wood rots and it can't be disinfected. Get something made from material that is impervious to water and doesn't hold pathogens.

-Why are you quarantining him? I wouldn't recommend towels or paper towels. They will eat them in some cases.

-Mazuri should only be fed a couple of times a week. If that works to deliver oral meds then use it every day until the meds are done. Getting oral meds into tortoises is very difficult. I don't bother. I use other methods. What are you medicating him for?

-Calcium does not cause urates or bladder stones. Those are caused by protein digestion and dehydration. Keep him well hydrated by soaking and that will prevent urate formation.

-I've never bothered with organic greens. Some people prefer them and think they are better over the long term. You will have to choose for yourself.

 

[Liljae9263]

-You cleaned out the dirt? You were using dirt?

-How was the dirt contaminated? Contaminated with what?

-The dish soap is totally safe after rinsing, but dish soap doesn't disinfect anything.

-Why would the soaking tubs make him sick? I feel like we are missing part of the story here...

-I wouldn't recommend a wooden enclosure. Wood rots and it can't be disinfected. Get something made from material that is impervious to water and doesn't hold pathogens.

-Why are you quarantining him? I wouldn't recommend towels or paper towels. They will eat them in some cases.

-Mazuri should only be fed a couple of times a week. If that works to deliver oral meds then use it every day until the meds are done. Getting oral meds into tortoises is very difficult. I don't bother. I use other methods. What are you medicating him for?

-Calcium does not cause urates or bladder stones. Those are caused by protein digestion and dehydration. Keep him well hydrated by soaking and that will prevent urate formation.

-I've never bothered with organic greens. Some people prefer them and think they are better over the long term. You will have to choose for yourself.

I had him on cocoa fiber and coco chips (ik whenever I put in the new stuff it’ll be a packed layer of cocoa fiber and then bark chips on top.)

Franklin has round worm and I was Instructed to completely clean his tank and start giving him panacur once a week. So I took all his substrate out, cleaned everything down with dish soap (this was the only thing I knew to clean with At the time. The vet gave me no instruction on HOW to clean) and then put towels in there instead of having to change substrate everyday, I just change the towels. That’s what was recommended on here. This way Franklin hopefully doesn’t get infested with worms WHILE he’s trying to get rid of them. I’m trying to limit his exposure rate ig. I was just afraid the soaking tubs had worm eggs if I didn’t clean them out everyday after his soak as he goes potty in them. And yea I removed the paper towels as he was eating them. He’s just on regular bath towels which he seems to be doing fine on now.

I was informed a while back he needs a big enclosure with an enclosed lid and showed some pictures as guides on this forum. Most looked made of wood and what I based my design off for his new enclosure. I haven’t finished it yet, tho it’s almost complete. We plan to seal it and I have a big thick pond liner for the bottom! I just needed something bigger for Franklin that could hold humidity for him now since he’s been stuck in a glass tank for longer than expected. Once he’s moved in I will immediately make plans for an even bigger and better enclosure. This endeavor has been so infuriating and stressful I don’t wanna wait to start the next enclosure b4 it’s too late :/

And I was under the assumption he needed pellets EVERYDAY to help with fiber so that’s what I was doing :/ oops. I’ll cut it back to every other day or less. I do use that for him to take his meds rn tho!

I soak him everyday for an hour rn. He still seems to get decent sized urates every now and then (this could be bc he doesn’t have the humidity he needs rn).

Since I have u I’ll ask about this as well: today Franklin freaked me out really bad. Our ac died so we have no air or heating rn (and prob for a while :/) I’ve been rushing home everyday to make sure he wasn’t baking as it was getting 90 in his tank overall. (It’s been high 80’s most of last week and this week) then all the sudden yesterday it goes into low 70’s. As suggested by someone on here, I can just leave my dimmer on 75 (that’s on my ceramic) and then that plus the other lights will heat his tank up (as everyday I was boosting his dimmer on the ceramic to make sure the rest of the tank stayed warm.) tried that today. I have a camera to keep an eye on Franklin while I’m at work. ALL DAY he didn’t move from the corner he slept in last night. I rushed home, expecting the worse. Once I prod him, he gets up. I had to get him new food since he didn’t touch his salad and it all wilted. He’s FINALLY eating. It said his basking was at 90 (where he was sitting high 80’s) and 75 for cool (where the probe for the dimmer is) I bumped his dimmer to 80 when I got home to warm up the rest of the tank a little. Idk if he was there all day bc he was cold? Altho his tank has been this cold all day b4 and he’s never done this. Hes normally up at moving by 7. And yesterday and today he’s been… slower. What could cause that? I’m really concerned .

