Not eating

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tortoisenerd

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I don't want to get into an argument. I stated my opinion that I would give more variety. You choose what you feel is best. Sorry to detract from the original poster.
 

York1

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No eating that ive witnessed. ive tried soaking them. Anyone know a good herp vet near lawrenceville, GA?
 

Yvonne G

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Don't know if they're any good or not, but they treat reptiles:

Avalon Animal Hospital
2585 Cruse Road
Lawrenceville, GA 30044
770-822-5551

Yvonne
 

York1

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Anything I should watch out for when at the vets? IE vitamin shots, baytril etc...
 

Madkins007

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Chewbecca said:
He doesn't JUST get hibiscus.
He gets other greens too.
Hibiscus is his staple, though.

It has a ton of calcium, and it also has plant protein which he needs.

What is wrong with letting him eat mainly hibiscus for his greens?
He eats the leaves AND petals.

While different varieties of hibiscus have different values, what I could find was...

Hibiscus leaves, per 100 grams of food- 0 calories, 18g calcium, 4g phosphorus (4.5:1 Ca: P ratio)

Hibiscus flowers, per 100g of food- 0 calories, 4mg calcium, 27mg phosphorous (0.15:1 Ca: P)

The Roselle Hibiscus calyxes, similar to a rose hip, are much better nutritionally, but account for little of the plant's mass. A lot of the nutritional info on hibiscus comes from this, since it is used to make herbal teas.

Many species of Hibiscus leaves have a VERY small amount of calcium per 100 grams of food- it is the second lowest dose of all the plants on my list of greens- tied with Iceberg lettuce. It would be theoretically possible for a tortoise to starve eating too much hibiscus.

Hibiscus makes a nice, low-nutrient/low-calorie filler in a varied diet, but unless you know that the values for your species of feeder Hibiscus is better, I would not use it as a main food stuff.

York1 said:
I have 2 young redfoots.(2.5") They ate fine the first couple days then have refused to eat the last couple days. They look fine and are drinking ok. I have them in a 4'x2' cage. Good humidity plenty of hiding spots. Its about 83 on the warm side 78 on the cool side. I have been feeding dandelion, escarole,collard greens and have tried strawberry/plumb.

How long can they go without eating? Any tips on getting them to eat?

They are often reported going a week without food, and if they recently lost their yolk sac scar, they can actually go a bit longer. The yolk sac provides a lot of nourishment.

My questions and thoughts are:

1. Do they have cage mates? A 4x2' cage is a lot of space for little scardy-cats by itself, but if they have cage-mates, the others may be causing them stress.

2. I ditto the 'too cool' votes. I'd boost the warm end to closer to 88-90, and the cool end to about 80-83.

3. Ditto on some warm soaks, sunshine, and simulated rain/heavy misting. Tis often gets them going. Also, if it is raining for real, the barometic pressure might trigger feeding.

4. Time for the Big Gun- take some banana and dye or stain it red. Bananas are not a great regular food, but they do often stimulate appetite. I would also LIGHTLY dust it with a crushed up human multi-vitamin and a tiny dash of calcium. Watermelon is another option that often helps.

5. I might build a 'private area' in the habitat- visual barriers, etc. to make a 'feeding alcove' where they can eat and not feel exposed, close to the hiding place.

Ahhh... 'plenty of hiding spots' in a big habitat with lots of variety? Which hiding place do they choose? If a warm one, that would be a sign the habitat is a bit cool. Is it a drier or wetter one, etc. Hiding places can often tell us what they are looking for.
 

York1

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Madkins007 said:
Chewbecca said:
He doesn't JUST get hibiscus.
He gets other greens too.
Hibiscus is his staple, though.

It has a ton of calcium, and it also has plant protein which he needs.

What is wrong with letting him eat mainly hibiscus for his greens?
He eats the leaves AND petals.

While different varieties of hibiscus have different values, what I could find was...

Hibiscus leaves, per 100 grams of food- 0 calories, 18g calcium, 4g phosphorus (4.5:1 Ca: P ratio)

Hibiscus flowers, per 100g of food- 0 calories, 4mg calcium, 27mg phosphorous (0.15:1 Ca: P)

The Roselle Hibiscus calyxes, similar to a rose hip, are much better nutritionally, but account for little of the plant's mass. A lot of the nutritional info on hibiscus comes from this, since it is used to make herbal teas.

Many species of Hibiscus leaves have a VERY small amount of calcium per 100 grams of food- it is the second lowest dose of all the plants on my list of greens- tied with Iceberg lettuce. It would be theoretically possible for a tortoise to starve eating too much hibiscus.

Hibiscus makes a nice, low-nutrient/low-calorie filler in a varied diet, but unless you know that the values for your species of feeder Hibiscus is better, I would not use it as a main food stuff.

York1 said:
I have 2 young redfoots.(2.5") They ate fine the first couple days then have refused to eat the last couple days. They look fine and are drinking ok. I have them in a 4'x2' cage. Good humidity plenty of hiding spots. Its about 83 on the warm side 78 on the cool side. I have been feeding dandelion, escarole,collard greens and have tried strawberry/plumb.

How long can they go without eating? Any tips on getting them to eat?

They are often reported going a week without food, and if they recently lost their yolk sac scar, they can actually go a bit longer. The yolk sac provides a lot of nourishment.

My questions and thoughts are:

1. Do they have cage mates? A 4x2' cage is a lot of space for little scardy-cats by itself, but if they have cage-mates, the others may be causing them stress.

