PLEASE HELP new neonate redfoot mommy!

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theelectraco

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RE: SICK NEONATE PLEASE HELP

I had to use tweezers to open my torts mouth to give him Baytril when he had a URI. And for my redfoot I use cypress mulch.
 

mainey34

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RE: SICK NEONATE PLEASE HELP

I dont have experience with force feeding, sorry..But i too use cypress mulch for my Redfoot. To keep the humidity up i spray it annd cover the top. You can also soak the mulch. Then drain it before using it.
 

DaisyDuke

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RE: SICK NEONATE PLEASE HELP

I use a mix of peat moss and cypress mulch. I put a deep layer about 3 inches or so of peat moss then just sprinkle a thin layer of cypress mulch on top. This layer of cypress mulch helps to keep his food and water not completely clean but much cleaner from the peat moss.

I never had to force feed but I have had to give my Sheldon medication through a syringe. The way I did it at first was to hold a blueberry in one hand and the syringe in the other. I held the blueberry in front of his face and kept the syringe in my hand almost right next to it. Once he opened his mouth for the blueberry I quickly put the syringe in his mouth. He quickly got smart though and wouldn't fall for that again. So I would hold him up in one hand and lightly push the syringe on his mouth. It took a while but he always ended up opening his mouth. By the end of his treatments he would just open his mouth.

When I first got Sheldon he didn't pay much mind to me. But my Mom he was obsessed with. He would always cheer up when she was around. Walk over to her and stare at her. I asked her how she was doing it and she said to talk "sweetly" to him. This took my a while, lol. But I talked to him a lot as "sweetly" as I could with a softer tones voice. I always looked in on him and would go to pet his shell and his head. He got used to me and realized I was family. This happened quicker than I expected. Just give it a bit if time :)

Please keep us updated.
 

deer_tribe_gold

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RE: SICK NEONATE PLEASE HELP

Thank you for your replies! The vet gave me Critical Care Formula to feed him 4 times a day and Baytril once a day. Doesn't 4 times a day seem a little bit excessive? Its 1 teaspoon of powder mixed with 2 tsp of water... He just wont come out of his shell. All day he's been hiding...I don't know if its because he's stressed from his shot yesterday or if he's really sick. Do neonate tortoises hide for long periods of time when they are stressed?
 

deer_tribe_gold

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His underbelly is slightly sunken and somewhat soft in some areas...does this look normal?
 

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deer_tribe_gold

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dying baby tortoise :(

I think my neonate baby tortoise is dying. I took him to the vet yesterday and she said he had a respitory infection. She gave him an injection and told me to give him .3 ml of Digoxin once daily. She also gave me food to force feed him with. Ever since he came home yesterday he seems sicker then he was before. He hides in his shell ALL DAY and he's not active at all. Is there anything I can do?
 

alterego2

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RE: dying baby tortoise :(

Keep warm. Force feed. Does he need fluids? Torts are tough and he may recover.
 

lynnedit

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RE: dying baby tortoise :(

My condolences. This must be awful for you. Using Digoxin in torts is way out of my league, but in humans it is used for heart failure, when the heart pump weakens. That does not sound too good. I hope the vet is VERY sure of the dose, too much digoxin is not healthy either.
It is hard to force feed a sick baby tort. Tube feeding might be too traumatic at that size.

Definitely keep it warm and soak daily in warm shallow water.

Best of luck, sounds like you have given this a great effort.
 

deer_tribe_gold

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RE: SICK NEONATE PLEASE HELP

I am trying to force feed him but all he wants to do is sleep and he HATES being force fed. Maybe he's stressed from the whole experience? Thats when his behavior started changing as soon as he came home from the vet. OR maybe it could be the injection he received at the vet office that he had an allergy to... i dont know. Should I continue to force feed him and give him his medication? Does anyone know if .3 ml of Digoxin is the correct amount for a neonate?!?


deer_tribe_gold said:
I am trying to force feed him but all he wants to do is sleep and he HATES being force fed. Maybe he's stressed from the whole experience? Thats when his behavior started changing as soon as he came home from the vet. OR maybe it could be the injection he received at the vet office that he had an allergy to... i dont know. Should I continue to force feed him and give him his medication? Does anyone know if .3 ml of Baytril (not Digoxin) is the correct amount for a neonate?!?
 

oscar

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RE: SICK NEONATE PLEASE HELP

Baytril is known to make red foots go off there food, force feeding something
that small has to be very traumatic on him, I think it would be hard to get medication mixed in the right dosage
for a small tortoise. I would soak him in warm water. And knowing that you are trying to get him in good health you might be messing
with him too much. Good luck and hoping he recovers
 

theelectraco

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RE: SICK NEONATE PLEASE HELP

