Red footed suddenly stopped moving

[juanr0730]

Hi, friends!

I need a little bit of help with my red footed Juanita. I think one month ago or so she stopped walking around her house. She stopped eating and drinking water for a week. She’s back at her normal eating habits, but so far she doesn’t want to walk. She’s alert to her surrounding.

She’s approximately 30, maybe a little older. She’s with me since I’m 8 and I’m very worried because of this .

Let me know if I can do something.

ThanK you very much. Truly.

 

[Ink]

@ZEROPILOT should be able to help you. Can you post pictures of her and enclosure? Along with temperatures and lighting? That would help. Welcome to the forum.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Please describe how she is being kept.
Inside or outside?
What kind of lighting? Any sunlight?
What are you feeding?
Your environment outdoors must be just about ideal for a Redfoot.
Did she walk unusually for a while? Could she be injured?
It's a lot to guess about without much information

 

[juanr0730]

Thank you, thank you!

She lives outdoors in an enclosure built for her and her two sisters with soil and a pool. The temperature in that city is between 25 and 35 Celsius. She’s eating mostly vegetables, fruits and plants. I’d say 70-80% of her diet. The other 20-30% is meat. She usually walked around the enclosure, went to the pool and took the sun. Now she doesn’t move. For a week or so we had to feed her with a syringe because she didn’t want to.

I can send you pictures of whatever you need.

You can see part of their enclosure, their sun habits and the last one is she today after eating some food. We’re taking her out of the enclosure everyday to give her a warm bath.

Thanks again!

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Hello!
Her shell looks very unusual to me (it looks like metabolic bone disease, MBD, which is strange for a tortoise raised outdoors). If it is indeed a MBD you may try following changes:
1. Feed her less meat (no more than 10% or head-size piece once a week) and more calcium and fiber rich foods (hibiscus and mulberry leaves, papaya and mango, for example). Instead of meat you may offer hard-boiled egg.
2. Add some calcium supplements - crushed egg shell, cuttlefish bone or calcium block, calcium powder (a small pinch once or twice a week).
3. Give her more place to walk and exercise (from photos it's hard to tell the size of outdoors enclosure). Something around 100 sq. ft. (the more the better). Also you may try hydro-therapy to make her move: pour more water in her bathing tub than you usually do, so she can float barely touching the bottom. Let her move her legs to build up muscle strength. Never leave her unattended or she may drown.

Also, you may bring her home for the night (keep her in a box with temperature 30C through the night). Higher temperatures usually help sick tortoises to recover.

Please, keep posting on her health. I don't know much about tortoises yet and may address the wrong problem, but I hope this will help.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Is there any possibility that she has eggs?
They could be impacted.
Also, is she pooping normally.

 

[juanr0730]

Hello!
Her shell looks very unusual to me (it looks like metabolic bone disease, MBD, which is strange for a tortoise raised outdoors). If it is indeed a MBD you may try following changes:
1. Feed her less meat (no more than 10% or head-size piece once a week) and more calcium and fiber rich foods (hibiscus and mulberry leaves, papaya and mango, for example). Instead of meat you may offer hard-boiled egg.
2. Add some calcium supplements - crushed egg shell, cuttlefish bone or calcium block, calcium powder (a small pinch once or twice a week).
3. Give her more place to walk and exercise (from photos it's hard to tell the size of outdoors enclosure). Something around 100 sq. ft. (the more the better). Also you may try hydro-therapy to make her move: pour more water in her bathing tub than you usually do, so she can float barely touching the bottom. Let her move her legs to build up muscle strength. Never leave her unattended or she may drown.

Also, you may bring her home for the night (keep her in a box with temperature 30C through the night). Higher temperatures usually help sick tortoises to recover.

Please, keep posting on her health. I don't know much about tortoises yet and may address the wrong problem, but I hope this will help.

Hi, Alex,

Thank you very much.

