am i just worrying

[goReptiles]

I added to uvb to domino's tub last night, and today when I got home, I found him hanging out under it. He had eaten most of the food I gave him this morning. And was just hanging out under the heat. He almost never sits on top of the house under the heat. He's almost always just in his house. And tonight every time i walked in my room, he was in a different spit, whether snooping for more food, in the water dish, or in the tunnel/hide he's never paid attention to before.

Am I just being paranoid about the new behavior after adding the UV?

Before I just sat down for bed, he had been playing under and around the moss. He's now buried under it instead of in his house like normal.

I did rearrange a little last night. I took out half the old coconut coir and added new moss.

 

[Tropical Torts]

That all sounds like normal behavior for a curious little RF in a rearranged enclosure. You may just be paranoid. But dont worry i had the same problem when i first got my RF's, and i eventually learned that the imagination is what getting the best of us. If any abnormal behavior such as, lethargy or he is not eating than there is a cause for concern. Your tort sounds perfectly fine to me!

Dont let your paranoia get the best of you!

 

[goReptiles]

Ok. That's what I was hoping. I didn't rearrange much, just really moved the food tile and moved the tunnel/hide thing. But, he did go chomping to his food this morning, and ate most of it yesterday. He just wasn't acting his normal, 'sit in hide' self.

 

[harris]

Once they "come out of their shell" so to speak you're in for a real treat. They will become the clowns of your collection. I've had Redfoots that were outgoing from day one, and others that were shy for their first couple months. I've never had one that didn't snap out of it.

 

[Kemperly_Williams]

My Redfoot has only been in her new home for less the 24 hours and she's examined everything, ate all her apples and lettuce and did about 10 laps around the enclosure. She's actually on the move now. Just wandering about.

Kemp

 

[Mandolynn]

Don't feel bad, I'm the same way with my babies. I don't know what I'm going to do when I have kids! As long as you're giving him the appropriate care and he's active and eating, he's fine. Noticing changes and being observant is important in catching problems, and also in getting to know him. People who have never had a tortoise, or who don't pay attention, never believe me when I tell them stories about them. Like how my russian, Humphrey, knew his name, and listened to me better than my dog. My dad always says that our pets aren't strange because of their idiosyncrasies, we were just looking closer than most owners.
When in doubt ask, it's better to be safe than sorry. :shy:

 

[goReptiles]

He's back to his normal hiding self.

 

[Madkins007]

UVB lighting helps bring out more natural behaviors, but it does not mean it is going to live under the bulb. It felt a need to bask, satisfied it, and will probably do it again occasionally. This sounds like good news to me.

 

[goReptiles]

Every other day he seems to be under the bulb.

I do have a question though...
His eyes are almost always closed until he's soaked or misted. The humidity dries around 60-65%, but once the moss and everything is misted down, it goes to about 80-85%. Am I doing something wrong because I noticed that the RF at petsmart that was in a dry enclosure was wide-eyed and fine.

This is nothing new for him. It's nearly always been like that off an on anyway.

 

[Madkins007]

Don't use what PetSmart, etc. does as a guideline- they will not keep the animals long enough for problems to develop.

It may be the misting, it may be a bit dry, it may be because it is bright, but it may also just be that it is still trying to sleep and you are waking it up. Not real sure what to suggest.

Just FYI, WEEPING eyes are the main sign of dryness.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Is it really bright in the enclosure? Is the UVB a tube or a bright MVB? Why did you decide to add it (just curious as it seems to be a toss up on redfoots and lately I've heard more of no UVB than using UVB)? Any substrate irritants possible? Completely closed, mostly closed with just the bottom open so he can walk around, squinting eyes, or other? I'd do the misting more often if it seems to help him, as long as the temps are adequate and you don't make it swampy in there (layers of substrate with draining). An auto mister with warm water can be really helpful, as well as precautions to keep in the humidity like plexiglas.

 

[goReptiles]

Mark, I'm not using what they do as a base. Just thought it was weird that they don't worry about humidity, and the one I saw looked great. He's always clamped his eyes shut until he's soaked, before the light. I was told possible too much humidity hurting his eyes.

tortoisenerd, I added it, as after research, I've decided that even under the brush and trees, they still receive some UV lighting. I've heard more people opting for UVB than not, lately. It's a 5.0 bulb, so it's just a small dose of UVB. There are plenty of dark places for him to get away from it if he wants. I mist three times a day. Weepy eyes are signs of too dry, so I've always fought for higher humidity, but can't get it past 65% when dry or 85%ish after misting. A breeder said it could be too high average humidity in the tub, irritating the eyes.

