Get a new vet..?

[SlowMcClouskey]

Sigh. Lots of stress right now. To start, my old vet got fired which is already terrible that I was trusting the wrong person for so long. I took my tortoise in yesterday to get a check up, and the new doctor said there was a little shell rot on the bottom. My old vet told me to "consider it like a broken nail, it'll grow back in time" so it didn't get treated to sooner. Also, the old vet said my tortoise was a girl, and yep. She's a boy. My mind is blown. I've been talking to a person who can't identify a boy from a girl when it's sitting right in front of his face... Uhg ok so the new doc took my tort to another room and removed the rotting bits of shell, and told me to apply cream once a day on the spots where there was originally shell rot and he should be fine. The vet said it won't hurt, I shouldn't worry about further infection, and the ointment won't come off. I came home during lunch break to check on him, and he was on his back. It happens sometimes, okay. I come back from after work, and he's on his back. Okay..? I come back from night class, and he's on his back again. This time his eyes were closed and it took a minute for him to wake up once I got him. Why is he literally flipping out? Not to mention the spots on his shell (which right after got scraped off stayed white) is now turning pink... I'd post a picture of it but I don't think he can stand being on his back any longer. Should I make the tank less humid? I usually let him walk around the house during the day because he only goes into my bedroom or the bathroom, and there's nothing to trip over unless he tries to climb a wall or something. He isn't eating at all either. I gave him a blueberry, his favorite food, and he only had one bite.

Also, my new vet said most reptiles have worms and gave me 2 little tubes of worm-remover to see if it'll help his runny stools. I have to find a way to make this picky jerk eat it, and putting it on top of his food won't cut it. What do you guys think...

(shell rot before it was tended to)

 

[Randi]

A picture of the enclosure would really help as well as a current picture of the plastron. Some questions that need to be answered by you are the following: the size/age of the tort, the size of enclosure the tort is in, the humidity within that enclosure, the temperatures (basking spot, general ambient temperature, cool side and night time temps), the amount the tortoise is soaked, what substrate is used and what is it being fed (diet will play a big role in the poop you see)? What kind of lighting?

You need a substrate where the top layer dries out, and the layers beneath it stay moist. Does the shell scrape easily if you run your fingernail on it, and does it have a foul odour?

I would recommend doing soaks with just warm water first to allow the tortoise to hydrate before doing any treatment.
(Please supervise your tort when it is soaking in the following and keep the water levels lower then a normal soak so it prevents it from getting in their face..) General treatment for fungus/rot is a Betadine soak and scrub with a toothbrush (diluted with water so it looks like Iced Tea) for only a day or two. About 5 to 10 minutes. This will arrest the fungus/rot. Any longer use of Betadine and you are risking inhibiting healthy tissue from growing back. You would continue the scrubs with something like Chlorhexidine (Novalsan) for a week or two. You also would apply Athlete's foot cream (Clotrimazole 1%) after the scrubs. You may want to isolate the tortoise in a tub or container that will keep the tortoise warm and safe until the cream dries to keep debris from getting on the plastron. I find an hour or two and the cream is absorbed.

Sorry for all your troubles. It definitely isn't easy to find a good vet when it comes to chelonians. Many will be along to give great advice. Hope I could help some. I had a Cherry Head with shell rot and using this treatment noted above worked for me. There is a helpful thread pinned in the health section discussing Shell Rot/Fungus. Good luck, wishing all the best to you and yours.

 

[johnsonnboswell]

I think the runny stool is from the diet. What kind of tortoise is this and how are you keeping it?

 

[SlowMcClouskey]

Thank you so much. I have a Powersun 100W with UVA, UVB, light and heat bulb and it gets her tank around 86 degrees. He has a tank where he sleeps and eats in, I let him walk around my room if I'm going to be gone for 3 hours (school mostly), and during the summers he lives outside. He's nearly 10 years old, the shell rot doesn't scrape easily it's just soft, and so far no smell. The vet scraped it off with some sort of tool to allow new shell to grow over. I soak him twice a day in warm water for roughly half an hour, I'm keeping him on a strict veggie diet since he only eats fruits and his stool is too mushy (but it may or may not be because of parasites according to the new doctor) with a couple of crickets every now and then. I use repti bark and keep the humidity around 80%. It's a bit of a complicated schedule, but he's been pretty normal up until that last vet appointment. Isn't stressed, drinks plenty of water, exercises regularly, poops regularly, he says hi to me when I walk in the room sometimes. Tortoise business. Also, he is 14.5 inches.

 

[Randi]

Your post doesn't say but based on the fruit as well as plastron photo, I'm assuming you have a Red Footed or Yellow Footed tortoise?

 

[SlowMcClouskey]

Your post doesn't say but based on the fruit as well as plastron photo, I'm assuming you have a Red Footed or Yellow Footed tortoise?

right! Sorry I forgot to mention that. Yes red foot

 

[Randi]

Certain fruits have lots of water in them and can cause runny stool. Feeding a diet high in fruits is also not a great diet. I am under the impression that greens and non toxic weeds and flowers should make up the majority of the diet with fruit being 10% and protein 10% as well. You would feed fruit once or twice a week with greens being the bulk of the diet. Can you list the greens you provide as well as fruits? A detailed list will be helpful on possibly identifying a culprit for runny stool.

