Redfoot hatchling missing two nails

[berrybon]

Hi! I am about to rescue a red foot tortoise hatchling (about 6-7cm, not sure about the age or hatch date). I've been wanting to adopt one for months and suddenly met this baby. I noticed that he is missing two of his right front toenails, I'm not sure what happened; the previous owner has no idea whatsoever. Will it grow back? is there any special treatment I need to do?
Currently, I have a 6-month-old sulcata hatchling. I already bought and set up the red foot enclosure and lighting (it's totally separated from the sulcata). Is there anything else I need I need to prepare before the baby arrives?
Just a bit of background, I live in Indonesia. While it's a bit tricky for sulcata, the temps and humidity are actually perfect for Red Foot. It's sunny all year round. But just to be safe, I already prepared a closed chamber so that he would be indoors at least for a year. I also plant hibiscus and mulberry in my yard for my sulcata, so I guess the leaves and flower needs for red foot is already taken care of. But I am still a bit unsure about the protein need for red foot, though. Do I need to add maggots every now and then?
I also use Mazuri pellets for my sulcata, do I need to give the redfoot pellets as well? Can he eat the same pellets?
Sorry I couldn't attach his picture as he's still with his previous owner, but will update as soon as he is here 😊

 

[Tom]

Missing toenails is one of the signs of the horrible tortoise disease that is going around right now called Austwikia chelonae. Look for any blisters or pustules on the skin. If you do take in this animal, quarantine it far from any other chelonian, and exercise strict bio-security.

 

[berrybon]

Missing toenails is one of the signs of the horrible tortoise disease that is going around right now called Austwikia chelonae. Look for any blisters or pustules on the skin. If you do take in this animal, quarantine it far from any other chelonian, and exercise strict bio-security.

I just googled the disease, and it seems like it is usually followed by water-puss blisters, isn't it? I'll take a picture of the feet condition once he arrives. Initially, I thought he was just missing his nails by digging, but I'll check whether there are any blisters, open infection, etc. Is there any skin medication that I need to prepare beforehand? Just to be extra safe, do I need to use gloves/change my clothes after handling him and before I handle my sulcata - or washing my hands is enough?
My friend Sulcata was infected with a fungal infection and refused to eat after he rescued a yellow-foot tortoise. It turns out the yf was infected with a fungal infection and sadly died a few days later. So, just want to be extra cautious.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hello and welcome! Hopefully it isn’t what Tom thinks it is, that could be detrimental to your other tortoise😣

I don’t suppose you’d mind including a photo of the set up you plan to put them in?🙂

What temps have you achieved? What kind of heating/lighting are you using? Humidity levels? Substrate? Size? Indoor uv?

Any additional photos and info would be great😊

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I just googled the disease, and it seems like it is usually followed by water-puss blisters, isn't it? I'll take a picture of the feet condition once he arrives. Initially, I thought he was just missing his nails by digging, but I'll check whether there are any blisters, open infection, etc. Is there any skin medication that I need to prepare beforehand? Just to be extra safe, do I need to use gloves/change my clothes after handling him and before I handle my sulcata - or washing my hands is enough?
My friend Sulcata was infected with a fungal infection and refused to eat after he rescued a yellow-foot tortoise. It turns out the yf was infected with a fungal infection and sadly died a few days later. So, just want to be extra cautious.

You can check this thread on possible treatment and more information:

Austwickia chelonae - New Information & What to do if you see it

OK guys. During the past year I have observed/treated tortoises with Austwickia and documented the results. I have also discussed this disease with several veterinarians at this point and it's time for a data dump. General information on the disease: 1. The "yellow bump" disease is caused...

tortoiseforum.org

You'll have to adjust enclosure for your redfoot to prevent infection from blooming. Austwikia is highly contagious and you will have to use disposable gloves, separate sets of bathing and feeding accessories and so on. If the infection is confirmed, I recommend you to read the threads on this forum and ask for advice from some members who have dealt with it.

 

[berrybon]

You can check this thread on possible treatment and more information:

Austwickia chelonae - New Information & What to do if you see it

OK guys. During the past year I have observed/treated tortoises with Austwickia and documented the results. I have also discussed this disease with several veterinarians at this point and it's time for a data dump. General information on the disease: 1. The "yellow bump" disease is caused...

tortoiseforum.org

You'll have to adjust enclosure for your redfoot to prevent infection from blooming. Austwikia is highly contagious and you will have to use disposable gloves, separate sets of bathing and feeding accessories and so on. If the infection is confirmed, I recommend you to read the threads on this forum and ask for advice from some members who have dealt with it.

Thank you SO MUCH @Alex and the Redfoot and @Tom . I'm really glad I posted before he arrived. I've been planning on quarantining him for a couple of days, but now I think I'll need to adjust it to make it more safer. I think first thing first, once he arrives, I'll check for any bumps/lesions. I thought I only needed to check the toe, but I'll check his whole body then. I also thought I could soak them at the same time from a separate tub. But I guess I'll soak them in different places and times just to be safe. I am still hoping that it is just a minor injury. I'll update you again once he arrives!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Yes, please keep us updated! I really hope it's not Austwikia.

 

[berrybon]

Hello and welcome! Hopefully, it isn’t what Tom thinks it is that could be detrimental to your other tortoise😣

I don’t suppose you’d mind including a photo of the set up you plan to put them in?🙂

What temps have you achieved? What kind of heating/lighting are you using? Humidity levels? Substrate? Size? Indoor uv?

Any additional photos and info would be great😊

Hi! I'm currently not home, but I'll take a pic of the enclosure as soon as I get home. I am planning to reach 30'c on the hot side, humidity 70'-80'. The enclosure that I got is quite small (60x40cm); I'm sure he'll outgrow it in no time. But since it's quite small, it's a bit hard to maintain the humidity, given the temperature. I have to recheck the cool side temperature as well. Previously, when I used it to temporarily house my sulcata when the hot side was 32', the cool side was about 29-30'. I'll recheck the temps for the red foot.
I use UVA, and coco coir for bedding (I kinda like it better than coco husk for hatchlings). I didn't use UVB as it's sunny year-round here, so I just let them sunbathe every morning for 15-30mins.

I live in Jakarta, so the temperature ranges from 26-29 (sometimes even 33'c); it's always hot and humid. It is great for tortoises, but not so great for humans, haha. Initially, I planned to let him outside in an outside enclosure for an hour or so every day. But now that it's possibly Austwikia, honestly, I am rethinking everything.