My tortoise is sick

[lovelywithfour]

I have a 6 month old red footed tortoise. Just yesterday I noticed that he/she has stopped eating. I try and soak in warm water every day, but he wants to run out of warm water and go into hide. The warmer side of his enclosure is around 81-82 degrees and the cooler side ranges from 71-76 degrees. He's been laying directly under the heat lamp. I know for a fact it's warmer than 82 degrees directly under it. Only just now did I notice that he has bubbles coming out of nose and appears to be struggling to breathe. I do not have exotic vets near me. What can I do at home? He is as warm as I can get him and he has a constant fogger going on in his enclosure with a bowl of water

 

[wellington]

Raise the temp to 84-85 all over day and night.
There should be no cool side.
@ZEROPILOT

 

[lovelywithfour]

Ok. I now have his che light (60 watt) and his day bulb both on. His enclosure is reading 86 degrees. I have the cool side blocked off entirely. Should I continue to run the fogger? It's 20 degrees outside and will be dropping temps to single digits in next 3-4 days

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Ok. I now have his che light (60 watt) and his day bulb both on. His enclosure is reading 86 degrees. I have the cool side blocked off entirely. Should I continue to run the fogger? It's 20 degrees outside and will be dropping temps to single digits in next 3-4 days

I assume, if you use fogger you have an open top enclosure (a table or a tank with a meshed top)? If so, you need to make a cover (like portable greenhouse top) or cover mesh with tin foil. This will make controlling temperatures and humidity much easier. If you have a glass tank you can also add insulation (like polystyrene) to the walls

 

[lovelywithfour]

I assume, if you use fogger you have an open top enclosure (a table or a tank with a meshed top)? If so, you need to make a cover (like portable greenhouse top) or cover mesh with tin foil. This will make controlling temperatures and humidity much easier. If you have a glass tank you can also add insulation (like polystyrene) to the walls

I do have an open mesh top. His enclosure is 2.5 feet by 3 feet. I have 2 plastic tops taped together to cover. He has about 2-3 inches on one side to let in air. It hold heat and humidity quite well. What else can I do? Also, should his fogger be going until he gets well? I will call vet on Monday morning to see if I can get antibiotics

 

[COmtnLady]

Welcome to The Forum!

You have found the best tortoise info site anywhere online. Here has the best most up-to-date info, plus there are a lot of decades of expert tortoise keeping represented by the various members here. Everyone will do their best to help you help your tortoise to have a happy healthy life.
.
For your own peace of mind don't listen to the "advice" given by other sources (like: pet shops, social media sites, People at reptile shows, many of the YouTube videos, and even most Veterinarians). They're still using old info that doesn't work as well as what you'll find here.

Study the info in the links offered. All those head-exploding details will show you how to help your tortoise to thrive.

And, ask a lot of questions.

Hint: Run it by the experts before you buy new equipment or whatever - their expertise will save you a lot of stress and money.


Have you had a chance to read this yet?

Info For New People. Please Read This First.​

_________________________________________________________________________________________________





Please post pictures of the enclosure you keep your tortoise in and pictures of your tortoise. It will help us figure out why your tortoise is ill and how to fix the problem.



When you soak a tortoise you need to put it into something deep enough that it CAN'T climb out of it. I use a sink, but others use plastic bins and bowls. Some use two bins so that when the first one is too cold you move the tortoise into the warm one and get more warm water in the first bin for as soon as the second one cools down too much. The water HAS TO BE KEPT WARM, not hot but not cold, and should be only as deep as where the top and bottom of your tortoise's shells come together. The tortoise needs to soak a half hour or longer, every day. You need to watch very closely because since the water is so shallow it will get too cold very quickly, and it is important that your tortoise is in warm water at all times. Change the water frequently to keep it warm enough. Also, Your tortoise will scrabble around, don't be concerned, but do watch so that if he flips over he doesn't drown.

Your tortoise NEEDS 84F or higher (since he's sick it could even go up to 90F), and 84% humidity 24/7/365.
The ONLY way to accomplish this is to have a closed enclosure. Do not worry about ventilation it is not a factor. Close the top tightly as Alex and the RedFoot said above. Red Foots evolved in the equatorial regions of South America, they are a jungle species that needs warm and humid at all times. You have been keeping this baby too cold.


