Sick baby redfoot

KristenandPete

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ok so Pete recently hasnt been eating and as of a few days ago he won't open his eyes. Hes become lethargic and his shell is soft (not shell rot i checked) Im afraid its because he has not been eating. He has soil and coconut husk in his habitat which is kept at about 85. I keep his humidity up by misting his habitat a few times a day. I have soaked him in warm water and tried to gently open his eyes which is starting to work. I feeed him Kale and veggies (mushrooms, peppers, occasionally tomatoes, apples, mangos) he gets fed almost everyday but he still isnt eating. I'm worried about him. Ive been putting calcium in his water so he will still get the nutrients he needs to make his shell hard. He also sat in his water dish for a whole day and that's when his shell was soft -_- Im at a loss. Ive had problems keeping humidity up since the coconut husk substrate which Ive started doing since december. Hes been acting this way for about a week now. I realllllly need some advice guys. He has a UVB light and a heater to keep his habitat toasty.
 

Yvonne G

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"In the wild, turtles and tortoises are exposed to ultraviolet light (UV) everyday. Absolutely essential to their health and growth, UV plays a key role in the production of Vitamin D3, which is necessary in the absorption and metabolism of calcium, as well as other essential vitamins and minerals. Vitamin D3 deficiency can result in limited shell growth, metabolic bone disease, and often, a premature death. Supplying appropriate UV lighting in your pet's habitat is one of the many important responsibilities you carry as the owner of a turtle or tortoise."

"Skin can make large amounts of vitamin D when lots of skin is exposed and the sun is high in the sky. The tortoise's body is designed to get the vitamin D it needs by producing it when his bare skin is exposed to sunlight. The part of the sun's rays that is important is ultraviolet B (UVB)."

"Calcium can only reach its full bone-building potential if the body has enough vitamin D. Calcium and vitamin D work together to protect the bones and shell—calcium helps build and maintain bones, while vitamin D helps the body effectively absorb calcium. So even if you’re feeding the tortoise enough calcium, it could be going to waste if you don't also provide UVB either from the sun or a good light."

So, has your little tortoise been getting calcium and UVB? MBD (soft shell) is quite painful. This might be why his eyes are closed and he's stopped eating. If you think this is a calcium/vitamin d deficiency, it might be helpful to take the little guy to a qualified tortoise vet for a calcium injection.

He needs immediate attention.
 

KristenandPete

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"In the wild, turtles and tortoises are exposed to ultraviolet light (UV) everyday. Absolutely essential to their health and growth, UV plays a key role in the production of Vitamin D3, which is necessary in the absorption and metabolism of calcium, as well as other essential vitamins and minerals. Vitamin D3 deficiency can result in limited shell growth, metabolic bone disease, and often, a premature death. Supplying appropriate UV lighting in your pet's habitat is one of the many important responsibilities you carry as the owner of a turtle or tortoise."

"Skin can make large amounts of vitamin D when lots of skin is exposed and the sun is high in the sky. The tortoise's body is designed to get the vitamin D it needs by producing it when his bare skin is exposed to sunlight. The part of the sun's rays that is important is ultraviolet B (UVB)."

"Calcium can only reach its full bone-building potential if the body has enough vitamin D. Calcium and vitamin D work together to protect the bones and shell—calcium helps build and maintain bones, while vitamin D helps the body effectively absorb calcium. So even if you’re feeding the tortoise enough calcium, it could be going to waste if you don't also provide UVB either from the sun or a good light."

So, has your little tortoise been getting calcium and UVB? MBD (soft shell) is quite painful. This might be why his eyes are closed and he's stopped eating. If you think this is a calcium/vitamin d deficiency, it might be helpful to take the little guy to a qualified tortoise vet for a calcium injection.

He needs immediate attention.
Thats why I dont understand. His shell wasnt soft until a couple days ago and his food is dusted about 4 times a week and i feed him plenty of mushrooms which are loaded in vitamin D. and his light is UVB. But he hasnt been eating so he isnt recieving either for about a or so. Ive thought about soaking him in "veggie soup" which is a mix of mushed greens and veggies with vitamin A and D? So what am I missing here?
 

DutchieAmanda

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How old is Pete?

Do you have any pics of his enclosure? Is the temperature 85 all over or in a specific spot? What do you use to measure temperature (not all thermometers are equally accurate)? What type of UVB light do you use, how old is it and how high is it mounted?