I was giving .5 ml for my redfoot who is 4 inches. Give him a carrot baby food soak. I think force feeding 4x daily is way too excessive and stressful. Once a day would seem fine. My tort had a URI and was on baytril, lost appetite, didnt eat for 3 days so I blended up some veggies and syringe fed .2ml, and literally 5 minutes after force feeding he walked over to his plate of food and started eating on his own. He is all recovered now. Best of luck with your tort. You mentioned shell bubbling? Where was the injection administered?


oscar said:
Baytril is known to make red foots go off there food, force feeding something
that small has to be very traumatic on him, I think it would be hard to get medication mixed in the right dosage
for a small tortoise. I would soak him in warm water. And knowing that you are trying to get him in good health you might be messing
with him too much. Good luck and hoping he recovers

Besides soaking and meds I left him alone also. I agree, keep his stress at a minimum.
 

lynnedit

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RE: SICK NEONATE PLEASE HELP

deer_tribe_gold said:
Does anyone know if .3 ml of Digoxin is the correct amount for a neonate?!?

I just don't know. You could contact the vet tomorrow, if they are in, to make sure. What did they think was wrong? Tell them you are having trouble giving meds, etc.
I do think that you can traumatize and bother torts too much sometimes, even though it would be ideal if they received the nutrition.
Soaking and meds (although giving those sounds nearly impossible), otherwise just keep him warm.
 

biochemnerd808

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RE: SICK NEONATE PLEASE HELP

Sounds like you already got some really good advice. I would also try baby food soaks - buy some organic pumpkin or carrot baby food, maybe mix in a little pedialyte. Warm it to about 80 degrees, and place your tort in a shallow dish INTO the baby food. When it drinks a little of it, hopefully it will get some of the nutrients and electrolytes. That would be so much less traumatizing than force feeding several times daily.

lynnedit said:
deer_tribe_gold said:
Does anyone know if .3 ml of Digoxin is the correct amount for a neonate?!?

I just don't know. You could contact the vet tomorrow, if they are in, to make sure. What did they think was wrong? Tell them you are having trouble giving meds, etc.
I do think that you can traumatize and bother torts too much sometimes, even though it would be ideal if they received the nutrition.
Soaking and meds (although giving those sounds nearly impossible), otherwise just keep him warm.
 

deer_tribe_gold

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I have been giving him the Baytril once a day 0.3 cc's like the vet said. He is always tired and not hungry so I force feed him once a day. He hasn't pooped in a while could that be a side effect? Also, the vet is not answering her phone and I wanted to know if I should continue giving the Baytril!! It says on the box the quantity was 10 it should have been gone yesterday. However, I have enough Baytril that she gave me for at least two more weeks. Should I give him the Baytril until it is gone or stop since it says quantity 10?!?!?
 

deer_tribe_gold

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sick neonate on Baytril PLEASE HELP!!! (nervous)

My redfoot neonate has a respiratory infection so I took him to the vet. She said to give him Baytril 0.3 cc's once daily. Also she said to force feed him four times a day. I thought that was a a bit excessive so I have been feeding him once a day with the recovery food she gave me and Baytril once a day as well. His eyes are opening up fine now, but he still wont eat on his own which I heard was a side effect of Baytril. The vet is not answering her phone and I wanted to know if I should continue giving the Baytril!! It says on the box the quantity was 10 it should have been gone yesterday. However, I have enough Baytril that she gave me for at least two more weeks. Should I give him the Baytril until it is gone or stop since it says quantity 10?!?!?
 

Rover15

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deer_tribe_gold said:
I have been giving him the Baytril once a day 0.3 cc's like the vet said. He is always tired and not hungry so I force feed him once a day. He hasn't pooped in a while could that be a side effect? Also, the vet is not answering her phone and I wanted to know if I should continue giving the Baytril!! It says on the box the quantity was 10 it should have been gone yesterday. However, I have enough Baytril that she gave me for at least two more weeks. Should I give him the Baytril until it is gone or stop since it says quantity 10?!?!?

This might not help but I know with my kids they always give us a lot more liquid meds then needed because of spills and spit up. I would wait to talk to the vet. Also any more then 10 does might be. Harm full.

Sorry not much help but something to concider[/u]
 

cemmons12

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RE: sick neonate on Baytril PLEASE HELP!!! (nervous)

Sorry about you sick tort, i hope it gets better soon! Its not a good idea to make multiple posts. Just an FYI. Some of our members that know about your kind of tort will get to your questions im willing to bet. Good luck!
 

CtTortoiseMom

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RE: sick neonate on Baytril PLEASE HELP!!! (nervous)

Hi, I am sorry your poor redfoot is sick. I do not have redfoots and have never dealt with a respitory infection. I have had a sick tortoise and had to rely on the expertise of a vet. My advice it to follow the ver's instructions and wait for a call back. I am really glad that your tortoise seems to be getting better. There are a lot of redfoot keepers on here and a lot of people that have experience with RI's. Hang in there & good luck!
 
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