We NEED to see a pic of your set-up.


REMOVE the fogger. It is part of the problem. Foggers, misters, and sprayers force big droplets into the air of the enclosure that are too large for your tortoise to breathe. Yes, your tortoise needs humidity, but droplets are NOT humidity. You are blasting it in the face with water, not humidity. The best way to have a humid enclosure is to have two or three inches of damp/wet, firmly hand packed, coco coir under a couple inches of orchid bark. That provides evaporative moisture for humidity, but a dry surface for the tortoise to walk on. Whenever your gauges tell you the humidity is dropping, you simply add a cup of warm water into each corner to bring it back up.



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[lovelywithfour]

Where do I get orchid bark? Also, I have 2-3 inches of coco coir mixed with organic soil.

 

[COmtnLady]

Orchid Bark is sometimes called Fir Bark. Is that Cyprus Mulch you have sort of on top? It could be a layer of that, too (I just don't like the swampy smell of it, and it usually comes in pieces that are too big and pointy for small tortoises, but its fine, too, if a couple inches deep). The lower level of substrate needs to be damp.. almost wet, but no standing water.

As to where to get it, I don't know Oklahoma, but it can be ordered online from Chewy and other places. A good place to get quantities of it is greenhouses/plant centers, but its kind of just not quite the season for them to be open just yet... so you are probably stuck with having to go to the pet places where its a bit more expensive.

About halfway down this there are pictures of what you need. (Actually, this whole thing is what you need, but we are talking about substrate and the pics of it are about halfway down though this info.)

Young red foot/ cherryhead set up

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information on an effective example of a starter enclosure for a red foot/cherry head😊 Care advice for these guys is painfully behind, fb pages, YouTube, pet stores, they’re all repeating the same outdated advice, this forum is made of...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[lovelywithfour]

So if he doesn't need ventilation, how does he get fresh air. That's my first question. Second question is this..how do I go about the vet thing? Do I just make a call to get antibiotics? What kind? How much? I don't want this to get worse. It's Sunday, and I can't call a vet til Monday. Please help with this. I trust u guys. Imma get a greenhouse topper asap

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

So if he doesn't need ventilation, how does he get fresh air. That's my first question. Second question is this..how do I go about the vet thing? Do I just make a call to get antibiotics? What kind? How much? I don't want this to get worse. It's Sunday, and I can't call a vet til Monday. Please help with this. I trust u guys. Imma get a greenhouse topper asap

Even with a top, the enclosure is not airtight. Some air circulation is always happening. Also, when you do daily maintenance in the enclosure you add significant amount of fresh air. Third, tortoises don't need as much oxygen as we do so there is no risk of suffocation or something.

Antibiotics are prescribed by vet. I doubt you can get a prescription by a phone call. What you can do, probably, is to arrange an online consultation between your local vet and an exotics vet for correct prescription.

What's important is that you get temperatures and humidity correct. This is essential for successful treatment.

 

[COmtnLady]

So if he doesn't need ventilation, how does he get fresh air. That's my first question. Second question is this..how do I go about the vet thing? Do I just make a call to get antibiotics? What kind? How much? I don't want this to get worse. It's Sunday, and I can't call a vet til Monday. Please help with this. I trust u guys. Imma get a greenhouse topper asap

There ae several cubic feet of air inside your closed-top enclosure. Every time you open it to feed, take your tortoise out to soak, anything else, there is air exchanged. Your tortoise's lungs are less than a cubic inch of volume. Even an adult's are only five or six cubic inches. How many cubic inches are there in the several cubic feet of enclosed air?

Tortoises are fairly resilient, though hatchlings are an age that is somewhat fragile. Hopefully you have noticed the problem in time and will give the animal's system time to adjust. You may not need to take it to a Vet.

