Baby tortoise back leg ROTTING. PLEASE HELP

[Sandypeaches56]

My baby red foot tortoise is having problems with her back leg. I’m scared a lizard might have attacked her while in her enclosure outside. Her back right leg is completely missing claws and the skin is peeling off. I’ve been washing the area with baby soap and applying Betadine solution and polysporin antibiotic ointment daily. She is still active, eating and drinking like normal. What else should I be doing?

 

[wellington]

Stop the Betadine. Continue to keep it clean and using just water and the antibiotic cream on it. House her inside until healed. I can't tell if it's a open wound or if the white/clear stuff is her foot or stuff you put on it?
I normally don't like suggesting a vet visit, but if there is an open wound, she may need antibiotics.

@Yvonne G

 

[Sandypeaches56]

Stop the Betadine. Continue to keep it clean and using just water and the antibiotic cream on it. House her inside until healed. I can't tell if it's a open wound or if the white/clear stuff is her foot or stuff you put on it?
I normally don't like suggesting a vet visit, but if there is an open wound, she may need antibiotics.

@Yvonne G

The white stuff is flesh😥 I’ll stop the Betadine and get her to the vet asap thanks!

 

[Tim Carlisle]

The white stuff is flesh😥 I’ll stop the Betadine and get her to the vet asap thanks!

Agree with @wellington here. A vet appt is in order to prevent infection and possibly to save the foot.

 

[Sandypeaches56]

Agree with @wellington here. A vet appt is in order to prevent infection and possibly to save the foot.

Thanks Tim. I’ll be taking her tomorrow, I’m hoping everything will turn out ok.

 

[Yvonne G]

Under an extremely bright light gently pull the leg out and inspect the length of it up to where it attaches to the body. You're looking for a hair wrapped around the leg.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Where are you in Florida?
I highly reccomend BROWARD AVIAN AND EXOTIC in Deerfield Beach if that's within driving distance.
So few vets actually understand tortoises. And even fewer will admit that they're learning on your tortoise. With your money.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Dr Kelleher has a full grown Sulcata tortoise as a pet and Dr. Pardini is from Brazil and has known Redfoot her entire life.
She's also great with tropical and "old world" lizards.

 

[Sandypeaches56]

Thanks for the vet recommendation unfortunately I live in central Florida, about 3.5 hours away from that clinic.

 

[Tom]

My baby red foot tortoise is having problems with her back leg. I’m scared a lizard might have attacked her while in her enclosure outside. Her back right leg is completely missing claws and the skin is peeling off. I’ve been washing the area with baby soap and applying Betadine solution and polysporin antibiotic ointment daily. She is still active, eating and drinking like normal. What else should I be doing?
View attachment 360893

Pics are blurry, so I can't see what is going on. Very doubtful that it was from a lizard. More likely ants, or some other stinging insect, or possibly from overly wet conditions too much of the time. Where and how is the tortoise housed?

 

[Sandypeaches56]

*update*
Vet said her leg is definitely infected and her foot is pretty much gone 😔 she doesn’t think it was a lizard or ants so how it happened is still a mystery.

She’ll be getting some antibiotic injections, a prescribed ointment and special soap. Luckily she will recover and still be able to use the leg.

Thanks to everyone who commented and gave me advice!

 

[Sandypeaches56]

Pics are blurry, so I can't see what is going on. Very doubtful that it was from a lizard. More likely ants, or some other stinging insect, or possibly from overly wet conditions too much of the time. Where and how is the tortoise housed?

She’s outside in my enclosed patio. Her enclosure is a large garden bed with coconut fiber substrate. From what I can tell the conditions aren’t overly wet-I would say they’re actually pretty dry.

Pics are blurry, so I can't see what is going on. Very doubtful that it was from a lizard. More likely ants, or some other stinging insect, or possibly from overly wet conditions too much of the time. Where and how is the tortoise housed?

 

[wellington]

*update*
Vet said her leg is definitely infected and her foot is pretty much gone 😔 she doesn’t think it was a lizard or ants so how it happened is still a mystery.

She’ll be getting some antibiotic injections, a prescribed ointment and special soap. Luckily she will recover and still be able to use the leg.

Thanks to everyone who commented and gave me advice!

Sorry about the foot, but glad she will be okay.

 

[wellington]

Was the leg inspected for a hair like Yvonne suggested?
How about anything found in the foot, like a sliver or something?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Was the leg inspected for a hair like Yvonne suggested?
How about anything found in the foot, like a sliver or something?

I'd also really like to have an explanation.
It's puzzling

 

[Sandypeaches56]

Was the leg inspected for a hair like Yvonne suggested?
How about anything found in the foot, like a sliver or something?

She was inspected by the vet and what she told me was that there wasn’t anything lodged in the foot, she didn’t think a lizard would be strong enough to bite the foot off and ants would have bitten her all over not just that one leg. The vet said it was possible that she got her leg stuck somewhere and in an attempt to get unstuck she lost her foot.. I don’t think that was the case because there is absolutely nothing in her enclosure that she could’ve gotten stuck in.

 

[Sandypeaches56]

I'd also really like to have an explanation.
It's puzzling

Me too! I’ll be thoroughly cleaning my patio this weekend to make sure there isn’t some animal hiding in my kids toys or in the furniture before I set her up outside again.

 

[Tim Carlisle]

*update*
Vet said her leg is definitely infected and her foot is pretty much gone 😔 she doesn’t think it was a lizard or ants so how it happened is still a mystery.

She’ll be getting some antibiotic injections, a prescribed ointment and special soap. Luckily she will recover and still be able to use the leg.

Thanks to everyone who commented and gave me advice!

I'm happy and sad for you. Would LOVE to know the cause of it though. Not every day something like that happens (thank God!).

 

[turtlesteve]

I have to wonder if something else is wrong. Tortoise feet don’t just randomly get infected like this, and I have a hard time believing it is due to trauma.

Any chance you could get close, in focus photos of the tortoise from all angles?