What do I need to do to improve my Tort's health?

[Red_Foot04]

I was 8 or 9 years old when I got my Red Foot, now named Shelby (haha original I know). At first, he was housed in a 30 gallon terrarium and was fed on a diet of romaine lettuce and the occasional boiled egg. About 2 years ago, his pyramiding was getting out of control. I decided to take over his diet then, deciding to make sure that his diet was properly balanced for better calcium usage (we also later found out that the shitty repto-cal that was his calcium supplement has phosphate in it, rendering it virtually ineffective at best. His pyramiding stopped, and he was moved into a 55 gallon container. Now, I am faced with another potential crisis: he seems to be ill and he is not eating and seems lethargic. Yesterday, I felt terribly guilty about his living situation. He's alive, which I guess something, but I feel terrible for forcing this poor creature to endure those 7 long years of suffering, and still do, even if it was out of stupidity rather than malevolence. But now, I am going to change that, and I am looking for advice as to how. I am going to list the changes I plan to make below:

1. Get his diet back on track. I feel like I never really got it to be sufficient, and I feel like I've slowly been letting it slide. I've been trying a roughly 60-30 combination of fruits (mango, kiwi, bannana, strawberry) and greens (collards, romaine, kale) with some alright results but I feel like I can do better.

2. Get him to the vet ASAP. I have noticed that the poor baby has a scab on the top of his neck, possibly he got it from climbing a water feature I recently put in his tank (its a crappy "wAtErFaLl" that I thought was going to do stuff for humidity control b/c I didn't feel like paying, and really couldn't afford, $80 for a humidifier, and the pathetic Reptifogger) and It has been rubbing against the top of his shell, causing it to split and I am worried it is infected. He needs to get to the vet ASAP.

3. Bigger enclosure. I live in a reasonably humid part of GA right on the boarder with Florida, and so he would probably do well outside with some humidity control measures. I will be building a 6*12 enclosure with a 4.5*8 wooden "house" that he can use during the winter months. The wooden "house" will have lighting, heating, humidity control and will still have everything he needs, and the "yard" will give him some extra space.

Any thoughts? Advice would be appreciated. Instead of worrying about him and feeling retarded for what I did, and I decided today that I will do something about it. And I want yall's help to make sure that he will live the best live possible.

Pictures:
1. Temperature / humidity gauge, was reading about 85 degrees and 80% humidity.

2. Today's meal: 2 cut up strawberries, some mango, a little piece of kiwi, and shredded collars greens, probably all in told around 5 ounces.

3. An overhead view of his enclosure, some things have been cut out though. Seen is the water feature, his water dish and the edge of his bowl.
4. A picture of that neck wound.
Please help, he needs it. Thank you for your time.

 

[crimson_lotus]

Hello! First I want to say good on you for wanting to make a better life for your tort.

Some things I have noticed:
-That particular humidity/temp gauge is not very accurate. I would suggest buying a digital hygrometer - I have one from Home Depot that is about $10. You will also notice a lot of tort owners use this throughout the tort forum! Link to hygrometer
-The humidity/temp gauge is way too high up. You will always want to measure the temp and humidity at tortoise level, I would say right above the substrate. You will also want to check temps throughout the enclosure - like right below your heat lamp and also the temp on the cooler end of the tank.
-The substrate is way too dry and you can see your tort has the dusty substrate on them. This is an irritant and will not help with the neck wound, dry skin, or breathing in general. It sounds to me like you are under the assumption that diet leads to pyramiding, when this is not the case - pyramiding is caused by lack of humidity. You can find various threads about this on the forum for your information. Pyramiding linked to diet is one of a few items of misinformation you can find on the internet.
-The screen top blocks a lot of the UV from the UVB's you are probably using. It is recommended to cut a hole in the screen for the UV to come through unhindered. Its also good to note that UVB's lose effectiveness over time, so make sure you are changing the bulb every 6-12 months.
-Have you been soaking your tortoise at all?
-Have you cleaned their wound and put some neosporin on it?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