If you are determined to take it to a vet be aware that most Vets don't have a clue about tortoises. Unless you KNOW it is a GOOD exotics vet, with a track record of really knowing tortoises, perhaps even keeps one OF THE SAME SPECIES AS YOURS, there is a high likelihood they will do something that will cause more harm than good. People come here all the time telling stories of a Vet not being able to identify the kind of tortoise the person brought in. Or of a vet giving medications that are not good to use on tortoises (injectable Baytril burns at site of injection because its too high of pH), or they try to increase what they can charge you by telling you they will give your tortoise a vitamin shot (there was just a case here since the beginning of the month where the Vet inject B12 and the already-sick tortoise ran around frantically until it died). Vets in general don't know tortoises.

Now that you have your baby in mid-80sF (or warmer) and mid-80s humidity, and you're doing better at soaking, give it a chance to get healthy. IF it was started well (unfortunately, unless you got it from a reputable breeder with the newest/best info, this frequently is not the case) it should be able to rally. If, after a few days of being in the right temps and humidity. it is not eating or being active, THEN you think about finding a Vet. As Alex and the Red Foot suggested above, perhaps you can get a teleconference between Vets - if you actually need it - which would solve the problem of lack of a nearby special-focus one. If your baby was poorly started it may not survive no matter what you do. But now you have started to get it into the right environment, it may amaze you and start on the path to being better.

Keep your baby warn, humidified, fed, and soaked. That is more important than about anything else at this moment.

 

[lovelywithfour]

Even with a top, the enclosure is not airtight. Some air circulation is always happening. Also, when you do daily maintenance in the enclosure you add significant amount of fresh air. Third, tortoises don't need as much oxygen as we do so there is no risk of suffocation or something.

Antibiotics are prescribed by vet. I doubt you can get a prescription by a phone call. What you can do, probably, is to arrange an online consultation between your local vet and an exotics vet for correct prescription.

What's important is that you get temperatures and humidity correct. This is essential for successful treatment.

Will it essentially be more successful than antibiotics?

 

[Maggie3fan]

Before you try a Vet get your temperature closer to 85 or 90...That tort also needs about 90% humidity...do this now and tomorrow or the day after he will be eating and better...he has an urti, (a slight cold) and I'm sure that when this temps etc are correct, he will get better...You do not necessarily need a Vet today...
I also keep a Red foot and she has no cool side ever...the fogger is also putting moisture drops into his lungs...get rid of it...
Layla lives in a tort table with a green house over it...you need to COMPLETELY close off the top...no small holes...
Layla is 4 yrs old...
here's some info for you...

Redfoot Tortoise Care Sheet

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Will it essentially be more successful than antibiotics?

With wrong husbandry antibiotics are much less effective, immune system of animal is weaker and chances for tortoise to get sick again are much higher.

However, respiratory infections in tortoises are more serious than in humans and often require antibiotic treatment, just ideal husbandry is not enough.

 

[lovelywithfour]

With wrong husbandry antibiotics are much less effective, immune system of animal is weaker and chances for tortoise to get sick again are much higher.

However, respiratory infections in tortoises are more serious than in humans and often require antibiotic treatment, just ideal husbandry is not enough.

Is there an on-line reputable exotic vet that u guys would recommend to me? I feel as tho once his husbandry is corrected completely (should have that done in about 3 hours), I should follow up with a vet (a good one) to make sure he gets antibiotics if needed. Also, quick question...his 30 min soaks every day should be done in his enclosure right?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Is there an on-line reputable exotic vet that u guys would recommend to me? I feel as tho once his husbandry is corrected completely (should have that done in about 3 hours), I should follow up with a vet (a good one) to make sure he gets antibiotics if needed. Also, quick question...his 30 min soaks every day should be done in his enclosure right?

I, unfortunately, can't help with the vet (I'm across the pond).

You should keep water warm during soaking. One simple way to achieve that is to soak in the enclosure, near heat lamp or ceramic heater (not directly under). Another way is to use two containers and move tortoise between them when water gets cooler.

 

[lovelywithfour]

Thanks for all ur help!!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Thanks for all ur help!!

Please, keep us updated. I wish your tortoise to get well soon!

 

[lovelywithfour]

Please, keep us updated. I wish your tortoise to get well soon!

Me too! I have been crying and praying all night