Red bump under Tortoises tail- please help!!

[Ink]

@maggie3fan

 

[Ink]

@zovick

 

[Ink]

Is the bump gone now? Yes that is a good sign

 

[Cheapfuzz]

Is the bump gone now?

Still there. I'm putting together a sugar paste to place over it and see if that improves anything.

 

[Beasty_Artemis]

This is actually quite scary

 

[Tom]

I recieved a one month old hatchling from a breeder a few days ago. I have been soaking him daily and feeding him romaine lettuce and thin carrot slices that he can easily chew. This morning he pooped normally but a little while after that I picked him up and noticed this red, but partly clear bump under his tail. I immediately soaked him in some warm water. It was bigger before I took this picture to post and has shrunk down a little. I am new to tortoises and am very scared, did I do something wrong? Do I need to take him to the vet or is it something that will heal on its own? Should I change his diet to fix this? Any help is greatly appreciated

This looks more like a prolapse than a penile eversion to me.

This can happen when they are dehydrated, when they are constipated, or when they eat something that is obstructing their GI tract like the moss you mentioned.

The sugar paste is a good thing to try, and you could also try to gently massage it all back into place.You can also lube it with mineral oil or vaseline, but don't let it dry out. If it doesn't go back in, you will need the services of an experienced tortoise vet. I don't know of one in NJ, but let's ask @GBtortoises @HermanniChris and @Sterant who are all experienced tortoise guys near your area of the country.

Unrelated to this issue, but important none the less:
1. The glass tank is fine, except that it is really too small. Tortoises need huge enclosures. Ignore that non-sense that is all over the internet about glass tanks causing stress because of the invisible barrier etc... Hogwash.
2. Lettuce and carrots do not a good diet make. Broadleaf weeds and leaves should be the bulk of the diet. Carrots should not be used at all really for a little baby. A small amount of grated carrot mixed in with a large amount of other good stuff once in a while is fine for an adult.
3. You've got the typical wrong pet store type bulbs. I will link the care sheet for you along with lighting info.
4. You've got the right substrate, but keep it damp. Not swampy sopping wet. Just a little bit damp.
5. The half log hide is lovely, but you also need a humid hide for a little one.

Here is the current and correct care info, followed by a lighting breakdown for you. Questions are welcome:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

There are four elements to heating and lighting:

1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night. Some people in colder climates or with larger enclosures will need multiple CHEs or RHPs to spread out enough heat.
3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.

 

[crimson_lotus]

Have you taken the tort to the vet for a stool sample? I THINK, in addition to all of the information Tom provided, prolapses could also possibly be caused by a high load of parasites.

 

[Greg Jezek]

Also remember that as far as UV tubes are concerned, I totally agree with Tom, I use those tubes also, but if placed on top of your screen top, the beneficial UV is cut in half, so the distance between bulb and tortoise comes into play depending on how tall your tank is and the strength of your bulb. Most manufacturers will state the max effective distance and there have been numerous articles written on the validity of their claims. Ideally, UV meters are great but kinda pricey. And in an totally enclosed chamber set up with a glass or plexiglass top ALL of the UV is stripped away rendering the UV bulbs useless.

 

[Tom]

And in an totally enclosed chamber set up with a glass or plexiglass top ALL of the UV is stripped away rendering the UV bulbs useless.

Three things:
1. Hello and welcome to the forum. Congrats on your first post after 7 years of membership.
2. Most people that use closed chambers have the lights on the inside.
3. What does any of this have to do with the prolapsed tortoise?

 

[Beasty_Artemis]

Any updates? Never have I seen a butt bump like that.....?????

 

[Beasty_Artemis]

Poor little fart....?????