This is that $10 Home Depot gauge.
This one is over 7 years old and has the original battery.
Pyramiding is not caused in any way, shape or form by incorrect diet.
It's from lack of humidity.
Redfoot can eat greenery, and mushrooms, flowers, fruit (up to 60% fruit) protein in many forms.
These guys can easily eat 10x more of an assortment of foods than most other species. So mix it up with variety.
Also, if you get your RF outside for a few hours per week for some actual sunlight, you can forget about your indoor UV light altogether. It wont be required.
But you still need to get rid of that screen top and place some glass of plexiglass on top. Moisten the substrate. And make yourself a CLOSED CHAMBER to hold in humidity.
Do a search for CLOSED CHAMBER enclosures and see what would be easiest for you to do.

 

[Red_Foot04]

Hello! First I want to say good on you for wanting to make a better life for your tort.

Some things I have noticed:
-That particular humidity/temp gauge is not very accurate. I would suggest buying a digital hygrometer - I have one from Home Depot that is about $10. You will also notice a lot of tort owners use this throughout the tort forum! Link to hygrometer
-The humidity/temp gauge is way too high up. You will always want to measure the temp and humidity at tortoise level, I would say right above the substrate. You will also want to check temps throughout the enclosure - like right below your heat lamp and also the temp on the cooler end of the tank.
-The substrate is way too dry and you can see your tort has the dusty substrate on them. This is an irritant and will not help with the neck wound, dry skin, or breathing in general. It sounds to me like you are under the assumption that diet leads to pyramiding, when this is not the case - pyramiding is caused by lack of humidity. You can find various threads about this on the forum for your information. Pyramiding linked to diet is one of a few items of misinformation you can find on the internet.
-The screen top blocks a lot of the UV from the UVB's you are probably using. It is recommended to cut a hole in the screen for the UV to come through unhindered. Its also good to note that UVB's lose effectiveness over time, so make sure you are changing the bulb every 6-12 months.
-Have you been soaking your tortoise at all?
-Have you cleaned their wound and put some neosporin on it?

well then...

I assumed diet was linked to pyramiding as several sites stating as such. Apparently I was wrong.
I have not been soaking, but I have been spraying the enclosure. Will start doing that in the future.
I was not aware you could use neosporin. How would you get him to stay still long enough to apply it, cause anytime I would try to do anything around there he would pop his head back in.
Thanks!

 

[Red_Foot04]

This is that $10 Home Depot gauge.
This one is over 7 years old and has the original battery.
Pyramiding is not caused in any way, shape or form by incorrect diet.
It's from lack of humidity.
Redfoot can eat greenery, and mushrooms, flowers, fruit (up to 60% fruit) protein in many forms.
These guys can easily eat 10x more of an assortment of foods than most other species. So mix it up with variety.
Also, if you get your RF outside for a few hours per week for some actual sunlight, you can forget about your indoor UV light altogether. It wont be required.
But you still need to get rid of that screen top and place some glass of plexiglass on top. Moisten the substrate. And make yourself a CLOSED CHAMBER to hold in humidity.
Do a search for CLOSED CHAMBER enclosures and see what would be easiest for you to do.

Thanks!

 

[Red_Foot04]

This is that $10 Home Depot gauge.
This one is over 7 years old and has the original battery.
Pyramiding is not caused in any way, shape or form by incorrect diet.
It's from lack of humidity.
Redfoot can eat greenery, and mushrooms, flowers, fruit (up to 60% fruit) protein in many forms.
These guys can easily eat 10x more of an assortment of foods than most other species. So mix it up with variety.
Also, if you get your RF outside for a few hours per week for some actual sunlight, you can forget about your indoor UV light altogether. It wont be required.
But you still need to get rid of that screen top and place some glass of plexiglass on top. Moisten the substrate. And make yourself a CLOSED CHAMBER to hold in humidity.
Do a search for CLOSED CHAMBER enclosures and see what would be easiest for you to do.

About this closed chamber enclosure...

Could this stay inside or would it still work well outside?

 

[Cleopatra 2020]

About this closed chamber enclosure...