I’m wondering if he has an RI? But like he’s had no mucus show at all, no mouth breathing, tongue is still pink, appetite is fine, and activity levels fine (up until yesterday). He whistles when he breathes sometimes but not all the time. I’ve noticed it’s only when I mess with him so I assumed it’s from stress and this has been something he’s been doing for like 3 months now? Almost as long as I’ve had him. THE VET HAS LOOKED HIM OVER FOR THIS ISSUE. He didn’t seem concerned about it so I assumed it meant Franklin does NOT have an RI. I saw something on this forum that said if u suspect the beginning of an RI to boost the temp, bc high heat helps with that? Well this week like I said it was all 90 and he acted the same p much. Rn he’s blowing air out his nose a good bit, like huffing?? I’ve never heard that b4. And I was concerned his eyes were getting puffy but I honestly can’t tell.

Or maybe it’s not an RI and he’s just sleepy from the meds ? Ik they can do that? He only got the first dose sat (his next one is tomorrow). Idk what could have caused this.

Every turn I make it seems I’m doing something wrong. Even when I try to fix it I’m wrong. I get told diff things back and forth. Ugh. I just want to do good by my baby!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

I had him on cocoa fiber and coco chips (ik whenever I put in the new stuff it’ll be a packed layer of cocoa fiber and then bark chips on top.)

Franklin has round worm and I was Instructed to completely clean his tank and start giving him panacur once a week. So I took all his substrate out, cleaned everything down with dish soap (this was the only thing I knew to clean with At the time. The vet gave me no instruction on HOW to clean) and then put towels in there instead of having to change substrate everyday, I just change the towels. That’s what was recommended on here. This way Franklin hopefully doesn’t get infested with worms WHILE he’s trying to get rid of them. I’m trying to limit his exposure rate ig. I was just afraid the soaking tubs had worm eggs if I didn’t clean them out everyday after his soak as he goes potty in them. And yea I removed the paper towels as he was eating them. He’s just on regular bath towels which he seems to be doing fine on now.

I was informed a while back he needs a big enclosure with an enclosed lid and showed some pictures as guides on this forum. Most looked made of wood and what I based my design off for his new enclosure. I haven’t finished it yet, tho it’s almost complete. We plan to seal it and I have a big thick pond liner for the bottom! I just needed something bigger for Franklin that could hold humidity for him now since he’s been stuck in a glass tank for longer than expected. Once he’s moved in I will immediately make plans for an even bigger and better enclosure. This endeavor has been so infuriating and stressful I don’t wanna wait to start the next enclosure b4 it’s too late :/

And I was under the assumption he needed pellets EVERYDAY to help with fiber so that’s what I was doing :/ oops. I’ll cut it back to every other day or less. I do use that for him to take his meds rn tho!

I soak him everyday for an hour rn. He still seems to get decent sized urates every now and then (this could be bc he doesn’t have the humidity he needs rn).

