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New Red Foot Owner

nobodysbusiness Aug 25, 2003 11:03 PM

I have recently acquired a female(?) red footed tortoise from a friend of mine. He has owned her since she was a hatchling but gave her to me when he realized I could better care for it. I don't know enough about tortoises to know how bad of shape it is in, I don't know how detremental pyramiding is to the overall health of a tortoise. I don't know quite a lot of things and I was hoping to get some input. She is a little more than a foot in length and has some massive pyramiding on her shell (some of the pyramiding peaks around an inch from her shell).
When I first got her, she had a pretty bad wheeze, probably due to the low temps. she was kept at(the house stayed at about 70 degrees and she was pretty much right under an air vent). She is now kept in my bathroom where i have closed off the air vent so it stays warm and more humid (I know the bathroom is not the apropriate place for a large turtle, but since none of us have yards, I figured a small improvement is better than none). The wheeze has since cleared up.
I am really curious/concerned about the shell. Not only is she pyramiding, but her shell seems entirely too large for the rest of her. It appears she has trouble walking. She catches her feet on the insides of her shell as she is turning, she also never lifts her shell off of the ground as she moves. I am wondering if there is any way to correct these problems.
Sorry for my ignorance on the subject. I kinda got stuck with a rescue mission with my pants down. Any help or advice is appreciated.

Replies (3)

gabycher Aug 26, 2003 01:42 PM

It is hard to tell, in which shape exactly your tort is, but it is great, that you make an attempt to improve her standard of husbandry.
The strong pyramiding is not something you can correct, but obviously she has been fed foods too rich in protein and not enough calcium / vitamin D. Do you know, how old she is, meaning, how long it took her to grow to this size? Since you say, that she can't lift her shell, that might mean, that she is generally suffering from metabolic bone disease for the above mentioned reasons. This is more likely than a neurologic condition, which might be the case too.
The high protein food also might result in longterm liver and kidney damage. You would need to bring her to a vet experienced with torts, to get a better idea on the status of her health.
In the meantime I strongly recommend, that you check out the various good websites available on Redfoots and torts in general.
The number one site would be the one of the Tortoise Trust. In the 'article' section you will find some articles, that will be of special interest for you, like the one on Redfoot nutrition, husbandry of high humidity species, general nutritional management and others.
You will find more articles on the subject on the site of the World Chelonian Trust, as well as some nice overall husbandry recommendation on the 'Beasley' (the Redfoot tortoise) site.
These are some of the best ones, but with searching for Redfoot tortoise or Geochelone carbonaria you will come up with more interesting material.
Keep in mind, that Redfoots are tropical species, that should have 70% plus humidity and daytime temps between 26 and 32 degrees Celsius and nighttime temps preferably only a few (~ 5 or less)degrees cooler, if you do not want to push the limits, which might not be a good idea with a tort, that already was wheezing.
Also,- there is a nice Yahoo Redfoot group. There are some really nice and knowledgeable people on that forum, and with searching the archives for various topics you need information on, you will find a lot of answers.
Good luck to you and your Redfoot,- these are just wonderful torts,-

Gaby

gabycher Aug 26, 2003 02:54 PM

P.S.: You should also check out the articles on understanding lightning systems, heating systems and substrates on the Tortoise Trust website. These will give you a good understanding of what your tort's basic requirements are.
An adult size Redfoot as yours should have an enclosure of a few squaremeters in size, in which all his requirements concerning temperature gradient, humidity and light including UVB are met.
Good luck again...

honuman Aug 27, 2003 05:59 PM

Actually the bathroom is not the worse place in the world for the animal. You can keep some humidity going for her there.

As mentioned the Pyramiding is a done deal. It cannot be corrected. Give her lots of greens and grate some cuddle bone over them for her. She also will benefit for natural sunlight if you can provide her with some outside time!! (temperature permitting of course). A trip to the vet is in order. Fecal exam to check for parasites and bloodwork would be a good idea if possible (to see how her organs are functioning).

There is little that can be done for her save for getting a handle on how bad off she is (vet trip) and giving her a correct environment and proper diet. The rest is up to her in terms of how well she moves on from here. She may just surprise you and hang in there with the right conditions.

(Oh be sure to use a substrate (like cyprus mulch) which retains moisture and you could use a humidifier in the room to help boost the general humidity)

Good luck.

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