red or yellow foot

[ashleigh-Jade22]

Hi Guys,

I finally got my little Henry yesterday but looking at him i think he may be a yellow foot rather then a red foot, he is my first tortoise so im really not sure. would someone mind identifying him for me as I want to get things just right for him. He slept pretty much all of yesterday afternoon and night and didnt eat anything but this morning he did eat and drink which i was very pleased with! hes now back to sleeping again!!
Ive done weeks of research into red foots but from the little information i got on yellow foots he looks like he might be a yellow as he has 2 prefrontal scales rather then just the one? what do you guys think? Please help!
Thanks!

 

[Madkins007]

Pictures of the plastron would help, but I suspect (about 60-70% sure) this is a red-footed, possibly from Colombia.

 

[Tropical Torts]

I agree with Mark. More pictures would help, but just because the tortoise has no red does not always mean it is a yellowfoot automatically. The prefrontal scutes is one way to determine if it is a yellowfoot or not but this method can be misleading; for instance, more than half of my herd of redfoots have the two prominant scutes, but they are clearly redfoots.

 

[ashleigh-Jade22]

Hi again, thanks for your replies i really appreciate it, here are more photos for you to get a better idea of what he looks like. Hope you can then be sure if he is a YF or a RF!
Thanks again

 

[EricIvins]

Redfoot......

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Redfoot......

 

[cdmay]

Red-footed tortoise. Probably a Colombian.

 

[Mgridgaway]

Looks like he has some shell rot too. Second opinion anyone?

 

[nicoleandrocky]

Looks like a red foot to me
I could be wrong, but henry looks female to me.

 

[EricIvins]

Looks like he has some shell rot too. Second opinion anyone?

Shell Fungus, not shell rot - Two different ailments with two different treatments.......

 

[ashleigh-Jade22]

Oh no!! why do you think he has shell rot/Fungus!?! what can i use to get rid of this?!

 

[ada caro]

Red foot.

 

[Madkins007]

There is a little erosion on the plastron. It is tough to know exactly what the issue is, but there are three main causes.

1. Environmental. Overly damp surfaces, especially if the substrate is a bit acidic, can cause basically the same thing as 'trenchfoot'. This also opens the way for other problems, like #2 and 3 below. Treat by drying the substrate out and applying some providone iodine (Betadine Solution) once. If things get worse, check out the other options below.

2. Bacterial. Bacteria may infest the scutes, especially if they are scratched or eroded. Bacterial infections are often discolored and/or smell bad. Clean the habitat (possibly replacing the substrate) and treat with one treatment of Betadine, then 1-3 treatments a day of a good antibiotic ointment ( silver sulfadiazine ointment or 2% mupirocin ointment are MUCH better than 'triple antibiotic ointments'). Continue until you see signs of healing.

3. Fungal. More common in wet settings, fungi may appear to have cheesy, fuzzy, or thready growths. Treat by cleaning/drying the substrate (possibly replacing it), using Betadine for a day, then applying foot fungus cream 1-3 times a day until you see signs of healing.

Note- whenever you apply a cream or cleaner, keep the tort in a warm secure temporary home with newspaper for a substrate and hide for an hour or so. This will give the ointment a chance to work without getting wiped off.

https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/basic-medical-care/shell-rot

 

[EricIvins]

Oh no!! why do you think he has shell rot/Fungus!?! what can i use to get rid of this?!

I can see it on the Plastron - The white chalky stuff.......You can see where the Plastron has pitted because of it.......There are multiple threads on the simplicity of fixing it floating around the forum.......

 

[ashleigh-Jade22]

Thank you madkins007, I really appreciate the advice! I looked at him last night and have identified what you mean, it doesn't smell and it's not got fuzzy growths so that's a good sign! And it's only in a very small patch so fingers crossed It can be treated quickly I've emailed the lady I got him from as I've only had him less then a week and that photo was taken 2 days into having him so I can't see that he got it from dampness etc from my enclosure. I've asked her for some advice so I'm hoping she gets back to me ASAP! Thanks guys, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't have noticed it until it got worse, I'm so grateful! Oh it's stressful being a tort mum already and like I said he's been here less then a week!! But I wouldn't change him for the world! I'm so smitten with him! (not sure if he's a he but when he's older ill try figuring out his gender, he's only 1 at the moment)

Thanks again!

 

[ashleigh-Jade22]

Ok I've spoken to the lady i got him from and she says it might be I dispersed calcuim as it certainly isn't shell rot as none of her others have it. Which definetely sets my mind at ease.

 

[EricIvins]

Ok I've spoken to the lady i got him from and she says it might be I dispersed calcuim as it certainly isn't shell rot as none of her others have it. Which definetely sets my mind at ease.

It's not calcium........That doesn't stick to a Tortoise for weeks on end, and again, it isn't shell rot, it's shell fungus.......I can tell because of the shell pitting it has caused........

 

[DixieParadise]

Does anyone breed these guys?

GRAN CHACO (Southern)- Paraguay and Bolivia

If so, please PM or email me. Thanks