I don't think it's a wise idea to have a tortoise walking on a floor, it isn't very warm and there are many hazards. I am unexperienced at keeping a tortoise of that size as mine is a yearling but many others with lots of experience in feeding and maintaining a tort of that size should be along shortly to assist.

On this forum, there's an area specifically for Red Foots with lots of threads pinned that you should look at. Google Tortoise Table Plant Database and the website has categories on the site for fruits, vegetables, wild flowers and grasses, house plants and cacti, etc. It lists some toxic plants as well. It has information on the potential hazards and benefits of the plants if you click "see more" under the item being shown. I use this a lot for my own yearling Cherry Head Red Footed. Variety is the key.

I feel the heat may be too low. They generally require basking spots of 90F and greater as well as 80F to 85F for the rest of the tank. I wouldn't let temps drop too low at night either. If it's cool and damp, you may find respiratory issues arise.

Many very experienced people will be here shortly to help. I hope I haven't said anything incorrect but I'm only trying to help with what I know. I will just keep watching this thread.

 

[SlowMcClouskey]

Certain fruits have lots of water in them and can cause runny stool. Feeding a diet high in fruits is also not a great diet. I am under the impression that greens and non toxic weeds and flowers should make up the majority of the diet with fruit being 10% and protein 10% as well. You would feed fruit once or twice a week with greens being the bulk of the diet. Can you list the greens you provide as well as fruits? A detailed list will be helpful on possibly identifying a culprit for runny stool.

I don't think it's a wise idea to have a tortoise walking on a floor, it isn't very warm and there are many hazards. I am unexperienced at keeping a tortoise of that size as mine is a yearling but many others with lots of experience in feeding and maintaining a tort of that size should be along shortly to assist.

On this forum, there's an area specifically for Red Foots with lots of threads pinned that you should look at. Google Tortoise Table Plant Database and the website has categories on the site for fruits, vegetables, wild flowers and grasses, house plants and cacti, etc. It lists some toxic plants as well. It has information on the potential hazards and benefits of the plants if you click "see more" under the item being shown. I use this a lot for my own yearling Cherry Head Red Footed. Variety is the key.

I feel the heat may be too low. They generally require basking spots of 90F and greater as well as 80F to 85F for the rest of the tank. I wouldn't let temps drop too low at night either. If it's cool and damp, you may find respiratory issues arise.

Many very experienced people will be here shortly to help. I hope I haven't said anything incorrect but I'm only trying to help with what I know. I will just keep watching this thread.

I've heard tons of mixed info about the heat. I was told to keep the tank generally around 86 degrees and a 90 degree hot spot, but at night to keep it around 75 degrees with higher humidity. But like you said, low temps and high moisture may cause respiratory disease so I don't do that. I've been trying different ways on getting my tort to eat his veggies. I cut out the fruits completely (it was worded badly in my last post. He picks out the fruits in his food bowl, not fed only fruits), and after 4 days his stool was a dark brown color instead of it's usual green, but still very soft. He's just stubborn and won't eat, and while he's healing I really want him to eat well. For walking around on the floor, I do consider what could be hazardous and what could be safe and for the most part I let him walk when I'm at home to keep an eye on him. In the summers he lives outside since its always in the high 80's and we keep the yard humid with non chemical mulch and stuff. That's paradise for him, I hope to move to a place where it's always warm like that But other than that, I just hope this shell rot isn't getting worse, I hope it's safe to soak him still and I hope he becomes healthy.

 

[Randi]

@Yvonne G @Tom

I apologize for tagging you two but you are filled with so much great information that I don't have. I am unexperienced with large specimens. Thanks for your assistance. I apologize in advance if there's anything I've said that's wrong.

 

[crimson_lotus]

Was your tortoise upside down while he was walking around your house while you weren't around? I would not let him do this, especially if he's flipping randomly and it's becoming a thing. If he flipped in his enclosure, I would try to find out what the flipping hazard was and eliminate it.

The shell rot generally goes away pretty fast, you should see noticeable improvements in the first few days. As for the de-wormer, tortoises do have natural flora, good and bad in their intestinal tract. You don't want to wipe out everything completely, which is why I personally did not dose my tortoise without a stool sample. This is just my opinion, as I thought it would be a bit taxing and possibly unnecessary.

Just remember if you serve your tortoise a mix of greens, he is going to pick out his favorites all the time. If you just plate one of his lesser favorites, he should eat. My tortoise basically eats everything, but if I have a mix of things she picks and chooses what she pleases. If I put mushrooms on top of escarole, she's going to eat the mushrooms and walk all over the escarole, it's how she does things.

 

[wellington]

I would not give the dewormer, without knowing if there is actual worms. No, not all tortoises have worms, same as not all puppies have worms like a lot of vets and people think. I would not let him walk around any room ever, only his enclosure, which if it's a tank, it is too small for the size that tortoise looks. More info and pics of enclosure is needed.

 

[leigti]

This is just a guess but I am thinking your tortoise is flipping over because he is trying to escape out of his enclosure.specially if he is used to roaming around the house or outdoors. The relatively small enclosure is not to his liking and he knows there is a big world out there. so when he tries to climb out of it he flips. It is dangerous for them to be on their back too long. try to make the terrain in his enclosure more uneven so that he can try to flip himself back over.