Hello! (This is a long one, sorry.)
I am in need of some advice/recommendations on an ill baby redfoot. I received Walter, my redfoot tortoise, on January 24th. He hatched on December 1, 2023. I got him from Southern Reptiles. The first few months I had him, he was doing very well; eating, drinking, pooping, active, etc. He currently weighs 31 grams.
Early last week (~3/25/24) I noticed he kept making squeaky noises and was worried he may have developed an upper respiratory infection. I got him an appointment for the vet on 3/28/24. Upon taking him to the vet, I was told he was in great condition. He was given the all-clear on any infection, his fecal came back clean, and I was told my care was pretty spot-on for what he needed. My vet told me he might just be a bit of a vocal guy. On Saturday (3/30/24) evening, I noticed his shell had gotten soft. I had checked him that morning and he was fine, but by that night, his shell was soft to the touch. I knew this was a calcium issue, so I started dusting every meal with calcium powder and lowered the height of his UVB light by a few inches to increase D3 for him to help absorb calcium. Sunday (3/31/24), he didn’t want to drink much, and he refused food all day. Monday morning (4/1/24) I went to check on him and he was doing incredibly fast, spastic movements while trying to walk that kept causing him to flip himself over. Within 30 minutes he had flipped himself four times and I had to flip him back. The fifth time he flipped himself over was in his water dish. Luckily, I was actively watching him and was able to get him out fast. I called the vet to get him an emergency appointment that day. At the vet, even he said that had I not brought him in the previous Thursday, he likely would not have believed that his shell got soft that fast. He agreed that it was a calcium issue and guessed that the spastic muscle movement was likely also linked to calcium absorption issues. He gave him a liquid calcium injection in-office that day and sent me home with 6 more days worth of calcium injections. It was also recommended to get calcium with D3 for his food until his shell starts to show improvement and to dust every meal with calcium powder for the time being. His last injection is due to be given tomorrow. Monday afternoon he only flipped himself one more time, but I righted him and he just chilled out for the rest of the day. That night in his evening soak, he did not want to drink, but he soaked in the warm water for a while. Tuesday-Thursday (4/2/24-4/4/24) he wasn’t very interested in food still, but he started drinking water really well during his morning and evening baths. Yesterday (4/5/24) he ate a few bites of squash and strawberry for me that had some calcium on it. Last night during his bath, his plastron was still soft, but now appeared slightly sunken and wrinkled. This morning, it didn’t look as bad, but was still slightly sunken. He got a big drink in his morning soak and ate a bit of produce for me. He is still not incredibly thrilled about eating and his shell is still very soft. Also in the last 36 hours, he hasn’t wanted to keep his eyes open much, which to me signals some issues with vitamin A. He gets carrot and sweet potato offered each week, but I imagine since he hasn’t eaten much in the last week, that may be where that stems from. Even though he has been getting calcium injections and extra D3, his shell appears to be worsening more than improving. I trust the experience that many of you have and would appreciate any recommendations you all have to help him. Will his shell be a slow, long process to heal and reharden? As long as I know what to expect, I think I’ll feel better, but if I can do anything to help him in the meantime, I will take any advice you can give. I am happy to continue working with his vet to get him what he needs, but I wanted to see if any of you had any experiences like this and might have some advice for things I can do to help him. Below are his current enclosure parameters and foods offered to him.
Parameters:
Enclosure Base:
The base of the enclosure is a 4ft x 3ft x 1ft high wooden box lined with a shower pan liner (very thick vinyl). It then has a pvc frame covered in clear shower curtain liners to create a closed chamber.
Lights, Heat, and Humidity:
I am in need of some advice/recommendations on an ill baby redfoot. I received Walter, my redfoot tortoise, on January 24th. He hatched on December 1, 2023. I got him from Southern Reptiles. The first few months I had him, he was doing very well; eating, drinking, pooping, active, etc. He currently weighs 31 grams.
