Young Tort.... First time owner need help

[jorrow]

I just obtained a young cherry head. In fact he is so young that he still has the tip on his beak to break the egg. He has been eating his mustard greens, clover, bell pepper and occasional grape as a a treat well. But his head looks kinda dry and some times i think he has trouble getting his eyes open. I soak him once a day in warm water, I have a 3ft by 3ft pin built for him he has acces to water 24/7, the pin is bedded with a mix of moss and cypress mulch and i mist atleast twice a day. For lighting i have my UVB light and a heat lamp but i aim the heat lamp of to the side because i dont want it to be to bright. I also have a small heating pad underneath his hide to keep him warm at night when i turn his lights of. oh i also put a humidifier besid his pin to help because i thought he might be to dry. Is there anything i can do tho help his head and eye lids???? Does my set up sound about right????

 

[Crazy1]

These two pages I've linked you to deal with housing and diet.
http://www.redfoots.com/hdiet.htm
http://www.redfoots.com/henclose.htm
They will get you started to a healthy Redfoot. That is a very young Redfoot you have there if it still has it’s egg tooth. I suggest you invest in a good humidity gauge and a good thermometer.

Please visit www.Redfoots.com and/or www.Turtletary.com
There has been some controversy regarding the raising of Redfoots on this forum. I have used only Terry's method and was very pleased with the results I received. I am sure there are others out there But this is my suggestion and I would follow it closely, it works.

 

[jorrow]

thanks for those sites... I changed his home to the rubber made container and am now using that moss as bedding.... I took down the heat bulb and replace it with one of the ceramic heaters... it seems to be really humid in there now I have to get a good temp gauge and humidity gauge there is no pet stores in my town do u know where a good place to start looking would be ? we have a super walmart do u think I might could find something there? im gonna work on the lid tomorrow I let yall know how that goes..... I really hope he does well and gets better for some reason I just have a very bad feeling... theres pics of him on the other post I did asking about the color phases if u wanna see him/her... any ways thanks so much ooo sorry about posting twice I was just hoping more people would see it. thanks again

 

[Itort]

You can find good humistats and thermometers on line at www.EggCartons.com.

 

[REDFOOTMATT]

I just obtained a young cherry head. In fact he is so young that he still has the tip on his beak to break the egg. He has been eating his mustard greens, clover, bell pepper and occasional grape as a a treat well. But his head looks kinda dry and some times i think he has trouble getting his eyes open. I soak him once a day in warm water, I have a 3ft by 3ft pin built for him he has acces to water 24/7, the pin is bedded with a mix of moss and cypress mulch and i mist atleast twice a day. For lighting i have my UVB light and a heat lamp but i aim the heat lamp of to the side because i dont want it to be to bright. I also have a small heating pad underneath his hide to keep him warm at night when i turn his lights of. oh i also put a humidifier besid his pin to help because i thought he might be to dry. Is there anything i can do tho help his head and eye lids???? Does my set up sound about right????

My hatchlings have a big pile of spagnum moss that they burrow in most of the time when they are not eating. I it keep nice and moist at all times which is a chore when the heat emitter is on during the winter months. You have to hand turn the moss while misting or just the top gets wet. If you do this you shouldn't have that eye issue.

 

[jorrow]

Well i have his enclosure all done it matains 80 degrees and between 70 and 80 % humidity. I think is much more suitable. I did it just like turtletary said. Does anyone have any ideas an his eyes though he still want open them is there any kind of cream or somthing i could put on them??? He is still eating an active though... Thanks to all

 

[jorrow]

I just read where it said to use a half an haly mix of water and gerber sweet potatoes hopfully that will help........ do yall think Terramycin Antibiotic Ophthalmic Ointment with Polymyxin B Sulfate would help?

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm surprised that he's still eating if his eyes don't open. Go online and purchase the Terramycin Opthalmic ointment. I swear by it. Its a miracle ointment. Apply it three times a day to each eyelid and in just a couple days the eyes are open and stay open (as long as the humidity is correct).