2. I ditto the 'too cool' votes. I'd boost the warm end to closer to 88-90, and the cool end to about 80-83.

3. Ditto on some warm soaks, sunshine, and simulated rain/heavy misting. Tis often gets them going. Also, if it is raining for real, the barometic pressure might trigger feeding.

4. Time for the Big Gun- take some banana and dye or stain it red. Bananas are not a great regular food, but they do often stimulate appetite. I would also LIGHTLY dust it with a crushed up human multi-vitamin and a tiny dash of calcium. Watermelon is another option that often helps.

5. I might build a 'private area' in the habitat- visual barriers, etc. to make a 'feeding alcove' where they can eat and not feel exposed, close to the hiding place.

Ahhh... 'plenty of hiding spots' in a big habitat with lots of variety? Which hiding place do they choose? If a warm one, that would be a sign the habitat is a bit cool. Is it a drier or wetter one, etc. Hiding places can often tell us what they are looking for.


Its just the two of them.
I bumped the heat to 85 but ill set it warmer tonight. Ill also try the alcove idea. 1 chooses the warm side the other one normally goes to the cool side. They also take to the darker corners instead of the hides. I have 3 hides with moss in them. One will use the hides once in a while.
Ill try the bannana or watermelon tomorrow.
 

tortoisenerd

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I would not want the tort to get a vitamin A shot or the antibiotic medication ivermectin. Baytril is fine if warranted. The vitamin A shot can make the skin slough off, and the ivermectin is toxic to tortoises. That's all I can think of off the top of my head. Best wishes. I hope you find some answers.

You may be asked to bring in your tort's fecal sample. If not, I would go ahead and bring one in. Fresher is best, but you can also refrigerate it if you think it will be the last one before the appointment (if the tort is pooping at all with not eating).

A good vet will ask about husbandry, inspect the tortoise thoroughly, want to do a fecal test for parasites, will have an actual diagnosis before prescribing a medication, will get a weight on file for the tortoise, etc. Best wishes.

If you only have one hide it could make sense they do not want to share. I would have at least two.

See if the vet thinks they should be separated.

If there is not a hide available in the desired temperature torts are known to go head-in in a dark corner.
 

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I have never had a hatchling RF. But what I do know is that if they are not warm enough or too warm or not humid enough they will not eat. I would recheck your temps and humidity.
Inside their hide it should be in the mid to upper 80sF. Ambient temperature should be low 80s. Make sure you have at least one hiding spot away from the light. Have you checked the temps inside the hides? Is your humidity about 70-80%? I know you have adult RFs but have you talked to the breeder and found what he was feeding and that after only a couple of days you are having difficulty. Perhaps he could be of some help.
 

York1

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Humidity stays above 80% I use a temp gun to check the temp inside the hides.

I have an appointment with the vet this afternoon
 

York1

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Both have a ri. The smaller one has a fungal infection on the plastron.I honestly thought his plastron just had a slight defect. Antbiotic shots for both. Baytril topical for the small ones plastron. The vet was optimistic for the large one. He gave me 2 more syringes of the antibiotic to give them in 72hours.

That vet has moved too he is now with Avalon Heart of Gwinnett on pleasant hill. Nice guy he really seemed to know his stuff.
 

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Dang. RI sucks. You have my sympathy.

Did he have any ideas what might have caused it or contributed to it? I still think the temps were on the cool side for the high humidity, but now I find myself wondering if the substrate was 'clammy'?

Did he outline any sort of special cares? They often recommend a slight boost in temps, etc.

Let us know how things are going!
 

tortoisenerd

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That is a bummer about their health. I am glad it is figured out though! By the time a tortoise shows symptoms the illness has likely gone on for awhile without them showing symptoms. I hope the medications go well and they can recover and be eating soon. Did the vet have a solution for them to eat besides to just keep offering food and hope for the best?

Sometimes even with the ideal conditions a tort will get a RI. The best you can do is try to keep all the conditions right and the stress low. They could very likely have had it before you got them, and the stress of the new home triggered it to show itself. Listen to their breathing and other symptoms so you are able to recognize this in the future (if you can notice it at all).

I have also heard boosting the temperatures a couple degrees. With a humid environment for redfoots, wet and hot is ideal while wet and cold is not. Keep a close eye on both humidity and temperature gradient, both at the substrate level. Does the substrate feel damp when you touch it? What temperature do they spend most of their day?

Looking forward to updates with good news.
 

York1

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He thinks they were shipped way before they were ready and probably were not in great health to start. I guess next time ill buy my animals else where[/align]
 

Madkins007

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Dang. Poorly started animals are a real problem, as are animals that are shipped or transported improperly.

If you get the chance, can you post what the doc and you are doing for it and how it is working?
 

York1

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Madkins007 said:
Dang. Poorly started animals are a real problem, as are animals that are shipped or transported improperly.

If you get the chance, can you post what the doc and you are doing for it and how it is working?
Well the antibitocs and baytril topical
I upped the temps but that was before the vet visit. I seperated them as the little one is in far worse condition. the little one is on paper till its plastron gets better. Also soaking both of them twice daily.

The big ones seems to be a little more alert but the small one hasnt show much improvement
 

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While they are on antibiotics I would up their temps another 5 degrees. Seems that the antibiotics work better in warmer conditions. Just while they are on the meds. JMHO. Hope they both do OK. My thoughts are with you Please keep us updated on their progress.

Mind you I am not a vet but I have never heard of giving an antibiotic for a fungal infection. Usually an anti fungal is prescribed?
Anyone else heard of this? Just trying to learn.
 

York1

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Baytril (enrofloxacin) Otic is a combination of an antibiotic and an antifungal medication
 
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