Should I send you more pictures of her shell? I need to add that she came home when she was approximately 8 (we are almost the same age) and we don't know how she was kept before.

1. Her diet is very similar to your advice.
2. Will do.
3. She has plenty of space and we're doing her hydro-therapy. Everytime she is in the water she starts moving her legs and pooping.

Today I was seeing her through videocall (I'm in other city right now) and she starts moving her legs weirdly, I could say she was dragging or stretching her back legs. I think I can upload a video. In almost 20 years I haven't seen her behave like that. Also, my mom told me she's been doing that for some days. Any ideas?

Much appreciated.

 

[juanr0730]

Is there any possibility that she has eggs?
They could be impacted.
Also, is she pooping normally.

Hi!

She's 30 and we've never seen eggs. Is it normal? I don't really know. I'm reading some mixing information, so I can't be sure.

She's pooping normally.

Thank you very much.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Sometimes they can be "egg-bound" (they don't need to be with a male to develop eggs). And that can affect their ability to walk sometimes. I don't know yet if they can just lay eggs in that case or you'll need to see a vet. But maybe @ZEROPILOT knows. He has much more on-hands experience.

I would continue with daily soakings and hydro-therapy. It's good that she poops regularly, one problem less..

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Sometimes they can be "egg-bound" (they don't need to be with a male to develop eggs). And that can affect their ability to walk sometimes. I don't know yet if they can just lay eggs in that case or you'll need to see a vet. But maybe @ZEROPILOT knows. He has much more on-hands experience.

I would continue with daily soakings and hydro-therapy. It's good that she poops regularly, one problem less..

I'm just guessing as I try to eliminate things that can effect mobility.
I'd also suggest MBD from the condition of her shell alone.
Her condition is puzzling to me since she's an outdoor tortoise living in Columbia.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I'm just guessing as I try to eliminate things that can effect mobility.
I'd also suggest MBD from the condition of her shell alone.
Her condition is puzzling to me since she's an outdoor tortoise living in Columbia.

OP mentioned, that acquired this tortoise when she was 8 years old already and her past was unknown. So some extent of MBD is possible, but new growth, if I get it right, is healthy.

Maybe she ate a toxic plant of some kind. We had a similar case with a redfoot in Venezuela not long ago. Unfortunately, there were no updates from the poster.

 

[juanr0730]

Hi, friends!

Hope you all are doing good.

As I mentioned, I was in another city, but yesterday I travelled to see Juanita.

I have more information:

1. When my mom found her totally inactive, she started giving her warm baths. Since we thought Juanita was dihydrated, my mom added Pedyalite and a tablespoon of salt (we read that in an articule) to the water. Some minutes after she opened totally her mouth and started drooling. I was seeing her by videocall and that fluid was transparent and seemed phlegm or foam. That day, contrary to the previous ones, was very hoy. I think she could be overheated. What do you think?

2. After that epidose, my mom took her to the vet. The vet said her throat was swollen and had sores. He
gave her antibiotics. I'm asking what antibiotic was used. I've read of very similar cases using Batryl. This happened on the second week of February.

3. She was 6 days under observation in the vet.

4. The day after she came home from the vet, she started eating by herself (the food needed to be really close, since she wasn't moving).

Now I can see:

1. She can't move her front legs. I've been watching her for some time and she tries to move using only her back legs, but she just can't. She ended up dragging her back legs. If you pull her front legs up, she just let them fall.

2. She only can move the last end of her front legs slightly.

2. Since she can't move we're putting the food just in front of her and she's eating very well (as usually did).

I've read some webpages and there are similar cases, but not precise answers to the possible causes and treatments. In some cases, antibiotices were involved.

I think that's all the information I have now. I'm trying to reach out the vet to asking him about the treatment.

Thank you in advance.

I can send you pictures of anything you think can help.

