Aldabra Buddy Foot pads coming off

[Mini]

Ok, me and Buddy survived winter, constipation causing his rear leg to drop. Now his foot scale pads are coming off on three legs at the bottom of his feet. My veterinarian friend recommended I put Povidone Iodine on his lost scale pads every night. This is working out well.
Most likely problem, hot spots on his reptile pad overheating and causing the damage on the bottom of his foot/feet.
Hopefully 2 photos attached.

 

[AustinASU]

Never ever have a heat pad, tortoises will cook themselves on them.

 

[mike taylor]

Man, that poor guy can't catch a break. Sorry this is happening to your tortoise . If you use a small heater with a fan it will heat your tortoise house .

 

[bouaboua]

I use reptile heat pad too for my indoor enclosure too during the winter. But I place a pieces of tile on top of it so the low heat will transmit it through the tile to keep the tile warm and will not hurt the tortoise if the pad overheated.

I also use cookie (or Pizza)baking pen with a some water in it and also place a piece of tile in the pan, so the heat will radiated though the water and the tile. never under the animal directly. It worked well for me.

 

[ascott]

You really need to offer a clean surface for him while that closes off and heals up (which will take some time given the size of the tortoise)....that is similar to when a dog is kennel bound on concrete---very painful.

I know this was not your intention, but immediate resolve is needed...

 

[Yvonne G]

So sorry you are having so much trouble with Buddy. A couple things about your thread jumped out at me.

I always check the temperature of my pig blankets...at least every other day during the winter. I keep making adjustments to the rheostat, up or down, depending upon what the temperature of the pad reads. I kinda' sorta' don't think this is from the pad, though, because judging from how my aldabran tortoises lay in the shed, they settle themselves on their plastron with their feet out behind them. They don't sit their feet on the pad long enough to get burned (if it were too hot). You do have a rheostat on the heat pad, right? Just plugging the pad into the wall is too hot. You need a controller to control the temp of the pad.

Using Povidone Iodine, or Betadine, is good to kill any germs, but it also inhibits the re-growth of white cells, so we recommend only using it one time.

 

[Mini]

Thanks to everyone's comments. My place is VERY clean. I have bought several rubber floor mats with holes in them from Lowe's that offer ground cushion and comfort. I have stopped the iodine yesterday. Tonight is going to be in the upper 40's... I removed his floor heat pad and using the oil filled radiator heaters and keeping his house at 79 degrees. I get up several times during the night and check on him when the cold fronts hit. I have a wireless temperature monitor in his house, also the inferead temp gun. I put the heater on the ground next to the entrance of his igloo dog house and hang it up on hooks every morning for safety. His feet are healing... very slowly, but that's the tortoise way... low and slow. haha

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So sorry you are having so much trouble with Buddy. A couple things about your thread jumped out at me.

I always check the temperature of my pig blankets...at least every other day during the winter. I keep making adjustments to the rheostat, up or down, depending upon what the temperature of the pad reads. I kinda' sorta' don't think this is from the pad, though, because judging from how my aldabran tortoises lay in the shed, they settle themselves on their plastron with their feet out behind them. They don't sit their feet on the pad long enough to get burned (if it were too hot). You do have a rheostat on the heat pad, right? Just plugging the pad into the wall is too hot. You need a controller to control the temp of the pad.

Using Povidone Iodine, or Betadine, is good to kill any germs, but it also inhibits the re-growth of white cells, so we recommend only using it one time.

Buddy does lay out his feet, but often put his left back foot directky on the heat pad. I do have a rheostat. thanks for your advice!

---

You really need to offer a clean surface for him while that closes off and heals up (which will take some time given the size of the tortoise)....that is similar to when a dog is kennel bound on concrete---very painful.

I know this was not your intention, but immediate resolve is needed...

Buddy is on 100 pound rubber pads most of the time. Thanks for your insight and advice!

 

[Levi the Leopard]

Curiosity here: could spending most of his time on the rubber mats be part of the problem? Hmmm, just wondering ???? I wonder if he spent most of his time walking on real dirt and grass if he wouldn't run into so many issues.

 

[Mini]

Curiosity here: could spending most of his time on the rubber mats be part of the problem? Hmmm, just wondering ???? I wonder if he spent most of his time walking on real dirt and grass if he wouldn't run into so many issues.

Now that the weather is warmer, He is spending more time on dirt and grass. His feet are healing slowly and things are getting better.

 

[Levi the Leopard]

His feet are healing slowly and things are getting better.

Good to hear. You know, all of us here have a soft spot for your gentle giant

 

[Mini]

His feet are healing slowly and things are getting better.

Good to hear. You know, all of us here have a soft spot for your gentle giant

Thanks... He's an incredible tort and has quite a personality. He looks for me when I'm in the yard.

 

[wellington]

He sure is lucky he has you. So sorry you guys have had a ruff time right off the bat. I use my pig blanket on a thermostat. I set the temp and it can't go higher. I also have attached it to the side of the hide with a radiant heat panel on the other side. They both are on the same thermostat. Just a suggestion for anyone using a pig blanket and don't want it on the floor. My leopard would avoid going on it anyway, I don't think he likes the texture of it.
Glad he is healing. Hopefully this is the end of it for you two.