redfoot trouble...pyramiding? hopefully not

[Buddacup]

Hello All,
I purchased a baby redfoot for my 7yr old son. It arrived on December 10, 2010. I have no i dea how old it is, however the egg beak disappeared after a week or so after arriving. We've maintained a well balanced diet of mango, peaches, spring mix and more recently gave it meal worms! But our baby loves its greens!
Its hide is a rubbermaid tote with a dual lamp with 60W basking and infrared bulbs. I use coconut bark and new zealand moss with a cave at the cool end. Am I doing something wrong there?
I am hoping to get help regarding the humidity maintenance. We live in the Northeast and it is cooler in my apartment than ever before. The baby's shell is cracked around its bum, and i saw a new crack on the area close to it's head. Is it gonna die? I have given calcium powder on the food and i so scared it will die. I would like to avoid a vet visit, but i don't want to kill it by accident. Please help!

 

[Torty Mom]

Sounds like a hatchling. Can you post pictures for the experts to see? Are you sure it's shell is cracked? Is it still eating?? Again pictures really are needed, I am by far NOT an expert in any way shape or form, but I must say I am a tad bit alarmed. Could he have gotten squished? I am NOT picking on you, just trying to help.

 

[Buddacup]

Sounds like a hatchling. Can you post pictures for the experts to see? Are you sure it's shell is cracked? Is it still eating?? Again pictures really are needed, I am by far NOT an expert in any way shape or form, but I must say I am a tad bit alarmed. Could he have gotten squished? I am NOT picking on you, just trying to help.

i would be more than happy to and have spent a lot of time taking pics but i cannot for some reason get them posted here. i will keep trying though. It is eating and definitely cracked. will try pic. can we chat or only post replies....frustrated, scared and nervous! thanks for quick response

 

[Torty Mom]

I will find the thread that talks about posting pictures!

---

Here it is: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread-How-to-post-pictures-in-your-forum-posts--5245

It's actually pretty easy using photobucket. That is what I use. Let me know if you need help.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Buddacup:

Welcome to the forum!! I'm thinking you're in the U.K., huh? May we know your name?

I don't keep redfoot tortoises, but from what I've been reading here on the forum, they don't advocate the warm side/cool side thingey. I think you should be keeping the whole habitat right around 80 degrees. And there should be lots of hiding places.

Take a look at post #8 in this thread:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...nions-Suggestions-wanted?pid=210602#pid210602

Terryo has some of the prettiest and healthiest redfoot and box turtle habitats of anyone on the forum.

 

[Buddacup]

i have photos on my computer already and it is here by my station right now but I STILL cannot get this pic up. its shell is soft underneath and its dragging its legs. almost looks like its slides to walk and "lays down" to eat. my name is deja, and i live in northeast united states.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Deja:

That doesn't sound good. Do you give the tortoise calcium supplementation?

 

[Buddacup]

Hi Deja:

That doesn't sound good. Do you give the tortoise calcium supplementation?

yes i have. i sprinkle it into a baggie with the food and give it. looks so unappetizing. is that the problem. (sidebar......still can't get pics up. i am 2 busy 2day to play on photobucket.)

 

[tortoises101]

Hi Buddacup:

Welcome to the forum!! I'm thinking you're in the U.K., huh? May we know your name?

I don't keep redfoot tortoises, but from what I've been reading here on the forum, they don't advocate the warm side/cool side thingey. I think you should be keeping the whole habitat right around 80 degrees. And there should be lots of hiding places.

Take a look at post #8 in this thread:

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Thread...nions-Suggestions-wanted?pid=210602#pid210602

Terryo has some of the prettiest and healthiest redfoot and box turtle habitats of anyone on the forum.

Yvonne, you REALLY shouldn't have shown me terryo's enclosure pics. Now I feel really ambitious! lol

But in all seriousness about Deja's hatchling, I think you should consider looking at the substrate's dampness. I know that RF's are tropical torts, but if the substrate is overly wet they will get shell rot. Try raying the tank walls 3 times a day with hot water if the humidity falls below 80%. And since you mentioned about leg draggin, I think it could be MBD (metabolic bone disease). I say go visit a vet. I think this is a bit severe so if you can get intact with a qualified reptile vet there will be much more chances of your tortoise being saved.

I'm not an expert, just advocating what I think is right. Good luck.

 

[Torty Mom]

If you want to email your pictures to me I can post them for you!

 

[pdrobber]

Hi! You said you have basking and infrared bulbs and give calcium supplement. Do you have a UVB light? Does the supplement have vitamin D3?

 

[tortoises101]

Hi! You said you have basking and infrared bulbs and give calcium supplement. Do you have a UVB light? Does the supplement have vitamin D3?

UVB isn't too important to RF's. In fact, for hatchlings, the most UVB they should get is a 2.0 UVB bulb. Too much UVB and bright light will harm hatchling eyes.

 

[Buddacup]

yes. eco terra 60w basking light and 50w infrared. is one of those not a UVB light. what exactly should i have. and yes, the calcium has D3. that was against most suggestions and I worked in a pharmacy and could not locate 100% calcium carbonate powder available. since this morning i have noticed his shell gives and as i previously stated cannot get his picture on this forum! really wanna see what you all think about his shell! very worried. may not be able to get to the vet until later in the week. storm coming!

