Red foot not eating/ Not Looking good in general

[lechiblanco]

Hi
I had to go overseas for 10 days and my red foot tortoise was left at my boyfriends house ( they have more red foots)

Before i dropped her off she was fine , energized , eating well etc.

But when i came back she looked bad

There was lot's of ants and small flies around her box
She eats only when i take her out and put the food in front of her ( doesn't always work sometimes she'll just go back in her hideaway)
It bugs me cause she just won't come out of her hideaway and when she does something just doesn't look right

The only thing good she does is soak
She always soaks on her own every 3pm for 30 minutes or more

I would go to a vet but in Aruba there's only 2 vet's and tortoises aren't common for them which makes me uncomfortable.

So does anyone have a suggestion or tip to make her eat more?

And btw i don't know how to reply here (which is why i never replied on the threads i've started )

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi lechiblanco:

First of all, when you are reading your thread, up towards the top you will see a green rectangle with the words "new reply" inside it. When you want to reply, you click on that rectangle. That will bring up a new window for you to type your reply in. Then when you are finished, at the bottom of the screen you'll see another rectangle with the words "post reply" in it. When you're finished typing your reply, you click on "post reply."

I think your tortoise is too cold. Did they have heat on it while you were away?

I would bring the tortoise out and put it in a shallow tub of warm water and while its soaking there, take the time to clean out the habitat. Check your lights and heat. Make sure everything is right. When you're ready to put the tortoise back in the habitat, place it in front of the food.

 

[JoesMum]

Hi :0

You need to measure 4 temperatures and let us know what they are:
1. Warm end,
2. Cool end
3. Overnight minimum
4. Under the basking lamp

On top of that it would be taking a poop sample to a vet and getting it checked for worms. A heavy worm load can cause problems too.

 

[Madkins007]

She is stressed over something, but there is not enough information to guess what.

Some common issues include:
- temps too high or low
- dehydrated
- poor or wrong diet, upset stomach, too much food
- stressed from being moved around so much
- ill from poor conditions or catching something from another herd
- internal parasites

Sadly, taking her to another group of red-footeds increased the chances of her catching something or getting a parasite that his group is used to so not affected by. I certainly do no KNOW that this is what is happening, though.

You need to recheck your overall cares- make sure the temps, humidity, lighting, diet, etc. are right and proper based on a good standard reference. You may also want to ask what she was fed, etc. while at the other place.

 

[ascott]

You made the statement flies around her "box"...what are you using for her enclosure?..tank, rubbermaid tub, tortoise table? Or do you mean a "box"..?

Do you use a heating bulb? Does your tort get to go outside for natural sun exposure (with shade accessible as well)?

Did your sitter just set food in the box and then leave it all day? Or did the sitter soak, feed, sun?

 

[lechiblanco]

thank you emysemys for the reply tip!

and they kept her in a cardboard box , didn't even let her roam around and left her outside in the cold. (it was my bf's aunt whom 'looked after' her, clearly she didn't have a clue of a tortoises's needs)


today i decided to just take her out and put her in the sun which seemed to be a miracle cause it was like she just came back to life and started eating her favorite romaine leaves like crazy after taking a walk.

i personally don't use heating bulbs since it is VERY warm around here.
i keep her in a home-made wooden enclosure with zoo med's coconut fiber substrate, the enclosure is pretty spacey for her & in the night i keep her indoors to avoid her getting cold.

oh and they kept her apart from the other red foots when i was gone.

i will still look forward to go to the vet for a check up though

Thank you all for your replies& tips