Since I have u I’ll ask about this as well: today Franklin freaked me out really bad. Our ac died so we have no air or heating rn (and prob for a while :/) I’ve been rushing home everyday to make sure he wasn’t baking as it was getting 90 in his tank overall. (It’s been high 80’s most of last week and this week) then all the sudden yesterday it goes into low 70’s. As suggested by someone on here, I can just leave my dimmer on 75 (that’s on my ceramic) and then that plus the other lights will heat his tank up (as everyday I was boosting his dimmer on the ceramic to make sure the rest of the tank stayed warm.) tried that today. I have a camera to keep an eye on Franklin while I’m at work. ALL DAY he didn’t move from the corner he slept in last night. I rushed home, expecting the worse. Once I prod him, he gets up. I had to get him new food since he didn’t touch his salad and it all wilted. He’s FINALLY eating. It said his basking was at 90 (where he was sitting high 80’s) and 75 for cool (where the probe for the dimmer is) I bumped his dimmer to 80 when I got home to warm up the rest of the tank a little. Idk if he was there all day bc he was cold? Altho his tank has been this cold all day b4 and he’s never done this. Hes normally up at moving by 7. And yesterday and today he’s been… slower. What could cause that? I’m really concerned .

I’m wondering if he has an RI? But like he’s had no mucus show at all, no mouth breathing, tongue is still pink, appetite is fine, and activity levels fine (up until yesterday). He whistles when he breathes sometimes but not all the time. I’ve noticed it’s only when I mess with him so I assumed it’s from stress and this has been something he’s been doing for like 3 months now? Almost as long as I’ve had him. THE VET HAS LOOKED HIM OVER FOR THIS ISSUE. He didn’t seem concerned about it so I assumed it meant Franklin does NOT have an RI. I saw something on this forum that said if u suspect the beginning of an RI to boost the temp, bc high heat helps with that? Well this week like I said it was all 90 and he acted the same p much. Rn he’s blowing air out his nose a good bit, like huffing?? I’ve never heard that b4. And I was concerned his eyes were getting puffy but I honestly can’t tell.

Or maybe it’s not an RI and he’s just sleepy from the meds ? Ik they can do that? He only got the first dose sat (his next one is tomorrow). Idk what could have caused this.

Every turn I make it seems I’m doing something wrong. Even when I try to fix it I’m wrong. I get told diff things back and forth. Ugh. I just want to do good by my baby!

Hello sorry I’ve completely overlooked replying to this thread!!

You’re doing great please don’t stressTom likely hasn’t seen all your other posts and so was trying to get a better understanding of your individual situation.

I think sticking with the bath towels is a good shout if he was eating the paper ones.

With the wooden enclosure, that’s absolutely fine so long as you’re using a good liner to ensure no substrate is sitting directly on the wood. Is using something like pvc boards better to ensure you never have to deal with a moisture issue? Yes, but many people don’t have that material as readily available to them for cheap, there’s plenty of folks out there with wooden set ups, so long as you protect/seal them correctly, they can last many years

Pellets aren’t an everyday day thing, but fine to use daily if it’s the only way he’ll eat his meds at the moment.

To me it sounds like he was just chilling, he probably is feeling/acting a bit off cause of the current meds&changes, remember these guys hate changes, you’ve had to make changes to your set up lately until he’s over the worms, I don’t think you need to worry about an RI or anything just yet, he’s going to be a bit off until everything is back to normal for him.

You ARE doing good by your baby

 

[zolasmum]

I am not an expert, and don't want to comment about what you have been told by those who are, but what I would like to say is that Franklin is lucky to have such a caring parent - he will get over all this, I'm sure, and will settle down into a healthy routine - you are always going to worry about him a bit, because you want him to have the perfect life - but that's normal for a parent ! I still worry about our little Zola after having him for 25 years, even now !
Very best wishes from Angie

 

[Liljae9263]

Hello sorry I’ve completely overlooked replying to this thread!!

You’re doing great please don’t stressTom likely hasn’t seen all your other posts and so was trying to get a better understanding of your individual situation.

I think sticking with the bath towels is a good shout if he was eating the paper ones.

With the wooden enclosure, that’s absolutely fine so long as you’re using a good liner to ensure no substrate is sitting directly on the wood. Is using something like pvc boards better to ensure you never have to deal with a moisture issue? Yes, but many people don’t have that material as readily available to them for cheap, there’s plenty of folks out there with wooden set ups, so long as you protect/seal them correctly, they can last many years

Pellets aren’t an everyday day thing, but fine to use daily if it’s the only way he’ll eat his meds at the moment.