 

[Madkins007]

Hello All,
I purchased a baby redfoot for my 7yr old son. It arrived on December 10, 2010. I have no i dea how old it is, however the egg beak disappeared after a week or so after arriving. We've maintained a well balanced diet of mango, peaches, spring mix and more recently gave it meal worms! But our baby loves its greens!
Its hide is a rubbermaid tote with a dual lamp with 60W basking and infrared bulbs. I use coconut bark and new zealand moss with a cave at the cool end. Am I doing something wrong there?
I am hoping to get help regarding the humidity maintenance. We live in the Northeast and it is cooler in my apartment than ever before. The baby's shell is cracked around its bum, and i saw a new crack on the area close to it's head. Is it gonna die? I have given calcium powder on the food and i so scared it will die. I would like to avoid a vet visit, but i don't want to kill it by accident. Please help!

Hi!

OK, you have a young hatchling- you usually do not see them with the egg tooth still. Is the yolk sac scar healed up on the belly?

The Tortoise Library housing section has a layout similar to yours that might offer some ideas to help. (http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/indoorhousing.html) Some of the other articles, like diet, may also be helpful.

It sounds like you many be having several problems going on all at once, but the cracking shell bothers me a lot. Without photos, it is hard to know what you mean by the cracking- if the shell is breaking along bone sutures or growth lines, how deep, etc. but my advice without seeing it would be to soak the little guy in some warm water for about 5-10 minutes a day or more oftem. After the soak, I would rub a little anti-biotic ointment on the cracks, then a little olive oil, baby oil, or plain white hand lotion on the shell.

The little guy sounds like it has Metabolic Bone Disease, too. (http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/shellproblems.html). The fix for that is to ensure a good diet, but also to make sure the basic cares are rock solid. A quick checklist might include:
- warm overall temps- 85ish average
- warmer and cooler spots for basking or relaxing. In a tub, this may be just a range of 80-90f.
- good overall humidity, ideally 70%ish overall with at least one more humid hide. You can help boost humidity by covering most of the tub with something as simple as plastic wrap or foil.
- decent, balanced lighting, ideally with UVB. The light hitting the habitat should be a balanced white bright enough to grow plants if you choose to but it does not have to be a lot more than that.
- a substrate that supports the tortoise's care and health. My fave is cypress or similar wood chips, but other things certainly work and yours should be OK.
- a variety of hiding places in the warm and cool areas. Live plants in pots helps with this as well as with humidity.
- under-soil heating if the substrate is cool or clammy. This can be something as simple as a heating pad under one end of the habitat. This also helps with humidity.

The diet should be strong in calcium, with about half as much phosphorous, have some iron, vitamin A and E, and a good selection of other nutrients without being too high in carbs, proteins, fats, sugars, and so forth. Some good foods for right now would be things like turnip or collard greens, mulberry or grape leaves, cactus pads, arugula (aka Rocket), dandelion leaves, papaya, figs, and cactus fruits. Other foods should be very lightly supplemented with calcium dust- a very very small pinch per meal is all a baby needs.

Along with extra calcium, they also need vitamin D which is not easily found in useful levels in food, so you need a bulb that emits UVB rays, and/or you should use a vitamin D supplement, like http://www.puritan.com/d-vitamins-534/liquid-vitamin-d-3-5000-iu-030405?NewPage=1

It is probably going to take a little work to get the little guy OK again. Photos would really help us figure out what is going on, but keep us posted, OK?

 

[yagyujubei]

Are you sure the "cracks" aren't simply the start of new shell growth. As the shell starts to grow, the spaces between the scutes begins to widen, and at first could be mistaken for cracks. It's only about 2 months old max., so there will be many changes to the shell as it grows.

 

[pdrobber]

Hi! You said you have basking and infrared bulbs and give calcium supplement. Do you have a UVB light? Does the supplement have vitamin D3?

UVB isn't too important to RF's. In fact, for hatchlings, the most UVB they should get is a 2.0 UVB bulb. Too much UVB and bright light will harm hatchling eyes.

Oh really? Thanks. Good to know, good to know.

 

[Madkins007]

UVB isn't too important to RF's. In fact, for hatchlings, the most UVB they should get is a 2.0 UVB bulb. Too much UVB and bright light will harm hatchling eyes.

I used to believe this as well because of seeing it online so often, but the more research I do, the more convinced I am that while UVB may not be vital, as in life-threatening, it is nonetheless both useful and important.

The 'too much UVB hurts the eyes' comment has two main elements. Yes, their eyes CAN be hurt by excess UVB- in captivity this happens because of faulty bulb designs (as was the case with a coiled fluroescent bulb a few years ago or an even older bulb that really blasted UV light), or because of lack of shelter. No tortoise gets UV all day every day.

The other element is that the eyes of almost every baby animal is hurt by glare, excess light, and excess UV- the key words being 'excess'. This is one reason many young animals often hide.

One reason some people feel Red-foots do not need UVB or are overly sensitive to light is based on a mistaken belief that Red-foots are a deep forest species, when in reality, most Red-foots live well outside the rain forest zone and many live in the green parts of rather arid locations.

The benefits of properly balanced UV lighting includes producing vitamin D in the skin- if the UV light includes the key 295 nanometers wavelength, helping promote healthy eye development (one type of cone in the eye seems to detect UV), nourishes deep brain glands, helps regulate daily and seasonal metabolism, and more.