Could this stay inside or would it still work well outside?

definitely inside I would think so you have a little bit of control of the ambient temperature outside of it thus affecting the temperature inside the enclosure... with the enclosure outside I would think it would get too hot but I don't know what the temperature is like where you live

 

[ZEROPILOT]

definitely inside I would think so you have a little bit of control of the ambient temperature outside of it thus affecting the temperature inside the enclosure... with the enclosure outside I would think it would get too hot but I don't know what the temperature is like where you live

I agree
A closed chamber outdoors might turn into an oven

 

[crimson_lotus]

well then...

I assumed diet was linked to pyramiding as several sites stating as such. Apparently I was wrong.
I have not been soaking, but I have been spraying the enclosure. Will start doing that in the future.
I was not aware you could use neosporin. How would you get him to stay still long enough to apply it, cause anytime I would try to do anything around there he would pop his head back in.
Thanks!

For the application of neosporin, if you happen to have someone to help you with this - have one person tilt the tortoise upwards and usually they (or at least mine) stick their neck out. The other person would then apply the neosporin, You could also try while they are eating, and be super slow when moving towards them.

 

[christinaland128]

I was 8 or 9 years old when I got my Red Foot, now named Shelby (haha original I know). At first, he was housed in a 30 gallon terrarium and was fed on a diet of romaine lettuce and the occasional boiled egg. About 2 years ago, his pyramiding was getting out of control. I decided to take over his diet then, deciding to make sure that his diet was properly balanced for better calcium usage (we also later found out that the shitty repto-cal that was his calcium supplement has phosphate in it, rendering it virtually ineffective at best. His pyramiding stopped, and he was moved into a 55 gallon container. Now, I am faced with another potential crisis: he seems to be ill and he is not eating and seems lethargic. Yesterday, I felt terribly guilty about his living situation. He's alive, which I guess something, but I feel terrible for forcing this poor creature to endure those 7 long years of suffering, and still do, even if it was out of stupidity rather than malevolence. But now, I am going to change that, and I am looking for advice as to how. I am going to list the changes I plan to make below:

1. Get his diet back on track. I feel like I never really got it to be sufficient, and I feel like I've slowly been letting it slide. I've been trying a roughly 60-30 combination of fruits (mango, kiwi, bannana, strawberry) and greens (collards, romaine, kale) with some alright results but I feel like I can do better.

2. Get him to the vet ASAP. I have noticed that the poor baby has a scab on the top of his neck, possibly he got it from climbing a water feature I recently put in his tank (its a crappy "wAtErFaLl" that I thought was going to do stuff for humidity control b/c I didn't feel like paying, and really couldn't afford, $80 for a humidifier, and the pathetic Reptifogger) and It has been rubbing against the top of his shell, causing it to split and I am worried it is infected. He needs to get to the vet ASAP.

3. Bigger enclosure. I live in a reasonably humid part of GA right on the boarder with Florida, and so he would probably do well outside with some humidity control measures. I will be building a 6*12 enclosure with a 4.5*8 wooden "house" that he can use during the winter months. The wooden "house" will have lighting, heating, humidity control and will still have everything he needs, and the "yard" will give him some extra space.

Any thoughts? Advice would be appreciated. Instead of worrying about him and feeling retarded for what I did, and I decided today that I will do something about it. And I want yall's help to make sure that he will live the best live possible.

Pictures:
1. Temperature / humidity gauge, was reading about 85 degrees and 80% humidity.
View attachment 304851
2. Today's meal: 2 cut up strawberries, some mango, a little piece of kiwi, and shredded collars greens, probably all in told around 5 ounces.
View attachment 304852
3. An overhead view of his enclosure, some things have been cut out though. Seen is the water feature, his water dish and the edge of his bowl.View attachment 304853
4. A picture of that neck wound.View attachment 304854
Please help, he needs it. Thank you for your time.

 

[christinaland128]

His pyramiding isn’t terrible! But I agree his living conditions and diet could use some correcting.

I house my boys each in a raised garden bed enclosure during cooler weather. Here is a picture and there is a whole walkthrough on the Redfoot Fanatics Facebook page under “albums”.

it’s a great indoor enclosure because it holds in heat and humidity very well because of the tent top.

honestly you could make a tent top for any enclosure you choose to build.

to help new growth appear smoother you can try to provide a humid environment.

you can use a fogger, spray the enclosure, poor water in the corners, and spray their shells directly. Offer soaks a few days a week.