Early last week (~3/25/24) I noticed he kept making squeaky noises and was worried he may have developed an upper respiratory infection. I got him an appointment for the vet on 3/28/24. Upon taking him to the vet, I was told he was in great condition. He was given the all-clear on any infection, his fecal came back clean, and I was told my care was pretty spot-on for what he needed. My vet told me he might just be a bit of a vocal guy. On Saturday (3/30/24) evening, I noticed his shell had gotten soft. I had checked him that morning and he was fine, but by that night, his shell was soft to the touch. I knew this was a calcium issue, so I started dusting every meal with calcium powder and lowered the height of his UVB light by a few inches to increase D3 for him to help absorb calcium. Sunday (3/31/24), he didn’t want to drink much, and he refused food all day. Monday morning (4/1/24) I went to check on him and he was doing incredibly fast, spastic movements while trying to walk that kept causing him to flip himself over. Within 30 minutes he had flipped himself four times and I had to flip him back. The fifth time he flipped himself over was in his water dish. Luckily, I was actively watching him and was able to get him out fast. I called the vet to get him an emergency appointment that day. At the vet, even he said that had I not brought him in the previous Thursday, he likely would not have believed that his shell got soft that fast. He agreed that it was a calcium issue and guessed that the spastic muscle movement was likely also linked to calcium absorption issues. He gave him a liquid calcium injection in-office that day and sent me home with 6 more days worth of calcium injections. It was also recommended to get calcium with D3 for his food until his shell starts to show improvement and to dust every meal with calcium powder for the time being. His last injection is due to be given tomorrow. Monday afternoon he only flipped himself one more time, but I righted him and he just chilled out for the rest of the day. That night in his evening soak, he did not want to drink, but he soaked in the warm water for a while. Tuesday-Thursday (4/2/24-4/4/24) he wasn’t very interested in food still, but he started drinking water really well during his morning and evening baths. Yesterday (4/5/24) he ate a few bites of squash and strawberry for me that had some calcium on it. Last night during his bath, his plastron was still soft, but now appeared slightly sunken and wrinkled. This morning, it didn’t look as bad, but was still slightly sunken. He got a big drink in his morning soak and ate a bit of produce for me. He is still not incredibly thrilled about eating and his shell is still very soft. Also in the last 36 hours, he hasn’t wanted to keep his eyes open much, which to me signals some issues with vitamin A. He gets carrot and sweet potato offered each week, but I imagine since he hasn’t eaten much in the last week, that may be where that stems from. Even though he has been getting calcium injections and extra D3, his shell appears to be worsening more than improving. I trust the experience that many of you have and would appreciate any recommendations you all have to help him. Will his shell be a slow, long process to heal and reharden? As long as I know what to expect, I think I’ll feel better, but if I can do anything to help him in the meantime, I will take any advice you can give. I am happy to continue working with his vet to get him what he needs, but I wanted to see if any of you had any experiences like this and might have some advice for things I can do to help him. Below are his current enclosure parameters and foods offered to him.
Parameters:
Enclosure Base:
The base of the enclosure is a 4ft x 3ft x 1ft high wooden box lined with a shower pan liner (very thick vinyl). It then has a pvc frame covered in clear shower curtain liners to create a closed chamber.
Lights, Heat, and Humidity:
- Two 100W CHE
- On thermostats
- ReptiSun 5.0 UVB T5 HO Fluorescent Bulb - 22" (Zoo Med)
- On a timer – 10 hours per day (usually 4 hrs/day but longer by vet recommendation)
- LED plant light for general light and for live plants
- On a timer – 13 hours on, 11 hours off
- Heat mat on the underside of the roof of the hide in the corner
- On a thermostat
- Humidifier
- Automatic shutoff
- One inch of coco coir at the bottom
- 3 inches of cypress mulch
- Dry to the touch on top to mitigate shell rot risk
- Ambient air temperature: 84°F
- Absolute maximum temperature: 91°F
- Absolute minimum temperature: 82°F
- Temperature within main hide: 84°F
- Humidity: 85-95%
- Wooden hide with heat mat on roof in the corner
- 18in x 18in square, with the front corner cut off at a 45° angle
- Wood is sealed in finish and left to cure for multiple weeks
- Two terracotta saucers, the larger for water and the smaller for food
- Wooden log cave
- Resin driftwood log cave
- Resin corner cave (his favorite)
- Silver inch plant – Tradescantia zebrina (the only one he has ever taken a few bites from)
- Spider plant – Chlorophytum comosum
- Rattlesnake plant – Goeppertia insignis
- Dark leafy green options
- Collard greens
- Kale
- Turnip greens
- Mustard greens
- Romaine lettuce
- Dandelion greens
- Spring mix
- Spinach (very little)
- Red leaf lettuce
- Arugula
- Red chard
- Rainbow chard
- Clover sprouts
- Vegetable options
- Butternut squash
- Sweet potato
- Yellow squash
- Green beans
- Carrots
- Fruit options
- Raspberry
- Strawberry
- Blueberry
- Banana
- Apple
- Protein options
- Mushrooms (the only protein source I have ever gotten him to eat)
- Red wiggler worms (he acts like I’m trying to poison him)
- Hard-boiled egg (offended when offered to him)
- Supplements
- Calcium powder dusted on produce every day (usually no D3 and only 3x per week, but per vet recommendation, he is on Ca + D3 everyday)
- Mazuri tortoise diet
- Rehydrated
- Served as topper to salad
- Dried rose petals (occasional)
- Dried hibiscus petals (occasional)
- Dried marigold petals (occasional)
