Rescued Red Foot, seems very sick

[Katsy Lairmore]

Hey everyone!
I have very very little information to give everyone about a redfoot tortoise that I rescued tonight but here is what I do know: The lady that has had her doesn't have a clue how long, let her roam the kitchen with no heat, lights, or a water bowl that she could get in. She never soaked her. She didn't know what kind of tortoise it even was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! she had no idea on age but guessed it was a girl. she has been feeding her fruit and lettuce but wouldn't tell me what kinds other than strawberries and iceburg lettuce. she didn't know the size. She was very very reluctant to give me much info.

OK, so I'm in panic mode right now! I get her home and OMG she can hardly breath, runny nose, mucous filled eyes and one had a bit of blood, kinda looks injured. I soaked her in warm water, scrubbed her (not hard, but enough to get some nasty stuff off cuz she smelled terrible), the water was so brown that i couldn't see through it.
I made sure to dry her very well and put her on a warm (not hot!!) heating pad mostly to keep her warm while she finished drying from her bath and i have a heater in the same room as her so that she stays warm. I'm checking temps often and keeping my eye on her. I know that keeping her warm is very important, especially right now. Im soooooo worried about her!!!!!! She has such labored breathing! I do not have an on call reptile vet here in Lincoln. I am calling as soon as they open on Monday morning and requesting an emergency visit.
What can I do until then?
This was a short notice rescue so please be kind. I have other tortoises/turtles (a sulcata, 2 russian, a three toed box turtle, and an ornate box turtle (both box turtles are also rescues)) but I am not too familiar with this particular breed. I do have the heat lamps, UVB lights, calcium and diet needs covered, and everything I need to get her all set up. The lady said she was big but had no idea her weight so I didn't set up an enclosure because I wasn't sure what size I needed.
I just weighed her and she is 4 pounds, 14.8oz and looking straight down she is 9x6 (12x9 if laying the measuring tape on her)
She seems weak. What should I start feeding her to get the most nutrients in her?

 

[crimson_lotus]

I rescued my tortoise too, she had an upper respiratory infection and pneumonia, putting her neck up on the walls to breathe easier. After about 9 months of injections she was fully healed.

An easy and nutritious meal to start with is a bag of spring mix at your local supermarket. Mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, squash are good additions. You can also feed dandelion greens, arugula, collards, mustard greens, watercress, radicchio, endive, escarole, chicory. Spinach and kale are loaded with everything, so feed sparingly. I suppose you could start with that. Don't forget the occasional fruit and protein in their diet as well.

Would you happen to have a picture of the tortoise? Try keeping her in a large plastic storage bin if you are not already, and get a heat lamp over her ASAP. A mercury vapor bulb is easiest as it has a combination of heat and uvb light. Temps should be around 85ish, humidity can come a bit later when she is feeling better.

Is the shell soft at all from lack of UVB lighting? Check both the bottom and the top of the shell.

 

[crimson_lotus]

Sorry if my last post sounded too basic, I know you are not a beginner with your other tortoise species. Great job taking her away from a bad situation!

 

[Katsy Lairmore]

Crimson_lotus your response is perfect! Thank you for your help! I gave her yellow and green squash, romaine lettuce, and a piece of bok choy and a chunk of banana. She won't touch it. I put water by her also. She did poop and it was hard and had mucous on it. She just peed a little. I will add pics. It just seems like she is struggling to breath. It's killing me. I'm scared I'm gonna lose her over night or something.

 

[Katsy Lairmore]

Oh, the shell is good other than pyramiding.

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

This is going to sound like a bad idea but trust me it's not. Go buy iceberg lettuce (or if you have it already) and see if he'll eat it. If he does then mix the iceberg lettuce with different foods and take away a little bit of iceberg each time he eats.

 

[saginawhxc]

I think she is a little bigger than I realized. Once again, awesome job saving her.

She might not eat on day one. She might not eat for awhile. I understand it's scary right now, but remember she has been surviving worse conditions than your house. Her care just took a leap forward.

I'm kind of an optimist when it comes to this stuff. Keep her warm all weekend and get her to a vet ASAP and the chances are you'll be just fine.

 

[Katsy Lairmore]

This is going to sound like a bad idea but trust me it's not. Go buy iceberg lettuce (or if you have it already) and see if he'll eat it. If he does then mix the iceberg lettuce with different foods and take away a little bit of iceberg each time he eats.