 

[TammyJ]

Never put salt in her water again. It will kill her and it's amazing that she has actually survived so far, what with the added shock of injections! Poor tortoise. She may now be semi-paralysed. Keep soaking her in plain warm water with nothing added. I am calling @ZEROPILOT and @wellington and @zovick

 

[wellington]

Post a pic of the enclosure the three share. From the one pic it doesn't look very wide.
If they don't have enough room to roam and keep muscle strength they will lose the ability to walk.
Pictures of the enclosure will help.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

Can you post more details on Baytril treatment: were it injections or orally administered, for how long and how many doses?

 

[juanr0730]

Never put salt in her water again. It will kill her and it's amazing that she has actually survived so far, what with the added shock of injections! Poor tortoise. She may now be semi-paralysed. Keep soaking her in plain warm water with nothing added. I am calling @ZEROPILOT and @wellington and @zovick

Hi, Tammy,

Thank you very much for your reply.

That kind of paralysis you’re thinking of is reversible?

 

[juanr0730]

Can you post more details on Baytril treatment: were it injections or orally administered, for how long and how many doses?

Hi, Alex,

Thank you for your reply.

It was orally administered. I think it was two days, but I’m asking the vet today. Here I’m again.

 

[TammyJ]

How is the tortoise doing now?

 

[_The_Beast_]

Hi, friends!

Hope you all are doing good.

As I mentioned, I was in another city, but yesterday I travelled to see Juanita.

I have more information:

1. When my mom found her totally inactive, she started giving her warm baths. Since we thought Juanita was dihydrated, my mom added Pedyalite and a tablespoon of salt (we read that in an articule) to the water. Some minutes after she opened totally her mouth and started drooling. I was seeing her by videocall and that fluid was transparent and seemed phlegm or foam. That day, contrary to the previous ones, was very hoy. I think she could be overheated. What do you think?

2. After that epidose, my mom took her to the vet. The vet said her throat was swollen and had sores. He
gave her antibiotics. I'm asking what antibiotic was used. I've read of very similar cases using Batryl. This happened on the second week of February.

3. She was 6 days under observation in the vet.

4. The day after she came home from the vet, she started eating by herself (the food needed to be really close, since she wasn't moving).

Now I can see:

1. She can't move her front legs. I've been watching her for some time and she tries to move using only her back legs, but she just can't. She ended up dragging her back legs. If you pull her front legs up, she just let them fall.

2. She only can move the last end of her front legs slightly.

2. Since she can't move we're putting the food just in front of her and she's eating very well (as usually did).

I've read some webpages and there are similar cases, but not precise answers to the possible causes and treatments. In some cases, antibiotices were involved.

I think that's all the information I have now. I'm trying to reach out the vet to asking him about the treatment.

Thank you in advance.

I can send you pictures of anything you think can help.

Was the goal with the salt water to give her nutrients and electrolytes, similar to the way we give humans and some mammals Pedialyte to hydrate them?

I don't have redfoot experience, but I'm wondering, from folks like Alex who do, if carrot soaks and the like might be recommended here to help with nutrients (though if she's eating, depending on her diet, make this isn't a concern).

Re: the possibility of her being egg bound, this is something an x-ray would show.

 

[wellington]

Was the goal with the salt water to give her nutrients and electrolytes, similar to the way we give humans and some mammals Pedialyte to hydrate them?

I don't have redfoot experience, but I'm wondering, from folks like Alex who do, if carrot soaks and the like might be recommended here to help with nutrients (though if she's eating, depending on her diet, make this isn't a concern).

Re: the possibility of her being egg bound, this is something an x-ray would show.

The carrot and piedialyte soaks wouldn't hurt but likely wouldn't do anything as the tort is eating now and drinking. It's not going to do anything for it not walking
Carrots are mainly for eye problems. However, I have always recommended it along with piedialyte soaks for any not eating/sick
Soaks in deeper water so they have to move alot or car rides for possible constipation and hydrotherapy and making sure the enclosure is correct and big enough for not using legs.