Red foot rescue

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bfrakes81

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My name is Brandon and Im new to this forum. I recently rescued a red foot from someone who was unable to care for the animal. I have never owned a red foot and I'm unsure of their normal behavior and mannerisms. I believe "stella" is dehydrated a bit and she has pyramiding(moderate to severe). I have also noticed that her breathing is loud, I don;t want to say noisy but it sounds like someone breathing out of their nose loudly. Her eyes are watery with some small bubbles and I have read that this could be from dehydration. She is a very outgoing creature with a friendly personality. She's about 8 inches in length and weighs maybe 9lbs.(approximate). Any suggestions and or ideas would be very helpful. Her enclosure is 2'X4' and i keep it about 80 degrees. she has access to water and I have been feeding her romaine lettuce, bananas and apples. Thank you very much.

Brandon
 

egyptiandan

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Welcome to the forum Brandon :)

Your new Redfoot could very well be dehydrated. The bubbly eyes though usually indicate that the humidity in the enclosure is to low. What are you using for a substrate? Your temperature is a bit low for during the day as at least some of the enclosure should be 84 to 86F.
What are you using for lighting?

Danny
 

bfrakes81

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egyptiandan said:
Welcome to the forum Brandon :)

Your new Redfoot could very well be dehydrated. The bubbly eyes though usually indicate that the humidity in the enclosure is to low. What are you using for a substrate? Your temperature is a bit low for during the day as at least some of the enclosure should be 84 to 86F.
What are you using for lighting?

Danny

Im using a paper bedding material, thats what the guy was using when he gave her to me. The lighting is a UVA/UVB bulb and a heat lamp for warmth.


I've been misting her to keep the humidity up, is this an acceptable method or is there a better way? Thanks for your help.
 

Yvonne G

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Hi Brandon:

Welcome to the forum!!

Please take my criticism in the vein that it is intended and don't be offended.

You said that your new tortoise is slightly pyramided, and then you said that you're using the bedding that the previous owner used. The previous owner wasn't caring for the tortoise properly. Redfoot tortoises require much more humidity than most other tortoises. This means that you will have to have a moist substrate. You can't moisten the paper mulch because it will mold. So you need something that you CAN moisten. My personal choice is either fine grade orchid bark or cypress mulch. Once you get that new substrate, then you can think about planting either real or fake plants in the habitat. You'll need a fairly large habitat for this. The plants help to keep the moist air down low for the tortoise.

Please bear in mind that the above is MY OPINION. We encourage our members to use their own better judgment and try to get what the tortoise needs through any means they can.

Where are you located? Maybe your climate is moist already???
 

bfrakes81

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coreyc said:
bfrakes81 said:
coreyc said:
Welcome Brandon:) What kind of UVB bulb is it ?


Im not exactly sure, I got it from the guy who had her.

Is it a spiral ? can you take a pic of it?

it's a long straight fluorescent light like the kind used in a fish tank. I'm thinking of getting an infrared light for heat so I can keep it on at night. I think the previous owner let it get too cold at night(he shut off all of the lights including the heat lamp). Any suggestions for heating?
 

coreyc

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bfrakes81 said:
coreyc said:
bfrakes81 said:
coreyc said:
Welcome Brandon:) What kind of UVB bulb is it ?


Im not exactly sure, I got it from the guy who had her.

Is it a spiral ? can you take a pic of it?

it's a long straight fluorescent light like the kind used in a fish tank. I'm thinking of getting an infrared light for heat so I can keep it on at night. I think the previous owner let it get too cold at night(he shut off all of the lights including the heat lamp). Any suggestions for heating?
I have a heat panel an a CHE for the night they do not put out any light just heat I like them both
 

bfrakes81

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coreyc said:
bfrakes81 said:
coreyc said:
bfrakes81 said:
coreyc said:
Welcome Brandon:) What kind of UVB bulb is it ?


Im not exactly sure, I got it from the guy who had her.

Is it a spiral ? can you take a pic of it?

it's a long straight fluorescent light like the kind used in a fish tank. I'm thinking of getting an infrared light for heat so I can keep it on at night. I think the previous owner let it get too cold at night(he shut off all of the lights including the heat lamp). Any suggestions for heating?
I have a heat panel an a CHE for the night they do not put out any light just heat I like them both

Thanks!!
 

Madkins007

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BFRakes- you can check out my site at http://www.tortoiselibrary.com to see if there is anything there that might help. I have articles on diet, housing, etc.

I think I would just suggest that you assume you need to start from scratch, as if buying a new tortoise. The substrate and diet could use some improvement, the lighting sounds like you already know needs tweaking, etc.
 

bfrakes81

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Madkins007 said:
BFRakes- you can check out my site at http://www.tortoiselibrary.com to see if there is anything there that might help. I have articles on diet, housing, etc.

I think I would just suggest that you assume you need to start from scratch, as if buying a new tortoise. The substrate and diet could use some improvement, the lighting sounds like you already know needs tweaking, etc.

That my plan. I am going to get some forest type substrate and start her on a diet plan. It's just too bad that her original owner didn't take the time to treat this animal right. Stella is an awesome tortoise ans I'm going to make sure that she is taken care of. Thank you for your help.
 

Candy

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Post pictures as soon as you can, we'd love to see Stella. :)
 

exoticsdr

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Brandon,

You've come to the right place, you will learn to be a proper tortoise caretaker from the very generous members of this forum. A word of advice: learn from all the information, but don't take anything personally.....this group will definitely not hesitate to step on a feeling or two if it means that your tortoise will be better cared for and because of THAT you will have a better than average chance of success. Remember, the only stupid question is the one you don't ask! Welcome to the Forum!
 

bfrakes81

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exoticsdr said:
Brandon,

You've come to the right place, you will learn to be a proper tortoise caretaker from the very generous members of this forum. A word of advice: learn from all the information, but don't take anything personally.....this group will definitely not hesitate to step on a feeling or two if it means that your tortoise will be better cared for and because of THAT you will have a better than average chance of success. Remember, the only stupid question is the one you don't ask! Welcome to the Forum!


I appreciate it, anything that will help me take care of her is great!
 

bfrakes81

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Stella has been making a whistling noise when she breathes, is this something to worry about?
 

Madkins007

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Maybe.

If there is ANY bubbling or stuff accumulating around the nose, or any nasal drainage- then YES. She should see a vet ASAP. See the article on Respiratory Infections for Tortoise Keepers for help in the meantime.

If the nose is completely clean, there may be a small blockage (some people have found small pebbles in there), or something. Some Red-foots in captivity seem to whistle when things are too dry, and some just seem to whistle on and off for no other discoverable reason.

I would suggest getting the habitat, diet, and other cares down pat and keeping an eye on the whistle. If it is husbandry-related, it should go away with better cares.
 
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