That makes perfect sense, wean her from ice burg lettuce to better food slowly by mixing at different ratios. I don't have any but I will sure try it if she hasn't eaten anything by tomorrow evening.

 

[Katsy Lairmore]

I think she is a little bigger than I realized. Once again, awesome job saving her.

She might not eat on day one. She might not eat for awhile. I understand it's scary right now, but remember she has been surviving worse conditions than your house. Her care just took a leap forward.

I'm kind of an optimist when it comes to this stuff. Keep her warm all weekend and get her to a vet ASAP and the chances are you'll be just fine.

I'm glad you are positive. That does make me feel better

 

[saginawhxc]

This is one of the things I did with my stubborn russian rescue.

 

[crimson_lotus]

What a sweet little face!!

I'd put her under a heat lamp and see if she eats, she can't digest her food without warmth. Leave her there for tonight so she can calm down and relax. The move must be stressful and stress won't help any.

Also with the slimy stool, just to be safe get a stool sample taken to your vet and check for parasites.
Keep the soaks up, they can absorb water through their cloaca and will stay hydrated with baths at least if you don't see her actively drinking. With the hard stool she is probably dehydrated.

Good luck to you and your tortoise, and keep us updated! I thought my water turtle was going to die as soon as I took him home and he was loaded with problems, but he's 100% healthy and going strong. You never know, turtles are incredibly resilient.

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

This is one of the things I did with my stubborn russian rescue.

YEP! I got it from you

 

[Katsy Lairmore]

What a sweet little face!!

I'd put her under a heat lamp and see if she eats, she can't digest her food without warmth. Leave her there for tonight so she can calm down and relax. The move must be stressful and stress won't help any.

Also with the slimy stool, just to be safe get a stool sample taken to your vet and check for parasites.
Keep the soaks up, they can absorb water through their cloaca and will stay hydrated with baths at least if you don't see her actively drinking. With the hard stool she is probably dehydrated.

Good luck to you and your tortoise, and keep us updated! I thought my water turtle was going to die as soon as I took him home and he was loaded with problems, but he's 100% healthy and going strong. You never know, turtles are incredibly resilient.

I am never looking up 'cloaca' on Google again.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Can you get your hands on Mazuri tortoise chow? (Not the type L,S,)
It is something that almost no Redfoot can resist. It can be mixed with anything and it's full of roughage and fiber.

 

[Katsy Lairmore]

Can you get your hands on Mazuri tortoise chow? (Not the type L,S,)
It is something that almost no Redfoot can resist. It can be mixed with anything and it's full of roughage and fiber.

YES! I did give her some by syringe last even (as recommended by a vet) and it actually perked her up a bit and she ate a small piece of romaine lettuce. I gave her 2 baths yesterday and she finally peed for me. She has a vet appt at 9:50am this morning so send positive vibes our way please. I will keep everyone posted!

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

YES! I did give her some by syringe last even (as recommended by a vet) and it actually perked her up a bit and she ate a small piece of romaine lettuce. I gave her 2 baths yesterday and she finally peed for me. She has a vet appt at 9:50am this morning so send positive vibes our way please. I will keep everyone posted!

YAY! I'd never be so happy for a tortoise to pee on me.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I've used unflavored Pedialite with Mazuri and Oxbow Critical Care with success.

 

[Yvonne G]

The foamy mouth was probably caused by dehydration. Be sure to soak this tortoise daily in warm water for at least 30 minutes. Also, it would be beneficial for the tortoise to be living in some sort of closed chamber while it is recuperating. It needs a moist substrate, moist throughout, but fairly dry on top, a cover over the habitat to keep the cooler air from the house out, lights and heat.

 

[MPRC]

Keep her warm, offer her variety and give lots of soaks. I've had some really sorry looking redfoots come through my door and I've managed to turn all of them around. You'd be amazed by how much abuse they can take.

I'd get her a cuttlebone and feed on a piece of rough slate to try to wear down that beak.

Also, I found that putting fruity babyfood (strawberry banana is a favorite here) on the chopped greens makes them more enticing.

One last thing, if you have a humidifier run it in her room. Mine start whistling if the air is dry.

 

[MPRC]

And one last thing, chop up that squash or even grate it, smaller pieces go down easy and it sounds like she could use a helping hand.