Hi everyone, I just got a new friend and his name is Blastoise. I got him from a friend who was trying to rehome him after she learned of his neglect from his past owner. I plan to get him in good shape so we can grow old together. I also have a Ball Python and am a reptile enthusiast to begin with, but I am new to the specific needs of this tortoise. Of course I have been reading but I value specific advice even more. Ok here it goes.
So far I have him in what he came with. A 60 gallon glass tank. I don't intend to keep him in this forever, I will eventually build a table, but unless you think it's really bad for him I would like to keep him there for now. I have him out every day to run in the yard or soak in the tub so he isn't in there all the time. It has a ceramic heat emitter that keeps it in the high 80s in his basking spot then tapers off to the 70s. And a UVB light but I don't have it on because I read conflicting opinions on that. He does go outside. In his past life he was kept in way too dry conditions. We live in southern California and he was in a desert climate without proper or consistent humidity. So to remedy this I rigged together a humidifier that runs the steam up a tube and into the top of his tank. It keeps his tank 70-80%.
He came with store bought pellets which I read are bad but I would like to hear your thoughts. I am now feeding him according to what I've read which is all pretty consistent. I know his water bowl is too small. He climbs up on top of it a lot but can't really soak. I do soak him pretty often so is that fine? His substrate is that jungle carpet stuff which I just pull out and hose off.
So he has some issues I think. He has a respiratory infection. I don't know how long he has had it. He now gets the humidity he needs and regular soaks but he has runny eyes and wheezes. I happen to have some liquid Baytril. My plan was to mash it up with some banana and give him a small amount of mash every day. If anyone has an idea of a ballpark dosage please let me know and I will administer it as such.
It also looks like he has more pyramiding than most pictures of red foots I see. But I guess what's done is done there?
Another issue is that his shell rubs into his front legs so they both have small wounds there. Is there anything I can do to prevent it?
I would also like to tell you about his behavior to make sure I am not missing any other issues because I don't know what to look for. When he is awake he is very active. He climbs all over the stuff in his tank and sometimes manages to flip himself over. He runs into the walls of his tank like he is trying to get through. At this point I usually take him outside or let him run in the bathtub. When I am near his tank he acknowledges that I'm there. He will run to the side I am on and look at me. I really do love his personality. He is clumsy and hilarious. He is more active and seems to want out of his tank more often since I got him and made it more humid. He is constantly clunking around his tank in the daytime where he used to spend more time asleep. Is this a good or bad sign?
Sometimes he seems overly skittish. He recoils and sometimes makes a hiss sounding noise if you scare him. If you are nice and slow while handling him he is fine, it's just when he gets surprised. But one time when I opened his cage he completely sucked his head in and made that noise for like 20 seconds. It looked like a panic attack and then he was fine again. Has anyone ever seen this? I am going to be moving him to an area with less traffic and lower to the ground. I am hoping this will lessen his stress.
So that's Blastoise. I look forward to your knowledge and thoughts!
So far I have him in what he came with. A 60 gallon glass tank. I don't intend to keep him in this forever, I will eventually build a table, but unless you think it's really bad for him I would like to keep him there for now. I have him out every day to run in the yard or soak in the tub so he isn't in there all the time. It has a ceramic heat emitter that keeps it in the high 80s in his basking spot then tapers off to the 70s. And a UVB light but I don't have it on because I read conflicting opinions on that. He does go outside. In his past life he was kept in way too dry conditions. We live in southern California and he was in a desert climate without proper or consistent humidity. So to remedy this I rigged together a humidifier that runs the steam up a tube and into the top of his tank. It keeps his tank 70-80%.
He came with store bought pellets which I read are bad but I would like to hear your thoughts. I am now feeding him according to what I've read which is all pretty consistent. I know his water bowl is too small. He climbs up on top of it a lot but can't really soak. I do soak him pretty often so is that fine? His substrate is that jungle carpet stuff which I just pull out and hose off.
So he has some issues I think. He has a respiratory infection. I don't know how long he has had it. He now gets the humidity he needs and regular soaks but he has runny eyes and wheezes. I happen to have some liquid Baytril. My plan was to mash it up with some banana and give him a small amount of mash every day. If anyone has an idea of a ballpark dosage please let me know and I will administer it as such.
It also looks like he has more pyramiding than most pictures of red foots I see. But I guess what's done is done there?
Another issue is that his shell rubs into his front legs so they both have small wounds there. Is there anything I can do to prevent it?
I would also like to tell you about his behavior to make sure I am not missing any other issues because I don't know what to look for. When he is awake he is very active. He climbs all over the stuff in his tank and sometimes manages to flip himself over. He runs into the walls of his tank like he is trying to get through. At this point I usually take him outside or let him run in the bathtub. When I am near his tank he acknowledges that I'm there. He will run to the side I am on and look at me. I really do love his personality. He is clumsy and hilarious. He is more active and seems to want out of his tank more often since I got him and made it more humid. He is constantly clunking around his tank in the daytime where he used to spend more time asleep. Is this a good or bad sign?
Sometimes he seems overly skittish. He recoils and sometimes makes a hiss sounding noise if you scare him. If you are nice and slow while handling him he is fine, it's just when he gets surprised. But one time when I opened his cage he completely sucked his head in and made that noise for like 20 seconds. It looked like a panic attack and then he was fine again. Has anyone ever seen this? I am going to be moving him to an area with less traffic and lower to the ground. I am hoping this will lessen his stress.
So that's Blastoise. I look forward to your knowledge and thoughts!
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