RedFoot is wheezing

[COmtnLady]

Wrap her sealed-closed habitat in insulating things like blankets and towels. Do you have any foam packing sheets or bubble wrap you could use to cover top, sides, and bottom? Wrap the enclosure, and make sure to cover and secure all surfaces, including underside if it is touched by air, otherwise the non-covered spots will be cold and defeat your purpose. Put tape/ropes/something around to hold the insulation close to the surfaces of the enclosure (This means don't just drape a blanket over the top with its edges loose, allowing the cold air to get in underneath it).

Be careful not to touch anything hot with the insulating materials (fire hazard).

What do you have that creates heat? Is there a way to adapt that to add in a bit more?


If it is really dire, make a smaller space to heat with what you have. Put her in her night box and make it the right temps, with water if space allows. Put her into one of those Rubbermaid-type containers with the CHEs heating that space. Put her into a big-ish cardboard box, but be extremely careful about the hot lights touching anything. It would be better to limit her space for a couple days or a week than for her to be too cold.

 

[betweenshells]

Wrap her sealed-closed habitat in insulating things like blankets and towels. Do you have any foam packing sheets or bubble wrap you could use to cover top, sides, and bottom? Wrap the enclosure, and make sure to cover and secure all surfaces, including underside if it is touched by air, otherwise the non-covered spots will be cold and defeat your purpose. Put tape/ropes/something around to hold the insulation close to the surfaces of the enclosure (This means don't just drape a blanket over the top with its edges loose, allowing the cold air to get in underneath it).

Be careful not to touch anything hot with the insulating materials (fire hazard).

What do you have that creates heat? Is there a way to adapt that to add in a bit more?


If it is really dire, make a smaller space to heat with what you have. Put her in her night box and make it the right temps, with water if space allows. Put her into one of those Rubbermaid-type containers with the CHEs heating that space. Put her into a big-ish cardboard box, but be extremely careful about the hot lights touching anything. It would be better to limit her space for a couple days or a week than for her to be too cold.

I think she might be okay for the night. I covered my windows in the downstairs and I added a space heater to the living room, her temp right now is 93. It might drop a bit over night but hoping not below 85. I’ll work on insulating it tomorrow bc the cold front is gonna last a bit.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

The fact she’s starting to get better now she’s finished her course is great! The yawning could be the tail end of it, I wouldn’t worry too much about that right now, especially as the wheezing has virtually gone! What’s your thermostat set to?

 

[betweenshells]

The fact she’s starting to get better now she’s finished her course is great! The yawning could be the tail end of it, I wouldn’t worry too much about that right now, especially as the wheezing has virtually gone! What’s your thermostat set to?

Yeah I just worry so much about her because she’s like my child! I’ve had her for 3 years now. Her thermostat right now reads 93.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Yeah I just worry so much about her because she’s like my child! I’ve had her for 3 years now. Her thermostat right now reads 93.

Did temps stay nice and stable overnight?

Bless you I know what you mean, our family red foot is like my baby now, I don’t want my own children but my shelled baby is my child lol

 

[betweenshells]

Did temps stay nice and stable overnight?

Bless you I know what you mean, our family red foot is like my baby now, I don’t want my own children but my shelled baby is my child lol

Yes they did! I know because I woke up at 3am to check and it was actually slightly higher at 94, then this morning it was 93.

She does seem more lethargic, that’s why I worry she’s not getting better. She had been very active throughout the course of antibiotics and the past couple days she still gets up to walk around but seems to stay in her nook longer. She also has been hanging her head down when she’s resting. She did eat this morning and got up to do a few laps around the enclosure. So maybe I’m just being a stressy.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Yes they did! I know because I woke up at 3am to check and it was actually slightly higher at 94, then this morning it was 93.

She does seem more lethargic, that’s why I worry she’s not getting better. She had been very active throughout the course of antibiotics and the past couple days she still gets up to walk around but seems to stay in her nook longer. She also has been hanging her head down when she’s resting. She did eat this morning and got up to do a few laps around the enclosure. So maybe I’m just being a stressy.

That’s good! Does she have an area in the 80’s she can go to? I only ask cause 93 is a bit too warm for all over.

She’s probably still getting over the illness which can feel frustratingly slow I know, but she is doing better by the sounds of things, the fact she’s eating and done some laps is fabulous! I know how easy it is to get obsessed over every little thing they do when they’ve been poorly, it’s not a bad thing to be attentive, but don’t drive yourself crazy by stressing over each little thing slightly out of the ordinary(easier said than done I know, been there lol) a sick or uncomfortable tortoise wouldn’t be eating, so I promise as things currently stand, she’s ok, they’re tough little cookies

 

[betweenshells]

That’s good! Does she have an area in the 80’s she can go to? I only ask cause 93 is a bit too warm for all over.

She’s probably still getting over the illness which can feel frustratingly slow I know, but she is doing better by the sounds of things, the fact she’s eating and done some laps is fabulous! I know how easy it is to get obsessed over every little thing they do when they’ve been poorly, it’s not a bad thing to be attentive, but don’t drive yourself crazy by stressing over each little thing slightly out of the ordinary(easier said than done I know, been there lol) a sick or uncomfortable tortoise wouldn’t be eating, so I promise as things currently stand, she’s ok, they’re tough little cookies

She doesn’t have an area in the 80s bc earlier someone mentioned keeping it generally in the range of 88-93 or so, so I’ve been doing that!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

She doesn’t have an area in the 80s bc earlier someone mentioned keeping it generally in the range of 88-93 or so, so I’ve been doing that!

Fair enough, if she seems happy and continuing to improve, you can keep them as they are for now

 

[betweenshells]

She was more active before though, she’s definitely been more lethargic the past couple days and had already been yawning less. I want to believe she is getting better but it just doesn’t feel that way. Even when she was taking the antibiotics, she had been eating and roaming more.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Redfoots aren't very active when temperatures are too high or too low. I would dial thermostat a few degrees down - to 88F and check if she'll be more active.

 

[betweenshells]

Okay been working on that this afternoon. She also is swollen around her neck area, a bit below almost inside her shell. Is that normal?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Okay been working on that this afternoon. She also is swollen around her neck area, a bit below almost inside her shell. Is that normal?

Don’t suppose you could get a photo?

 

[COmtnLady]

Okay been working on that this afternoon. She also is swollen around her neck area, a bit below almost inside her shell. Is that normal?

Please post Photos. Its tricky to figure out just by descriptions.

 

[betweenshells]

Please post Photos. Its tricky to figure out just by descriptions.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

There does look like a few little bumps, have they just come up in the last few days?

I’d get vet to have a look when you take her in, my first thought is small cyst maybe, it’s so hard to tell over a screen

 

[betweenshells]

There does look like a few little bumps, have they just come up in the last few days?

I’d get vet to have a look when you take her in, my first thought is small cyst maybe, it’s so hard to tell over a screen

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Doesn’t look as bad in this photo which is good! Almost looks like a bit of fluid build up under the skin, hopefully the vet will have a look for you

 

[betweenshells]

Sometimes it looks worse than both of those photos though…

 

[betweenshells]

Her vet had told me the last visit that it was because she’s overweight