To me it sounds like he was just chilling, he probably is feeling/acting a bit off cause of the current meds&changes, remember these guys hate changes, you’ve had to make changes to your set up lately until he’s over the worms, I don’t think you need to worry about an RI or anything just yet, he’s going to be a bit off until everything is back to normal for him.

You ARE doing good by your baby

Thank u so much! U r always SO kind to me u always make me feel better/ less paranoid and stressed whenever u reply. (Ik that’s like all my posts r ahskabaj, but STILL! Thank u!)

I gave Franklin a soak since I posted that most recent reply. He pottied and he ate a good bit afterwards as well. I think it helped to warm him up (if he was cold but I really doubt he was) at the v least it helped hydrate him up!

yea, I’ll just keep an eye on him. (I’m so glad I got the camera! For the most part it helps my anxiety to be able to check on him at work )

Tomorrow is his next meds dose so I’ll have to really watch him for any more big changes but ur right, there has been a lot of changes. I forget tortoises naturally r grumpy about that since Franklin is so tolerate with so much. Ur right, he prob is a little upset with 1. Being sick, 2. Hour long soaks, 3. Having no substrate to burrow in, 4. The ac being busted causing temp inconsistencies. He is still just a baby.

I wonder how to no when/if the meds r working besides just a poop sample?? It always looks the same and he acts p much the same. I’ll just keep at it and hope for the best. All I can do is wait and see. <3

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank u so much! U r always SO kind to me u always make me feel better/ less paranoid and stressed whenever u reply. (Ik that’s like all my posts r ahskabaj, but STILL! Thank u!)

I gave Franklin a soak since I posted that most recent reply. He pottied and he ate a good bit afterwards as well. I think it helped to warm him up (if he was cold but I really doubt he was) at the v least it helped hydrate him up!

yea, I’ll just keep an eye on him. (I’m so glad I got the camera! For the most part it helps my anxiety to be able to check on him at work )

Tomorrow is his next meds dose so I’ll have to really watch him for any more big changes but ur right, there has been a lot of changes. I forget tortoises naturally r grumpy about that since Franklin is so tolerate with so much. Ur right, he prob is a little upset with 1. Being sick, 2. Hour long soaks, 3. Having no substrate to burrow in, 4. The ac being busted causing temp inconsistencies. He is still just a baby.

I wonder how to no when/if the meds r working besides just a poop sample?? It always looks the same and he acts p much the same. I’ll just keep at it and hope for the best. All I can do is wait and see. <3

Any time honestly! I’m sorry I overlooked it till now! I was juggling a few others and didn’t realise I never responded here

Sounds good, they always seem to get an appetite boost after a soakif he ever starts refusing the meds again, offering it after a soak isn’t a bad idea to try.

It’s so easy to get worked up over these things, there’s been many a time I’ve been sat staring at our red foot, convinced something is wrong with her, literally crying my eyes out, and she’s just sat there like ‘girl can you just chill’she’s always been fine in the endI think I get more stressed than she does lmao.

Franklin will be a bit out of sorts and grumpy until this is all over, heck the grumpiness is likely for life with a tortoisebut he will definitely perk up
He’ll have another hurdle coming up moving into the new set up, it’s 1000% a positive change he’s going to reap the benefits of! But he’s not going to realise that at first, they hate the changes, even positive ones, to him it’ll be a whole new territory to navigate, he’ll likely be stressed/may go off food until he settles in, but once he does, you get to sit back and watch him enjoy his new spacethere may be more stress(and tears) to come, when we upgraded our red foot, she started presenting with RI symptoms, took her to the vet, turns out she was fine and just a stress response, but my god was I a statemy point is, all us tortoise parents have these freak outs, some of us feel it more than others for sure, I’m definitely one of them lol, so I want you to know, I’m always here for support and to reassure you in any way I can

The best and most definitive way to know the meds have worked will be another sample check.

Franklin is so lucky to be so loved! We’re all here rooting for you!