I think the diet can be improved by adding more leafy greens, kale is not the best choice for a staple and the other food sources are mainly fruits. However, first it's important to get him to eat again!
 

Gillian M

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A very warm welcome to the forum @KristenandPete .

Pics of your tort and his enclosure would enable us to help you more easily.

And wishes for Pete to get well soon.
 

Pearly

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Hi Kristen and belated welcome to the forum. One of my babies was sick at the beginning and I got him out of it thanks to the help of great combined knowledge and wisdom of this forum. There can be number of things causing him to be sickly. I can tell you though that 9times out of 10 these things are directly related to their environment, either too cold (or too hot), not enough light, or no places to hide, and last but not least, very common baby tort killer- THE DEHYDRATION! Try carrot soaks, soak him daily or better 2-3x day if you can. Post pictures of his enclosure with the lights and with him in it. Let us see the kind of container and substrate you are using, his hides, food serving area and his water dish. Have you tried offering him soaked Mazuri? My sick baby found it irresistible and this is how I got him to start eating. Mazuri and blending/pureeing his food. If you don't have Mazuri, buy some tortoise food different kinds, put him in front of freshly chopped food mixed in with few soaked commercial tortoise pellets. I tried to feed mine 3x day. I'd chop things very finely in am and divide up into 3 portions and would keep trying different thing: warm bath, then feeding... how about protein? My "sick baby" (today weighing in almost 2lbs!) LOOOOVES cooked shrimp! I buy a bag of frozen cooked, and always have it handy for treats. RF torts love their protein. I heard somewhere not to give meat when they are that young, well, I did! At the time I'd give anything just to get him to eat. My baby was also having trouble biting food off, it'd take him 3-4 tries to get something in his mouth and keep it without it falling out. He was just kinda awkward that way. I chop their food to this day, just not as finely as i did when they were babies. I always put out whole leaves next to their chopped/mixed food and let them choose if they want to graze or just have a nice wholesome meal:). Another thing: calcium. I never used the powder. Some babies won't touch the food with calcium dust on it. I always have cuttlefish bone in their enclosure so they can get it themselves when they need. They go through periods when they really work at it and other times it's just snails and pillbugs in my biosubstrate who benefit from it:) Wishing you and Pete best of luck
 

Pearly

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I just reread your post, how SOFT is his shell???? Does the plastron have little give but otherwise it feels like "a shell"? or is everything just mushy?
 

Pearly

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What are you using to measure your temps and humidity? Do you have infrared temp gun? You can get one at hardware store or on amazon for 19-29$. I got one recently and don't know now how i had lived without it the in the past year, using probe electronic ones, or tiny little infrared (40bucks from petco) , and bunch of other digital ones throughout the enclosure... what a pain! And i had spent almost 200$ on temp/humidity gagues, while This one "gun" is all you'll ever need. You can test your bath water and your babiescarapace, the substrate level of his enclosure so you always know how warm things are for him. I also hope Pete is out of that plastic tote you have on your initial post. That light seemed awful strong for that size enclosure. Torts need several hides (cooler & warmer, let them choose) to get away from heat and bright light. Heat exhaustion is bad. I know how i feel when hot and no shade to get away from the sun
 

Pearly

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http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Pearly's-tips-to-feed-picky-eater.139381/ one more thing, this is my old thread from when my baby Tucker was sick, check it out, you might find something helpful in there. And quick thought on mushrooms bfr i run off to work. What kind are you feeding? I recall reading somewhere that the white ones or portabellos or babybellas were not best choice for torts. Look for Chantarelles or oysters, you know, like the wild forest kinds. I have gourmet food store on the other side of town that sells those, expensive as heck (60 bucks per pound) but if you just buy one for your baby, it's not gonna be that much. I also buy fresh dandellion greens at Sprouts (farmers market) look around your stores they may have all kinds if good stuff. Just DO NOT PICK anything if you live in subdivision where some company maintains landscape. They spray all kinds if crap on the common areas i wouldn't even dare walk barefooted on it in fear of carcinogenic crap getting in through my skin. Ok, i'm off to work now. Keeping my fingers crossed for you and Pete! Warm thoughts going your way
 

TammyJ

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I wish you the best of luck with his recovery...this is an excellent place to get expert advice but he probably should see a good reptile vet!
 

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