Hello
We have a red-footed tortoise who is approx 9 years old. We've had him for 2.5 years. He has been healthy and active up until about 6 months ago. He is not well and the one vet in Northern MI who knows reptiles moved away. Here are the symptoms:
Very lethargic, not eating, weak legs-- when he walks, he doesn't stand on his legs anymore, they crumple under the weight of him. They splay out around him.
I've read many posts here and I think it may be the temperature is too low. He lives in a 4foot by 8 foot wood raised enclosure with cypress mulch as the base. He has one heat lamp (150 Watt Exoterra SunGlo). He is in the finished basement of our bi level home in our daughters bedroom. He is inside all year as we live in northern Michigan where snow is on the ground October to april. I have read that we probably need to figure out a way to get him outside more, but I worry that other animals will get him or he'll be too cold in the mornings ( which even in summer dip into the 40s at times).
1. Why do you think his legs are so weak?
2. I've read that I need to know the temperatures of the 4 spots in his tank, but what are the correct temperatures for those spots for a red-footed tortoise?
3. We haven't been doing calcium...so should we start sprinkling crushed Tums on his food? Or buy something?
4. How many times a week should we be feeding him? We had been doing every other day but have now tried to get him to eat every day and he is not interested.
He eats predominantly tomatoes and romaine lettuce, sometimes chicken (2x month), other fruit and veggies we offer but he has been turning his nose up at most food. He used to eat grapes, bananas, corn, green beans strawberries ...now is not interested.
I was told by the pet shop owner that he didn't need a UVB bulb, just the heat light, but after reading here it sounds like I need to buy that and a ceramic heating unit for night?
He is my 12 year old daughters pet and she is very worried. I don't think he looks well at all. Sometimes I look into his enclosure and he is so still, eyes closed that I call him and no response, have to shake him and he wakes up/opens his eyes. Not good. Last year, He used to try to escape his cage, would crawl up the sides of the enclosure,(and flip over(!), but now he is very sedentary.
We are afraid he is dying.
Help!
We have a red-footed tortoise who is approx 9 years old. We've had him for 2.5 years. He has been healthy and active up until about 6 months ago. He is not well and the one vet in Northern MI who knows reptiles moved away. Here are the symptoms:
Very lethargic, not eating, weak legs-- when he walks, he doesn't stand on his legs anymore, they crumple under the weight of him. They splay out around him.
I've read many posts here and I think it may be the temperature is too low. He lives in a 4foot by 8 foot wood raised enclosure with cypress mulch as the base. He has one heat lamp (150 Watt Exoterra SunGlo). He is in the finished basement of our bi level home in our daughters bedroom. He is inside all year as we live in northern Michigan where snow is on the ground October to april. I have read that we probably need to figure out a way to get him outside more, but I worry that other animals will get him or he'll be too cold in the mornings ( which even in summer dip into the 40s at times).
1. Why do you think his legs are so weak?
2. I've read that I need to know the temperatures of the 4 spots in his tank, but what are the correct temperatures for those spots for a red-footed tortoise?
3. We haven't been doing calcium...so should we start sprinkling crushed Tums on his food? Or buy something?
4. How many times a week should we be feeding him? We had been doing every other day but have now tried to get him to eat every day and he is not interested.
He eats predominantly tomatoes and romaine lettuce, sometimes chicken (2x month), other fruit and veggies we offer but he has been turning his nose up at most food. He used to eat grapes, bananas, corn, green beans strawberries ...now is not interested.
I was told by the pet shop owner that he didn't need a UVB bulb, just the heat light, but after reading here it sounds like I need to buy that and a ceramic heating unit for night?
He is my 12 year old daughters pet and she is very worried. I don't think he looks well at all. Sometimes I look into his enclosure and he is so still, eyes closed that I call him and no response, have to shake him and he wakes up/opens his eyes. Not good. Last year, He used to try to escape his cage, would crawl up the sides of the enclosure,(and flip over(!), but now he is very sedentary.
We are afraid he is dying.
Help!
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