 

[Cheapfuzz]

UPDATE
First I want to thank you all for your advice this week, I am extremely grateful. I took Winston to the vet on Monday (after calling almost every NJ vet which was either closed or didn't treat exotic pets) and they were able to take him in to treat the prolapse. He stayed overnight to make sure It didn't happen again and he came home the next day and is feeling much better. I am soaking him daily and currently feeding him Mazuri tortoise pellets while I order him more suitable seed mixes to eat. I will also be upgrading his tank to better suit his needs. If anyone else ever has this problem, when speaking to the doctor he said the right thing to do was to keep the area wet and apply sugar paste, but you should definitely take them to the vet so they can safely fix the issue. Anyway, just wanted to let you all know winston is okay and back to his old self and thanks for all of your help

 

[Tom]

UPDATE
First I want to thank you all for your advice this week, I am extremely grateful. I took Winston to the vet on Monday (after calling almost every NJ vet which was either closed or didn't treat exotic pets) and they were able to take him in to treat the prolapse. He stayed overnight to make sure It didn't happen again and he came home the next day and is feeling much better. I am soaking him daily and currently feeding him Mazuri tortoise pellets while I order him more suitable seed mixes to eat. I will also be upgrading his tank to better suit his needs. If anyone else ever has this problem, when speaking to the doctor he said the right thing to do was to keep the area wet and apply sugar paste, but you should definitely take them to the vet so they can safely fix the issue. Anyway, just wanted to let you all know winston is okay and back to his old self and thanks for all of your help

Thank you for the update. Glad he is okay.

 

[Beasty_Artemis]

Glad to hear that you got back and want to update the tank! He will love the foods.

 

[Greg Jezek]

Three things:
1. Hello and welcome to the forum. Congrats on your first post after 7 years of membership.
2. Most people that use closed chambers have the lights on the inside.
3. What does any of this have to do with the prolapsed tortoise?

Three things:
1. Hello and welcome to the forum. Congrats on your first post after 7 years of membership.
2. Most people that use closed chambers have the lights on the inside.
3. What does any of this have to do with the prolapsed tortoise?

Three things:
1. Hello and welcome to the forum. Congrats on your first post after 7 years of membership.
2. Most people that use closed chambers have the lights on the inside.
3. What does any of this have to do with the prolapsed tortoise?

Thanks Tom, I appreciate that. First thread in 7 years, yeah, I suppose I had that coming, I also don’t monitor the forum nearly as often as I should. Main reason for lack of posts is that the current atmosphere surrounding advice concerning husbandry and health issues regarding tortoises can be very critical. The main reason for my post was the screen top info, which is not necessarily common knowledge and he is using a screen top. After posting I realized that I should have mentioned the UV inside the closed system issue. And yes, first post in seven years is pretty pathetic, as per your veiled criticism, numbers are very important to the forum. Just as a casual reference and nothing more, I am a hardcore tortoise enthusiast who has worked extensively and exclusively with exotic tortoises for 42 years. I thought that was worth mentioning since one post in seven years is pretty pitiful and may give you the wrong impression. Sincerely, Greg

 

[Tom]

Thanks Tom, I appreciate that. First thread in 7 years, yeah, I suppose I had that coming, I also don’t monitor the forum nearly as often as I should. Main reason for lack of posts is that the current atmosphere surrounding advice concerning husbandry and health issues regarding tortoises can be very critical. The main reason for my post was the screen top info, which is not necessarily common knowledge and he is using a screen top. After posting I realized that I should have mentioned the UV inside the closed system issue. And yes, first post in seven years is pretty pathetic, as per your veiled criticism, numbers are very important to the forum. Just as a casual reference and nothing more, I am a hardcore tortoise enthusiast who has worked extensively and exclusively with exotic tortoises for 42 years. I thought that was worth mentioning since one post in seven years is pretty pitiful and may give you the wrong impression. Sincerely, Greg

No veiled criticism. Just an observation. Glad you are here Greg! Now that the conversation is started, I would love to learn any tips or tricks you've picked up in those 42 years. Any arguing or questions will be done respectfully and with the goal of learning in mind.

And you are absolutely right about the screens filtering out a large percentage of UV from the bulbs, but my question was about what that has to do with this thread.