coconut mulch stuck in hind legs

[Yvonne G]

Set him in a tub of warm water that's a little deeper than normal. . . where the water comes up a bit past the middle of his sides. Leave him there for a half hour or more, where he gets tired and wants out. Scrambling around to get out may dislodge the bark stuck in his leg areas.

 

[rorostortoise]

Ok, ok (Yvonne pats the air encouraging Roro to calm down)! Tortoises have been around for thousands of years. There's not much you as a keeper can do in a few days, weeks, that will be harmful to your tortoise. I've seen some pretty awful pictures where the people have spent YEARS doing the wrong things to their tortoises.

The main thing is you've come here and are trying to learn how to care for your little redfooted tortoise. We'll give you as much help as we can. How about some pictures of your enclosure and tortoise?

is there a way to view past threads i posted because i made a post replying to toms same question

 

[Yvonne G]

is there a way to view past threads i posted because i made a post replying to toms same question

I'll try to find it and merge the two together.

 

[zovick]

i feel so awful that i didnt know some of the things that are required for taking care of a red footed tortoise im physically ill. its the middle of the night and i cant sleep just the thought of him suffering makes me nauseous. if he wasnt around i might not last long and there are no vets within an hour of my location. should i start looking in the next state over? im crying i dont know what to do my stepdad suggested pet cbd but idk anything about weed or tortoises (apparently) i would get on my knees and beg bolivar for forgiveness if he could understand me. my poor sweet baby boy. although he has only been in my care for a short time, hes been in my life for years

summary: im in an emotional state of distress and there are no vets that work with tortoises within an hour of me.

Can you post some decent in focus pictures of the leg areas where the matter is stuck? I believe that it is very likely just fecal matter which has had some coco coir mixed in with it which dried and hardened. This is not an unusual occurrence in some tortoises. This trick is to soften it up and remove bits at a time until it is all gone. After that, you just keep checking the areas every couple of days to prevent it from happening again in the future.

Good pictures would help to determine if this is the correct treatment for your tortoise or not.

 

[SinLA]

Reno is a few hours from Sacramento, have you looked for vets in CA or near Davis? Could be worth a trip…

 

[rorostortoise]

Can you post some decent in focus pictures of the leg areas where the matter is stuck? I believe that it is very likely just fecal matter which has had some coco coir mixed in with it which dried and hardened. This is not an unusual occurrence in some tortoises. This trick is to soften it up and remove bits at a time until it is all gone. After that, you just keep checking the areas every couple of days to prevent it from happening again in the future.

Good pictures would help to determine if this is the correct treatment for your tortoise or not.

Im pretty sure that is the problem. I tried taking pictures but my phone is older and he wouldn't stop kicking me, but it is definitely moist mulch (likely because I have been soaking him multiple times a day so he can work it out)

 

[rorostortoise]

Reno is a few hours from Sacramento, have you looked for vets in CA or near Davis? Could be worth a trip…

Do you know of any good vets near Sacramento? Or a thread where some are linked? I'm starting to think that's the only option.

 

[SinLA]

Do you know of any good vets near Sacramento? Or a thread where some are linked? I'm starting to think that's the only option.

@Yvonne G ?

 

[SinLA]

Also this is really old, not sure if anything more current but you can use as a start:

California

Tortoise Veterinarians in California Listed Alphabetically by City Bakersfield Jennifer McGraw Bakersfield Veterinary Hospital 8610 Harris Road Bakersfield, CA 93311 (661) 327-4444 Open 24 hours Beverly Hills Geoff Stein, DVM Dr Shipp's Animal Hospital 351 Foothill Rd. Beverly Hills, CA...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Nevada

Tortoise Veterinarians in Nevada Listed Alphabetically by City LAS VEGAS George Stoecklin N. Las Vegas Animal Hospital 2437 E. Cheyenne N. Las Vegas, NV 89030 Tel: (702) 642-5353 Fax: (702) 642-0669

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[rorostortoise]

Also this is really old, not sure if anything more current but you can use as a start:

California

Tortoise Veterinarians in California Listed Alphabetically by City Bakersfield Jennifer McGraw Bakersfield Veterinary Hospital 8610 Harris Road Bakersfield, CA 93311 (661) 327-4444 Open 24 hours Beverly Hills Geoff Stein, DVM Dr Shipp's Animal Hospital 351 Foothill Rd. Beverly Hills, CA...

www.tortoiseforum.org

I just looked through that one lol!

 

[Yvonne G]

The university vet school at Davis will see patients.

 

[Sarah2020]

I like the suggestion of shallow warm soaks in a high sided container. They will walk around but can not exit and the debris will start breaking off and come out. You can keep changing the water . It must be exceedingly uncomfortable so thanks for getting this addressed. Keep is posted,

 

[Megatron's Mom]

I'm too new to tortoises to help. But wanted to check on your finger. Are you ok? Don't forget to take care of yourself too. You can't help your tort if you are out of commission.

 

[rorostortoise]

I'm too new to tortoises to help. But wanted to check on your finger. Are you ok? Don't forget to take care of yourself too. You can't help your tort if you are out of commission.

Update: I got all the mulch out of his legs with the help of my friend and will be checking at least once a week in the future. There was no infection as I had feared, but it was fairly attached to his shell. My finger is healing, he got a piece of my index knuckle (free protein lol) but the bone isn't damaged so we will both be okay. Thank you all for the help everyone!

 

[SinLA]

Glad to hear it! Hope he hasn't developed a taste for human flesh, lol

 

[Sarah2020]

Well done . Good to do weekly checks as odd things happen.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Can you get to the areas with a Q-tip with some general antibiotic on it?
It couldn't hurt.
I'm assuming that there is some sort of damage at least to the skin of the tortoise.

 

[rorostortoise]

Can you get to the areas with a Q-tip with some general antibiotic on it?
It couldn't hurt.
I'm assuming that there is some sort of damage at least to the skin of the tortoise.

sorry i forgot to respond but ive been putting triple antibiotic ointment on his scrapes and in his leg cavities at least 3 times a week until all his little blemishes heal