Help (crusty face & runny poop)

[jacob22699]

THis morning and yesterday morning I woke up and my red footed tortoise had some white crust looking stuff on it's face and today I took my turtle outside for about 10 minutes took him back inside put him In his cage and he took poop that looked a little runny and yesterday and the day before I accidentally gave him some baby spinach what's wrong!

 

[wellington]

RE: Help

Not sure, but giving you a bump to get more help.

 

[Redstrike]

RE: Help

Spinach is fine as part of a varied diet, so don't let that stress you too much. You can read more here: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Spinach-it-is-not-as-bad-as-you-may-think#axzz266wcgh9g.

Is the crust around its nares (nostril holes)? Any bubbles on the nares when it breathes? Do you have a cuttlebone in the enclosure or have you put calcium on its food that could lead to a white crust forming on its face post-feeding?

As for the runny poop, what is your diet consisting of? How often are fruits/veggies in the mix? Grocery store greens/lettuces or wild weeds?

Sorry for the 20 questions, but this will help us get to he bottom of things.

 

[jacob22699]

RE: Help

No cuttlebone grocery greens and vegetables everyday with accompanied fruit no runny nose either it's mostly around the eyes and forehead

 

[Redstrike]

RE: Help

No cuttlebone grocery greens and vegetables everyday with accompanied fruit no runny nose either it's mostly around the eyes and forehead

Fruits/veggies daily is probably a bit much and is likely leading to the runny poop. There is nothing wrong with grocery store greens, but if you have a yard that doesn't use pesticides, see what you can turn up out there. Yard greens have much more fiber and also have a good amount of nutrition. Dandelion greens and flowers, plantago species (plantains, not the fruit, it's everywhere!), common mallow, wild violet, clovers, Rose of sharon/hibiscus leaves and flowers, and wild grape are some that come to mind. They'll help for more solid stools. You can explore this site to assist you with plant identification: http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/site/tortoise_home_1.asp. Also, provide pictures and ask the forum members if you need help on some. There's lots of wild stuff to feed in addition to grocery store greens. I usually save grocery store greens for the winter months when yard weeds are less available.

This site has excellent information regarding feeding: http://tortoiselibrary.com/
Mike Pingleton's book is also an excellent reference to have regarding introductory redfoot care. I probably sound like a broken record to everyone on here, but it's an absolutely fantastic book for begginners! I'm including myself in this "begginer" level.(http://www.pingleton.com/redfoot/redfoots.htm).

As for the crust, are your tortoises eyes running a lot? Do they look sunken? What is your humidity in the enclosure? Is clean water available 24/7 (I and many others use cheap porcelain plant saucers)?How often are you soaking the tortoise?

---

Forgot to add, what works for me is feeding my redfoots fruit 1/week at a portion no loarger than the size of their heads. The tortoiselibrary.com has an excellent list of good veggies/fruits.

There are others that have greater success with increased fruits in their feeding rotation, but mine got runny bowel movements when they had fruit 2-3 days/week in their feeding cycle.

 

[Madkins007]

RE: Help

THis morning and yesterday morning I woke up and my red footed tortoise had some white crust looking stuff on it's face and today I took my turtle outside for about 10 minutes took him back inside put him In his cage and he took poop that looked a little runny and yesterday and the day before I accidentally gave him some baby spinach what's wrong!

White crust- this really does not help a lot, but could it just be water deposits or dry skin?

Runny poop- don't worry about an occasional runny poop- too much fruit that day can do it and it really does not mean much by itself.

Spinach- don't worry about this either unless it is a big part of the overall diet.

The diagnosis MAY be a slightly nervous keeper.

 

[jacob22699]

RE: Help

What if it s dry skin what do I to then

 

[cristal redfoot]

RE: Help

If it is dry skin then use aloe very