Yvonne

 

[jorrow]

yea its kinda sad watchin him randomly grab for his food. Ive been helping him eat though. Thanks so much for all your help Yvonne

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I have raised several blind animals and have a blind box turtle now, and as long as you help him eat that's the hardest part. As long as he's eating he stands a good chance of making it. Call some feed stores in your area and see if they carry the terramycin eye ointment that Yvonne told you about. That would be faster than trying to find it on line. Can you put some mineral oil on a q-tip and rub his eyes gently? That also might help his eyes until you can get the terramycin ointment. I agree with Yvonne in the terramycin eye ointment is a wonder drug...I keep some on hand always...just used it on Bob and was grateful I had it...

 

[jorrow]

I did i went by our farmer supply store on lunch and found some. Hopefully it will do the trick

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Do you have a steady enough hand that you can squeeze the ointment between his lids? If not just gently rub it on the outside lid 3 or 4 times a day. It really will make a difference. As long as you are helping him eat and you are using the ointment his recovery is in your hands. Don't give up on him and please keep us posted...

 

[jorrow]

Yea i have pretty steady hands thanx for all the help....... I really appreciate all of you and this forum.... I will diffenitley keep you posted on his progress THANKS

 

[jorrow]

Well your not going to believe this i put that medicine on his eyes and put him into soak and within a min he had opened his eyes im just gonna keep doing it three times a day like you said and hopefully it all clear up......... O i have one more small problem how do u cure a picky eater? most of the time he will just walk away from his leafy greens so i always end up giving him bell pepper which he loves i know its not healthy for him to eat mostly bell pepper right???? Thanks so much for all of yalls help.... Today was a huge relief....

Josh

 

[Yvonne G]

Earlier in this thread, Crazy1 (Robyn) gave you a couple of links to care sheets for redfoot tortoises. These instructions have been proven to raise healthy redfoot tortoises. It would be in your tortoise's best interest to follow them.

Sometimes it can be difficult to get brand new babies to eat. But keep offering what redfoot.com tells you to feed them, and I'm sure he'll come around.

Yvonne

 

[tortoisenerd]

Sorry to take away from the main topic, but I have a side question. What's the shelf life for the ointment? I wouldn't mind keeping some around but it's $10 + shipping or gas money to go find it. Any other must-haves for the tort medicine cabinet?

I'm in disaster prep mode. We got emergency kits for xmas, and bought some emergency tort food and heat sources too.

Josh:
Glad your little tort has his eyes open! Was he responding to you, ie. do you think he's able to see? That's awesome. There are a couple picky eater methods I've heard of: 1) tough love, such as only feeding the good stuff and eventually they will eat it 2) good stuff and their favorites, reducing the quantity of favorites over time. Kinda depends on the situation--whether it's a well-fed picky tort or a little or sickly tort, etc. I'm sure others will have more ideas too. Best wishes.

 

[Yvonne G]

I just looked at my tubes of ointment and there is no "sell by" date on the tube. However, I seem to remember a "sell by " date on the box it came in. I have never worried about shelf life...but then I guess that's because I use it all the time. I tend to buy a couple tubes a month.

Yvonne

 

[tortoisenerd]

Oh wow on the usage. If it's like most ointment type stuff it loses a little effectiveness, but probably isn't bad to use past the date. Might as well pick up a tube to keep with the bird vitamins and stuff!

 

[jorrow]

Yea you could tell he could see again he was just looking all around like it was a whole new world lol..... I'll check on the box that ointment came in and let yall know what it says about an expiration date..... Yea i guess im just going to have to stop feeling sorry for him when he doesnt just tear into his greens. Surely if he gets hungry enough he will eat them.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I am so glad his eyes are open!!! Good job, now stay on top of him and make sure he continues to eat...