Hello Portland, Oregon Red Foot Mommas & Poppas:
My new RF joined the household about a month ago. After a couple weeks (once he was settled) I checked the vet posting on the forum here to get a reference for a vet and took my little guy in for a general new-pet exam. The appointment started out great until the vet gave me a pamphlet on African tortoises which of course Redfoot's are not. As the appointment continued, it seems I received a lot of advice that seemed to contradict what I had read both before & after my tort came home. I was told that humidity didn't really matter, and that some dark spots i was curious about on his under belly was probably just dirt that I could get off with a toothbrush. This little tort gets a good soak daily and the markings are definitely not dirt. I tried rubbing at it just to be sure. The vet also determined the 4" tort to be male. I had read that it was impossible or at least extremely difficult to determine the sex until they reach about 8".
In the end, there is a concern over my RF's breathing. The vet noticed some heavy breathing and heard a small wheeze. When I asked if this might be a result of low or inconsistent humidity levels, that's when he mentioned that he didn't think I should worry about keeping the humidity up. We were prescribed some antibiotics and then also had a fecal test which didn't show any parasites. I gave the tort his full run of meds but I still notice his neck moving as he breathes.
I guess my big questions are:
1) Does the all-torts-are-the-same advice seem right or am I correct to be a little put-off by this vet? I may just be paranoid. He was very nice, seemed good with the animals, and obviously knows more about tort health than I do, but it seems odd how different his info was from all the research I had done.
2) Does anyone know of a vet with lots of RF specific experience in Portland, OR? I'm interested in possibly getting another opinion and want to be sure whomever I go to has some experience working with RFs.
3) Should I be concerned by his neck moving as he breaths? He is not opening his mouth to breath, it's like his Adams apple (if that is what it is) pumps with each breath.
And 4) -- Unrelated to the vet thing-- How warm does it have to be outside before you take your torts out for some real sun?
Thanks for your help/advice.
My new RF joined the household about a month ago. After a couple weeks (once he was settled) I checked the vet posting on the forum here to get a reference for a vet and took my little guy in for a general new-pet exam. The appointment started out great until the vet gave me a pamphlet on African tortoises which of course Redfoot's are not. As the appointment continued, it seems I received a lot of advice that seemed to contradict what I had read both before & after my tort came home. I was told that humidity didn't really matter, and that some dark spots i was curious about on his under belly was probably just dirt that I could get off with a toothbrush. This little tort gets a good soak daily and the markings are definitely not dirt. I tried rubbing at it just to be sure. The vet also determined the 4" tort to be male. I had read that it was impossible or at least extremely difficult to determine the sex until they reach about 8".
In the end, there is a concern over my RF's breathing. The vet noticed some heavy breathing and heard a small wheeze. When I asked if this might be a result of low or inconsistent humidity levels, that's when he mentioned that he didn't think I should worry about keeping the humidity up. We were prescribed some antibiotics and then also had a fecal test which didn't show any parasites. I gave the tort his full run of meds but I still notice his neck moving as he breathes.
I guess my big questions are:
1) Does the all-torts-are-the-same advice seem right or am I correct to be a little put-off by this vet? I may just be paranoid. He was very nice, seemed good with the animals, and obviously knows more about tort health than I do, but it seems odd how different his info was from all the research I had done.
2) Does anyone know of a vet with lots of RF specific experience in Portland, OR? I'm interested in possibly getting another opinion and want to be sure whomever I go to has some experience working with RFs.
3) Should I be concerned by his neck moving as he breaths? He is not opening his mouth to breath, it's like his Adams apple (if that is what it is) pumps with each breath.
And 4) -- Unrelated to the vet thing-- How warm does it have to be outside before you take your torts out for some real sun?
Thanks for your help/advice.
