please help (tortoise won't eat)

[viking1989]

hi all , i have a young red foot tortoise he is 3 years old and my pride and joy but the last 4 weeks hes been a completely different tortoise , he wont eat he wont drink and he wont even go in his hide he just stays in his shell under the basking lamp the poor little man wont even open his eyes . i dont have any reptile specialists vets near me at all but ive taken him to a normal vet and they gave him an anti biotic shot and hes isnt really improving hes moving about abit more but im so scared hell die but im bot sure if it could e something simple please if you have any advice let meknow thank you so much oh i forgot to mention the underneath of his shell is going soft :-(
many thank

 

[sibi]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

Where is the closest reptile vet nearest you? Even if it's a five+ hour trip, I would do it. He needs a vet asap. Check now. Btw, what type of UVb are you using? Give us the rundown on his enclosure, substrate, temps etc.

 

[tortadise]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

What are yours temps like. Hot side cold side and night times? Can you provide a photo of his enclosure, as well the regime of daily routines. I.e. spraying and feeding. He serms to cold.

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

Well, first of all, take a few deep breaths and relax. Then, stand there at your habitat and go over the whole thing in your mind from front to back, left to right. Has anything changed recently? Lights? Heat? Humidity?

Then pull up the Tortoise Library and re-read all about caring for red footed tortoises, and make adjustments and tweaks to your tortoises' habitat accordingly. These types of problems occur USUALLY because of something that is off in your tortoise-keeping.

In the mean time, soak the tortoise every day in Gerber strained carrots. Mix a whole jar into some warm water and just leave the tortoise sitting there for at least a half hour. Check on him frequently to be sure he doesn't tip over in the water.

Might he have gotten a respiratory infection? Has he been allowed to get too cold?

 

[Madkins007]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

hi all , i have a young red foot tortoise he is 3 years old and my pride and joy but the last 4 weeks hes been a completely different tortoise , he wont eat he wont drink and he wont even go in his hide he just stays in his shell under the basking lamp the poor little man wont even open his eyes . i dont have any reptile specialists vets near me at all but ive taken him to a normal vet and they gave him an anti biotic shot and hes isnt really improving hes moving about abit more but im so scared hell die but im bot sure if it could e something simple please if you have any advice let meknow thank you so much oh i forgot to mention the underneath of his shell is going soft :-(
many thank

To give out better information, we would need more from you, like what the set-up and temps are, what the diet is, etc., but we can start with what we have.

Usually a tortoise sticking in the basking area is feeling chilled. It may not be just temps- it may be chilled from excess humidity or moisture, or not getting the UVB light it craves, or the basking area may be too small to completely warm the tortoise.

I would check my temps and do what I needed to so they were in the 82-85F range, and if they were already there- at the ground level- then I would look for other issues.

This is a tough time of year for lots of us. Spring is just around the corner, but our tortoises have been away from the real, warm sun for months now- conditions in the habitats are usually getting a bit 'ripe' and so on.

Here is an article that may help- https://sites.google.com/site/tortoiselibrary/health-and-medical/-mid-winter-blues

 

[viking1989]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

hi ok im not too sure what bulb the uv one is but i got it from a specialist in torts and he assured me its the right one for the tank , the temps reach 80-85 day then i have a night lamp on at 70-75 at night , the last few weeks the weather has been very cold making my flat very cold aswel . he also has a heat matt aswel . i was using sand on the hot side of the tank then earth like substrate for the cold side but somebody told me to change the whole thing to bark and its gone bad since , i changed him completely to soil recently as i know it holds the moisture better . he had a half log hide which he used to love , he is in a vivarium and has 2 water dishes one small one large for bathing . his diet
consists of a green leaf soft lettuce , apples , strawberrys , kale , watercress , cress , parsley . i bath him regularly well once every 1-2 days . :-( ive tried everything hes my first tort and ive had him for 2+ years now and give him only the best just dont know what to do now .

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i forgot to mention i have moss all around the tank that i make sure are always damp to keep humidity up

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this is a quick pic of my current set up , anything anyone can suggest to change id be extremely grateful as im only a novice many thanks

 

[theelectraco]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

hi ok im not too sure what bulb the uv one is but i got it from a specialist in torts and he assured me its the right one for the tank , the temps reach 80-85 day then i have a night lamp on at 70-75 at night , the last few weeks the weather has been very cold making my flat very cold aswel . he also has a heat matt aswel . i was using sand on the hot side of the tank then earth like substrate for the cold side but somebody told me to change the whole thing to bark and its gone bad since , i changed him completely to soil recently as i know it holds the moisture better . he had a half log hide which he used to love , he is in a vivarium and has 2 water dishes one small one large for bathing . his diet
consists of a green leaf soft lettuce , apples , strawberrys , kale , watercress , cress , parsley . i bath him regularly well once every 1-2 days . :-( ive tried everything hes my first tort and ive had him for 2+ years now and give him only the best just dont know what to do now .

