my baby RF is sick (i think)

[turtletania]

She came to us on Wed and settled right away. She ate really well on Thurs/Fri/Sat.... but now she isn't eating and has fluid all around her neck and face. There were a few bubbles on the nose about an hour ago.... so is this an early sign? What can I do?

 

[matt41gb]

Give us an idea of how you're keeping her, temps/humidity/type of enclosure. The "fluid", are you referring to nasal discharge, or the normal bubbles around the eye? How old is she? Adults with a bit of nasal discharge usually do just fine after you correct their husbandry requirements. Young red-foots need a bit more care since they have such a weak immune system.

-Matt

 

[turtletania]

i have her in this set up:

Her stats are: 80 degrees.... and 85 humidity.

She is about 4 months old (according to the breeder) This shows her size.

I have been feeding her spring mix since she arrived.
I hope this is all ok.

 

[dmmj]

Is it possible she got a hold of one of those plants above her enclosure? I thought i saw what looked like ornamental chilis in the top of the pic left hand side.

 

[turtletania]

no chance she got those. Any other ideas?

 

[Laura]

Change the substrate to more of a soil.
I think it needs to be warmer.
Have you contacted the breeder? What do they say? Are the other animals in thier care healthy?
What type of lighting and heat? Rf dont like a lot of light.. but they do need warmth. Some lights actually hurt torts eyes.

 

[Yvonne G]

Sometimes a lot of saliva around the head and neck is the tortoise's way of cooling themselves down. Can your baby be too hot?

 

[tortoisenerd]

As a precaution I'd try to find a good tort vet to take her to Monday. Are you measuring the temps at the substrate level? I'd make sure you are using an accurate thermometer like a temp gun, not just something mounted on the side of enclosure. If you have heat bulbs going it can be much hotter at the substrate level. What type of heating and lighting? Too wet can be bad. You want moist with some times of day more misty, but not a constant layer of water in the enclosure. Providing more hides, some more moist than others, may be a good idea. More hiding places such as by the food can entice a tort to eat as they feel safe. You can place the tort in front of the food once or twice a day too. The eyes don't look good. Does she have them closed all the time? The bubbles can be a sign of a respiratory infection among other things.

 

[Madkins007]

Well... it could be a few things- dehydration, respiratory infection, etc.

Try this:

First, let's see if we can boost the temps and humidity a bit. Get the warmest point up to almost 90F (a bit warm normally, but a little warmth helps ill torts) and boost humidity overall with a couple more humid spots- without letting the substrate feel 'wet'.

One easy way to do that may be to cover most of the habitat. If the cypress is thick enough, you can wet the bottom layers and let the heat make it evaporate and rise as humidity. There are other posts to help with humidity if you need.

When the temp and humidity are OK, let us know how things look!

 

[turtletania]

Thanks everyone.
Unfortunately I can not contact the breeder.... she just came with a note saying "this tortoise born April, 2010" - I live in Asia! I got Dixie and a Star off the same breeder and no problems at all. (I can PM a full explanation if needed)

What I have done is put a heat mat under the substrate to raise the temps.
So where the hide is it is now 90d.

I read in other threads not to put lights on RFs. So I don't have any lights. She is by a window, but the other side is a huge covered carpark (for 3 vehicles) so there is no direct sunlight either.

She does have her eyes closed most of the time at the moment. I can not get her to a vet until tomorrow and he is 150km away. He is not a tort/turt expert but he does have the antibiotics.
I was already misting 2 times a day to keep the humidity up.
I have put a cover over the hide end to help too.

Anything else please? I really want to help her.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Can you get the temps like that without a heat mat? Eyes closed most of the time does not sound good. If you drove a bit further would there be any tort vets? Bummer. We can check off bright lights as a cause. Has the shell softened since you got the tort?

 

[turtletania]

No her shell is still the same. And she is still very strong. I decided to try to give her a drop of antibiotics I already have (from another tort only 3 weeks ago) and she really put up a fight. (But still didn't open her eyes)
I will work on getting the temps up without the mat. There are no tort vets here unfortunately. I live on the island of Borneo in Asia. So that vet is the only option I have without resorting to flying to another country!
I am now at work, and have a friend watching her to see if she opens her eyes or eats while I am at work.

Will warm baths help? Holding? Vitamin or carrot baths (i have heard in other threads)?

 

[Yvonne G]

A sick tortoise always feels better in a warm bath. You can allow a good long soak, as long as someone is there to keep an eye on the tortoise to be sure it doesn't get into trouble.

 

[turtletania]

Ok, I just got home and have given her a nice warm bath. She has opened her eyes and is wandering a little bit. I will continue the baths and have got the humidity up to 90 but still with the heat mat - just now it is on the side not the bottom.
She hasn't eaten at all today - so I will still make the drive tomorrow to the vet to get the antibiotics.

 

[HarleyK]

What kind of substrate/wood is that?

 

[turtletania]

coconut coir and peat

 

[turtletania]

Ok, so she has been with us for a week now....and still isn't eating well... .maybe one bite a day. She doesn't walk around much at all.
I have been giving her the warm baths, antiobiotics 2 x daily, high humidity, spraying etc.

But she just doesn't seem to be getting better or worse.... as I am new to the RF world I am no longer sure what to think or do.

Giving her the biots is hard as she really fights, which I think is a good thing, but is it?

Any other ideas of suggestions very welcome.

 

[Tuggle]

try user name Redfoot NERD --- terry k i believe from reading on here.... seems to be an expert and possibly your best bet .. his site http://www.turtletary.com/main.htm

 

[turtletania]

Harley - it was coconut coir (but it was only there for 3 days) before I changed it to soil mix. BUT unfortunately Cherry didn't make it.... you can see the thread:
http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-update-on-my-RF-Cheery

I am very sad about it. But in her short time with me I did everything I could for her.