Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My Redfoot is 6 years old and very healthy, eats a good diet of high-calcium greens, has her UVB and heat lights in her habitat. She has never had any health issues, but recently as the weather has been getting hot I started letting her out in the yard to exercise and graze on grass and dandelions (I do this every summer) but the day that she was outside, I noticed after she came in the house she burrowed deep into her substrate (which she rarely does, she usually sleeps in her hollow log) and she didnt move from that spot all evening, and the next day she did not move, so finally I moved her from the burrow, and she looked rather lethargic, and her eyes are running and watery, plus they look slightly squinty. It has now been 2 days later and I have been closely observing her, and she is still somewhat lathargic and sleeping a lot (not like her usual self) also she doesnt have a good appatite, I have to feed her FAVORITE foods to get her to eat, bananas and grated zuchinni, and she doesnt eat much of it. I soaked her to get her to poop, and the poop was normal consistancy but very dark in color, almost black, and very stinky. So she isnt gravely ill, but she isnt feeling well..do you think she might have eaten something poisenous in the yard? I notice there are a few new plants growing in the yard this year (wild plants) or do you think it wasnt warm enough outside and she caught a cold? We dont have any good reptile vets where I live so I am hesitant to take her to a vet if they dont know hardly anything. Today she was sleeping all day but I took her out of her log and gave her zuchinni and she ate some, but her eyes are still very watery..any suggestions?? Thanks.
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Not sure if my photo worked in the last message so just trying again.

Not sure why he is not feeling well but I would suggest the following:

1. Raise the humidity by adding plenty of moistened Spagnum
Moss at one end of the enclosure. I use the Orchid Spanum
Moss that Home Depot Sells...it is a cleaner thicker moss
that holds humidity well.
2. Place a Human heating pad under your enclosure on low or
medium setting on that same end with the moss. Monitor
closely the heat level making sure the moss does not dry
out (so mist as needed)
3. Continue to soak the tortoise in warm water for 15 min.
a couple of times a day.
4. For the next few days feed him Romaine it flushes the tor-
toise out much better then collards or turnip greens do.

5. Of course if he continues downward get to a vet----

NOTE: I have helped many of mine by doing the following:

Flagyl (metronidazole) 150 mg/kg PO weekly (per Melissa
Kaplans Reptile Dosage page)

I have bought this in the past in the Pet Fish Medication
section and put the appropriate dosage indicated above
in a sweet potatoe-----Good Luck - Richard

-----
Richard -amazoa-

"Changes in behavior occur when the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of change."

Thanks for the suggestions. I cant find sphagnum moss where I live, I have asked the Home Depot if they can try order it in, but for now I use ground coconut husk, which basically looks like the regular peat moss. I mist her habitat daily and keep the ground moist, and I have a reptile heat pad under one end of the tank as well. She also has a large bowl of water which she soaks in daily. She has some very slight pyramiding but where we live is cold almost all year so she cant go outdoors except for during the day for a couple months in the summer.
She seems to be feeling better now, she is back to her normal active self and her appetite is coming back. I wont let her roam the yard freely anymore, I will make a pen in one area where there is just grass, so she cant eat any bad plants.
Thanks again for replying........

Your Welcome - It's good to hear yout tortoise is improving. Richard

-----
Richard -amazoa-

"Changes in behavior occur when the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of change."