Mouth rot?

Lillyoshea

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Nov 24, 2016
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Hi my red foot tortoise has been struggling to eat, she hasn’t eaten properly in two days. I went to give her a bath today and I noticed her mouth looked a bit dirty so I’ve open up her mouth and her tongue is pinkish orange? And the top of her mouth is really swollen, I couldn’t see the back of her throat. I bath her everyday and she last pooped about 2/3 days ago. I feed her weeds, fresh vegetables and occasionally chicken and fruit. And she’s been having some unusual behaviour like digging and sleeping in soil instead of her bed and she’s gotten really quiet. I’ve managed to help her eat a dandelion leaf and bit of plantain today but that’s it.
 

Yvonne G

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Mouth rot looks like a mouth full of cheese:

upload_2019-10-18_11-30-10.jpeg

The nasal passages go from the nose into the roof of a tortoise's mouth. Maybe he has something stuck in his nose???? You can buy squirt bottles of sterile saline solution in the contact lens department of the pharmacy. Give several strong squirts of saline into each nostril and see if you can clear the nasal passages. It sounds like your tortoise may benefit from an experienced tortoise vet having a look in his mouth.
 

ZEROPILOT

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Is he kept outside where he could've gotten into fire ants.
Does he roam around the house where he could've encountered any number of things?

He eats fruit.
You only offer it as a treat.
You DO know that a diet of 60% fruit is perfectly fine for a Redfoot. (NOT FOR ANY OTHER SPECIES)
So for now, feed him what he wants. Fruit. And keep an eye on his mouth.
Hopefully he'll get his strength back and his mouth will heal all together.
In the next few days, if the mouth looks worse. Or if he stops eating...See your vet.
 

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