I'm going to try letting this dry a little bit and to rely on misting and soaks. I won't keep thins dust dry by any means, but I'm thinking that it's too wet. The eyes are completely closed. I've also shut off my fogger, as I think this is contributing to the wetness (it's not soaked, but the dirt is always wet and the moss dry).

 

[goReptiles]

I wasn't worrying for nothing. I took him to the vet, and he was diagnosed with a respiratory condition. He was becoming lethargic and not eating. When picked up, he would open his mouth just a tad. He's on baytril once a day. Teeny shot in the leg. I'm not good at doing shots, but the vet didn't want to keep him there, and I don't have the time to drive 30 minutes to and from the vet every day (plus I do work and they'd be closed by the time I left work, went home, then got him).

 

[Madkins007]

RI can be tricky- good call with the vet. Did he give you any follow-up/nursing cares?

The usual routine is to keep it warm (about 5F warmer than usual), humid (for Red-foots), clean, isolated (not a big deal if you only have one), and to give the original habitat a really good cleaning/disinfection before going back into it to eliminate any germs possible.

Expose it to as few germs, noises, bright lights, stresses, handling, etc. as possible during convalescence.

It is also helpful to review conditions to try to correct anything that might have contributed- places that are cold/wet/clammy, dry/dusty, cross contamination from other animals, etc.

 

[goReptiles]

I think the substrate was too wet. I've switched to cypress mulch. I'm having issues with the shots, so I'm sure will be back.

I read about some nose drops that are supposed to be good. I can't remember what It's called, but have you heard of nose drops for an ri?

I did get 3 more last week, but they are housed separately from domino.

The vet said I didn't need disinfectant the enclosure? I had just changes it the night before going to the vet. She said, since he already has it, It's not a huge concern that u changed it the night before starting treatment.

Do you have any suggestions on getting him to eat? He is getting thin. I tried baby food and mazuri but he didn't care. Should I put him in a flat dish with it before soaking him?

 

[goReptiles]

The baytril hasn't seemed to do any good. Does anyone have any other suggestions to a different antibiotic?

I've seen these other alternatives: sulphadiazine, sulphamezathine, or aureomycin. Or the nasal drops Oxytetracycline (Terramycin), Tylosin, and, Enrofloxacin (Baytril).

What are the common names for the first three?

 

[Yvonne G]

Baytril is the best antibiotic for a respiratory infection. Are you sure you got the drug into the tortoise? (you said you were having trouble giving the injections)

You can also use Baytril as a nasal spray. You mix one part Baytril with 9 parts sterile saline solution and squirt it firmly into each nostril.

 

[goReptiles]

I was having trouble at first, but got the hang of it.

Do you think I should request more baytril or another antibiotic. I've read where if the first antibiotic doesn't work, that another should be used instead.

 

[tortoisenerd]

Whitney-I would go back to the vet and see what they are comfortable with prescribing--doesn't help any to have a medication in mind if the vet won't give it to the tort, doesn't typically use it (ie. have it in stock), etc. I hope you can get this cleared up soon. How is Domino doing?

Mark-Can you explain why its good to clean the enclosure for a RI? I'd understand why to do this for parasites, but not a RI.

---

If some days went by between the first injection and the others, that can explain why it might not work (they need to be given exactly on schedule). Also, how many days since you finished treatment? Sometimes some time goes by between the treatment to when the symptoms subside.

 

[Madkins007]

Tortoisenerd- Germ control and hygiene. The thing about RI is that it is mostly a virus, and antibiotics do not do a lot against it directly, but the now reduced immune system can pick up other germs easily.

A good cleaning helps prevent the sorts of germs that can cause such secondary infections. Also, the germs and viruses that infected the tort in the first place can still be in place. If you clear up the colonies in the tort, it can get reinfected by those in the environment.

Besides germs and viruses, our warm, humid Red-foot habitats are breeding grounds for fungi, mold, mildew, etc. Over the last few years, I have found some sort of mold growth hidden in my habitats at least four times. I just found some today when doing a routine stir (so old stuff gets buried, soaked stuff can dry, and loosen up packed materials.)

I have not had to do it yet, but if one of my guys gets sick, I am replacing all the substrate and cleaning everything else, and all the tools, plates, etc. I would use a good bleach/water mix, etc. Not sure what I would do with my plants or moss-probably replace them as well.