Newly Adopted 8 year old Redfoot

Kipley

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Jul 17, 2019
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118
Location (City and/or State)
Seattle, WA
Sheldonface2A.jpg Sheldonside3.jpg Sheldonback2A.jpg SheldonWound.jpg
This is Sheldon, he is around 8 years old, 6.5 lbs and very curioius and active. I watched an ad for him on Craigslist, finally broke down and contacted the owners. The couple's son owned him, and moved away to college. The parents weren't home enough to care for him. He came with a 2x4 glass coral propagation tank/aquarium filled with pine shavings. His shell is a mess. The wound is supposedly from a dog attack years ago - just want to make sure that isn't shell rot? His plastron is in good shape, no signs of shell fungus.
His personality is just perfect! Very curious, not at all shy, and seems happy and healthy. He is so dry though. He has been here 4 days and eats everything I offer him. They said he eats salad greens, dandelions, bananas and apples. Here is has eaten grocery store spring mix, dandelions, kale, romaine, clover, nasturium leaves and flowers, pansy flowers, hibiscus flowers, a single cherry tomato, and a handful of kiwi berries from my kiwi vine. He also eats Mazuri pellets. Oh, and he relished a single Super worm (I have Chameleons and a Bearded Dragon), probably his very first live insect.
Any suggestions and advice on the shell?
He has a large water dish that he soaks in on his own, and I've been doing 30 minute soaks in a bin to ensure he is hydrated.
 
Last edited:

Jodie

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Aww what a lucky tortoise to find you! I cannot offer advice as I do not keep Redfoots, and have no experience with shell rot. knock on wood, but wanted to thank you for taking this sweetie in, and improving his life.
 

Beasty_Artemis

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How it must feel to be such a long lived animal who has been so neglected .... to suddenly get spoiled with everything that could bring that tortoise happiness.
It must feel like winning the lottery or going to heaven to that red foot! And they pretty much did!!! Thank you for helping them to thrive.
 

TammyJ

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Very lucky guy is that tortoise! All the best. Pics of his enclosure?
 

ZEROPILOT

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Humidity.
Not hydration in the sense of him drinking.
Lack of humidity causes pyramiding. It needs to be over 70%.
He also has some bizarre looking growth lines that I'm thinking at one time might have been fractured shell.
That spot is exposed bone. Not shell fungus.
Good save. He's a tough little dude.
He sounds like he is otherwise healthy.
 

Kipley

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Joined
Jul 17, 2019
Messages
118
Location (City and/or State)
Seattle, WA
Humidity.
Not hydration in the sense of him drinking.
Lack of humidity causes pyramiding. It needs to be over 70%.
He also has some bizarre looking growth lines that I'm thinking at one time might have been fractured shell.
That spot is exposed bone. Not shell fungus.
Good save. He's a tough little dude.
He sounds like he is otherwise healthy.


I think he was not only dehydrated on arrival from lack of intake, but has been kept in a dry environment as well. He drank a lot the first 24 hours he was here. Even running the fogger I'm having a hard time keeping the humidity up above 60%. Once the heat panel arrives and I get the top properly enclosed temperature and humidity issues should be solved.

I wasn't sure if those uneven and odd growth lines were from his diet and lack of humidity, or the result of the "dog bite" that left the scar on his shell.
I'm loving his personality and looking at the rough past he must have had, I have to respect him for being as happy, curious and unafraid as he seems to be! He may have suffered from neglect, probably from pet store advice and not lack of intention, because he was well socialized with people and animals and from the interaction with the couple whose son owned him, he was well loved. He would go on vacation with them, and to their beach house during the summers...probably all on pine shavings.
The first 24 hours he was here, his glass enclosure was on the floor, protected by a 4' tall Xpen around it. I have 3 Greyhounds and 2 cats. The dogs, despite their racing past, are all low prey drive and used to seeing the Bearded Dragon and Chameleons in their enclosures. But Sheldon was very curious about the dogs and cats and would try and climb out of the enclosure to sniff them when they were sniffing him through the Xpen wall. Same with the cats, he has no fear. The new enclosure is not accessible to the dogs, so he remains safe.

Should I be worried about his loose stools or could it be stress combined with more fluid intake from fruits, water, etc?
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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I think he was not only dehydrated on arrival from lack of intake, but has been kept in a dry environment as well. He drank a lot the first 24 hours he was here. Even running the fogger I'm having a hard time keeping the humidity up above 60%. Once the heat panel arrives and I get the top properly enclosed temperature and humidity issues should be solved.

I wasn't sure if those uneven and odd growth lines were from his diet and lack of humidity, or the result of the "dog bite" that left the scar on his shell.
I'm loving his personality and looking at the rough past he must have had, I have to respect him for being as happy, curious and unafraid as he seems to be! He may have suffered from neglect, probably from pet store advice and not lack of intention, because he was well socialized with people and animals and from the interaction with the couple whose son owned him, he was well loved. He would go on vacation with them, and to their beach house during the summers...probably all on pine shavings.
The first 24 hours he was here, his glass enclosure was on the floor, protected by a 4' tall Xpen around it. I have 3 Greyhounds and 2 cats. The dogs, despite their racing past, are all low prey drive and used to seeing the Bearded Dragon and Chameleons in their enclosures. But Sheldon was very curious about the dogs and cats and would try and climb out of the enclosure to sniff them when they were sniffing him through the Xpen wall. Same with the cats, he has no fear. The new enclosure is not accessible to the dogs, so he remains safe.

Should I be worried about his loose stools or could it be stress combined with more fluid intake from fruits, water, etc?
It might just be a reaction to the great intake of liquids he's not to processing
 

willee638

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Joined
Feb 16, 2020
Messages
283
Location (City and/or State)
HK
View attachment 282661 View attachment 282662 View attachment 282663 View attachment 282664
This is Sheldon, he is around 8 years old, 6.5 lbs and very curioius and active. I watched an ad for him on Craigslist, finally broke down and contacted the owners. The couple's son owned him, and moved away to college. The parents weren't home enough to care for him. He came with a 2x4 glass coral propagation tank/aquarium filled with pine shavings. His shell is a mess. The wound is supposedly from a dog attack years ago - just want to make sure that isn't shell rot? His plastron is in good shape, no signs of shell fungus.
His personality is just perfect! Very curious, not at all shy, and seems happy and healthy. He is so dry though. He has been here 4 days and eats everything I offer him. They said he eats salad greens, dandelions, bananas and apples. Here is has eaten grocery store spring mix, dandelions, kale, romaine, clover, nasturium leaves and flowers, pansy flowers, hibiscus flowers, a single cherry tomato, and a handful of kiwi berries from my kiwi vine. He also eats Mazuri pellets. Oh, and he relished a single Super worm (I have Chameleons and a Bearded Dragon), probably his very first live insect.
Any suggestions and advice on the shell?
He has a large water dish that he soaks in on his own, and I've been doing 30 minute soaks in a bin to ensure he is hydrated.
So sad when you found him in such bad condition, he wasn't getting proper care & nutrition previously from the pyramiding. A healthy male should have probably been 10kg or more I assume, many more animals die from neglect than properly cared for ones unfortunately.
 

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