But don’t stress out about the humidity! If your overall humidity is 68%, then it’s likely their hide spots are going to be around 80 or 90.

Focus on humid hides if you can’t get your overall humidity up too high.

Too many people are turning their enclosures into swamps with too high of humidity and this will lead to shell fungus or respiratory issues.

The key is for your substrate to be moist but not wet.??

try to get her some natural sunlight every day weather permitting! You can build an outdoor enclosure very inexpensively!

Diet should be variety! Weeds and greens are a staple! If your yard is pesticide fertilizer free you can take pics of your weeds and post pics and we can help you determine if they’re non toxic.

Reds are one of the species that can eat more fruit! I personally only offer fruit as 30% of their diet.

Good on you to improve her conditions!?

 

[christinaland128]

Raised garden bed enclosure...

 

[Red_Foot04]

Raised garden bed enclosure...

Thanks!

 

[jeannettep]

I use foil over part of an enclosure inside to help keep my tort habitat more humid & a spray bottle until I decided on a fogger. Please others correctly tell me if I'm wrong, but red foots don't need a lot of uvb & light since they are jungle torts. I have mine in an outdoor enclosure heavily planted with eatable plants & I rarely see them in the sun. If you ask around, you probably know people who have some of these plants & will let you get a clipping of theirs. Many I found start to grow easily. Like aloe vera & my torts love to eat it. Just make sure the plant is what it is supposed to be. A good garden place has been good for verifying. I bought some spineless prickly pear cactus pads on Amazon & asked for small pads. My torts love them & I just stuck some in the ground & they took off like crazy. So I only bought them 2x, they ate all the 1st batch. Mine love hibiscus leaves & flowers. Maybe those are easy to grow there. Make sure when you take it outside that you have it enclosed so it can't escape & a shaded option. It is surprising how fast they can disappear & blend in. I've spent many hours crawling on the ground to find mine to put medicine on them. Try a q tip for putting medicine on it. Make sure the water stays really clean til healed, clean anyways of course but while healing really important. Not having to spend money on special lighting to me was a plus. Make sure they can't see out. This could be paper on the lower portion on the outside. Mine love mazuri, but it's the kind that comes in a huge bag, not the version in the small bag. This place sent me a free sample of their crumble which I soaked in water & they loved it as much as their other food & it comes in smaller size https://kapidolofarms.com/product/pm-organic-layer-crumbles/
There's a lot of good stuff on this forum & helpful people too. I got my temp gun cheap at harbor freight. Most of my plants came from around the house or friends houses. None of my friends take time to fertilize or anything else to their yard. Hibiscus plants are cheap & grow quick, hopefully where you are too. When I built their outside home, I built with the option to expand it, so that's been helpful. More than 1 tort really doesn't get along... for winter, I bought a cheap, short greenhouse on amazon & a coop heater, so I can continue growing some of their food all year. Staying out of the grocery store has been great & then give them some fruit & veggies I eat. Mine love muscadine grapes & leaves & blackberries from the wild. Those grow in your area I believe too. I try growing the vines I transplant but they get eaten too fast. I agree with another message here you probably have a lot of good grass in your yard if it has not been treated. Mine love a good head or chin rub. If you can get yours to let you rub its head & legs will help treat it when needed. The one I had that got shell rot under it, hated being turned over to put med on it, but I took my time & rubbed gently then turned over & taught it to like a head then later a chin rub, now comes over & sticks her head out for me to rub her. I had a problem getting mine to eat more than watermelon since that's what they were given before. So I kept putting the same new stuff with it & eventually they started eating other stuff, now they won't touch watermelon at all. Now I have them converted to eating stuff I grow for them on their own & I feed them as a treat 2-3x a week. Rest of the time they just come over for a head & neck rub. Oh yeah, my tort doesn't live in the sealed food greenhouse. I transplant stuff as needed. But they get free access to it when winter is over.