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i forgot to mention i have moss all around the tank that i make sure are always damp to keep humidity up

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this is a quick pic of my current set up , anything anyone can suggest to change id be extremely grateful as im only a novice many thanks

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Can you upload a picture of all your lights? That would really help us determine whether you truly have the proper lighting, your tortoise expert may have been wrong. How old is the picture you posted? If it is recent, your tortoise looks very small for 3 years old. How many inches is he? For my redfoot, I provide a basking temp of 90, the rest of the enclosure is around 83 and theres a cool corner thats about 78. I think your temps may be too low, and if you dont have a proper uvb bulb, he may have metabolic bone disease. Also if you have had him for two years and do have a uvb bulb, the bulb no longer emits any uvb, they need replaced every 6-12 months. Did you take the advise given previously and start doing carrot baby food soaks? Is he pooping? First thing, start baby food soaks asap, 2x daily. Second, upload pictures of your tortoise close up, pics of your bulbs.

 

[tortoise007]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

you might want to feed him something different... the best foods for tortoises are weeds and grasses. fruits, vegies and lettuce is NOT the proper diet for any species of tortoise
BTW madkins007, our user names have something in common...

 

[immayo]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

you might want to feed him something different... the best foods for tortoises are weeds and grasses. fruits, vegies and lettuce is NOT the proper diet for any species of tortoise

Pretty sure this information is incorrect considering the tortoise is a redfoot. The diet should consist of all of those things mentioned.

 

[theelectraco]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

Pretty sure this information is incorrect considering the tortoise is a redfoot. The diet should consist of all of those things mentioned.

Immayo is right. It would be good to include more weeds and grass but the veggies op is using are good, and Redfoots do need fruit, unlike most torts

 

[tortoise007]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

srry didn't know they where redfoots

 

[sibi]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

Are you able to update us on your redfoot? While doing what were given as suggestions, are you still trying to find a specialized vet nearest you? If your redfoot isn't eating, drinking, pooping, urinating, then, I will not wait if I were you. Seek a specialized vet and don't forget to tell him what antibiotic he was given and when. Keep us posted.

 

[viking1989]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

hi here are some pics of my lighting and tort his name is mojo but hes barely grown since ive had him , i was never told by the reptile shop about the uv bulb needing to be changed , i feel like ive let my tort down by taking poor advice from people who were assured to be experts :-( any more advice i would be extremely grateful thanks

 

[theelectraco]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

You def need a new UVB bulb. I would make an appt at a reptile vet ASAP. Start the baby food soaks in the meantime. Boost your temperatures a little also. He is very small. Where do you live? If its warm give him some natural sunlight. I think it's mbd, maybe someone with more experience will chime in. If ou don't take action ASAP his prognosis isn't good.

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When did he eat last?

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The baby food soaks will help get a little nutrition in him. Soak him in it twice a day for 30 mins. Is there any food he usually loves? Try offering it to him.

 

[kanalomele]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

How long have you had this tortoise? How long have you had your bulbs? Generally bulbs need to be replaced at minimum every year. Quite often the uv starts to diminish within 6 months. Are you soaking it? The recommended baby food soak will help keep some sort of nutritional support going in to it. A Pedialyte soak will help to rehydrate it. Does it have swollen eyes? Does it have any bubbles or discharge from its eyes or nose?

 

[theelectraco]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

If he is constantly under the basking bulb, your enclosure is too cold. If you currently only using one of those lights on, keeping them both on will raise your temps, just be careful it isn't too hot.

 

[Michael in MO]

RE: please help :-( need advice urgently :-(

that is NOT the size a 3 year old healthy redfoot should be.. there are dietary problems here I would look for a local reptile rehabber if you can't find a vet that you think is versed in turtles enough. You may need to have it gavaged if it comes to that. Biggest thing is if you can get it's appetite back you'll need to completely revamp it's diet..

 

[AZtortMom]

How's he doing? Have you contacted a Vet? Or soaked him?

 

[viking1989]

hi guys thank you so much for all the advice , ive found a tortoise specialist vet and should be taking him there today or tomorrow just need to get my gf's car ! and ill be replacing the uv bulb then aswel , i cant find a rehabber tho do you know if the vets will do that sort of thing ? many thanks

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he doesnt have swollen eyes he just hasnt opened them at all in the last week or so the vet said to keep soaking him to help him open them but i was told by somebody to stop it as his under shell is too soft :-(

 

[theelectraco]

You need to start the baby food soaks NOW. also, make sure the vet doesn't do any unnecessary injections that will stress your tort out. I think it is vitamin a? That a lot of vets inject that is unnecessary and often harmful.