new baby!

[heyprettyrave]

i was under the impression that it is a female, and that its a red foot, but now i'm having second thoughts....... what do you guys think?

also, looks like some pyramiding?

 

[heyprettyrave]

really, i just want to have a good idea that its a girl, thats what i think, but i wanted some second opinions

 

[matt41gb]

Definitely a Northern Red-Foot, also looks to be female as well.

-Matt

 

[HLogic]

My guess is a female as well but still a little small to be definitive. From the hexagonal marking on the plastron, I believe it is likely a Western (Northern) RF, from west of the Andes in Colombia or possibly Panama.

 

[Torty Mom]

Well, she is a cutie!! Congrats on the new one!!

 

[Balboa]

Grats Heather!

yah looks female to my eyes, wait for Danny, he's the man!

She looks typical of a pet store, "ranch" raised redfoot from my limited experience. Pyramided with a touch of shell rot ("immersion" type, I see no fungus from that pic), though of course that could also be a trick of the photo and there's really nothing there.

I wouldn't worry about either at this point as long as she's clean, healthy, active and eating well. If she's anything like my Adrienne (who she closely resembles) she may take a while to "come out of her shell" but if your patient and your cares are good she should do just fine.

 

[tortoises101]

She a nice northern RF! I'm leaning towards female as well, due to the concavity. As long as you keep her humid and hydrated the pyramiding should stop. May we have a pic or two of her enclosure?

 

[heyprettyrave]

she is in with Ophelia, my other red foot, they seemed to be doing great together... is it ok to have them together when shes sooo young?

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and where do you see the shell rot? i didnt notice anything out of ordinary

 

[tortoises101]

she is in with Ophelia, my other red foot, they seemed to be doing great together... is it ok to have them together when shes sooo young?

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and where do you see the shell rot? i didnt notice anything out of ordinary

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It's fine to keep them together, but make sure they're around the same size and make sure they're both parasite free.

 

[Balboa]

The red circles show what looks like shell rot to me (or areas where shell rot was present and cleaned out by previous caregiver)

Normally most folks would've suggested you quarantine the new one for a while. Hopefully they're both healthy and everything will be fine.

 

[zzzdanz]

The 1 time I didn't quarantine a new aquatic,I ended up with 16 turtles all with RI..Not once had any of them been sick and I've had some for a looooong time.Was amazing how quick it spread and 4 turned into pnuemonia (sp) and didn't make it.

I don't want to scare ya,but I would have kept them seperated for awhile.Chances are that new 1 needs to be de-wormed,and a vet check for any new addition is always a good idea.I wouldn't worry about that pyramiding,now that she'll be kept in the right conditions she'll be fine.

 

[heyprettyrave]

i really dont have the ability to put her in a separate location, would it be ok for them to both be together, im going to take them both to the vets next week...

the baby seems fine, and is very active and lively....

will this shell rot go away (if its there) or will it spread to Ophelia?

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well i could buy a plastic bin and keep her in that until i can find out if shes well enough... what would you guys suggest, i really wasnt aware of separating them

 

[Balboa]

Well now that they've been introduced it may be too late, if a problem is there, and then again maybe not, so I leave that to your decision.

Here's a page with some good information on shell rot from our good buddy Mark.

http://tortoiselibrary.com/shellproblems.html

 

[tortoisenerd]

Agreed they have already been together (although do remember quarantines next time...that was a sad story up above), so probably no use separating now unless you see signs of emotional or physical bullying (emotional can be tough to spot...usually lack of weight gain in the smaller one...we have read some sad stories here on that as well)...its usually not recommended to put a new tort in your old tort's enclosure (instead have a new enclosure for the two) because the old tort can feel territorial, and that its space is being encroached. Is the enclosure an appropriate size for two? Even if mathematically it seemed like a fine size for their sizes, I would rather increase the size (get a new larger enclosure) so your old tort didn't feel like it had less space, and hopefully eliminate any issues with territorial behavior...also make sure you have hides in each temperature zone for each tort. Two girls is a nice pair.

Thats great they are both going into the vet. Try to get a confirmed fecal sample from each tort to bring in to be tested for parasites (although for torts housed together, any parasites found in one tort will probably mean treatment for both torts). You can stick the sample in the fridge (I start collecting poops 48 hours before a vet visit to make sure I get something), but fresher is more accurate. Good luck!

 

[heyprettyrave]

thank you all, i did seperate her from Ophelia last night, but your right its way too late anyways, ill probably put them back together. luckly i have'nt noticed any mean behavior from Ophelia towards the baby, actually wherever Ophelia is, is where the baby is ( which i found to be a good sign) they seem to like each other quite a lot

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now can my larger tortoise catch shell rot? i know this is dumb, and i dont think she can from the reading but i just wanna make sure

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should i ttry this?

Treatment:
- Remove the affected tortoise(s) from the habitat until the habitat can be cleaned and disinfected.
- Clean the affected area with gentle scrubbing or scraping to remove loosened materials. Try to remove any dead, dried-out, or damaged scute materials, but do not force anything.
- Swab the area completely with a multipurpose skin disinfectant such as Betadine Solution. Let dry completely. Betadine is effective against many micro-organisms, but also inhibits healthy growth so do not use it past the first 2-3 days cleaning. (This may be all some very minor forms need, especially minor environmental rot.)
- Treat the affected area with a triple antibiotic ointment. Keep the tortoise on newspaper or paper towel for an hour or so to let the ointment work.
- Repeat Betadine and antibiotic ointment for 2-3 days.
- If there are signs of improvement, stop using the Betadine, but continue to use the antibiotic ointment until there are signs of healing.
- If there is no sign of improvement after the first few days, try an anti-fungal ointment, such as that sold for human foot use. Again, keep the tortoise on newspaper or paper towels for about an hour to allow the ointment to work.
- Continue using the anti-fungal ointment for a few days.
- If the anti-fungal works, continue using it daily until there are signs of healing.
- If the anti-fungal does not help, see a vet or expert.

 

[heyprettyrave]

well, i took the baby out and put her in a separate tote, OPhelia is looking for her all over...is that normal? also, they're always together in there? i feel like shes acting like a mom to the baby?

 

[Balboa]

Not sure about being "Mom", but yes she may very well be wondering where the heck her "herdmate" got to.

 

[heyprettyrave]

ha ha ha thats just how i interpreted the whole situation