My Russian Tortoise has a swollen foot.?

Question

I notice a few days ago that my toroise has one swollen foot. Does it mean he has an infection or something? I've let him walk around on the ground and noticed that he doesn't put much pressure on that one foot, he is however able to move around. Is this normal, has anyone else experienced this problem with their tortoise? Please let me know?

Answer 1

Bad signs would include redness, especially between the scales; pus; and changes in behavior or diet. If you see any of these, please see a vet immediately.

If it is just swollen and the tortoise is favoring the foot but still using it, you MIGHT be able to treat this at home.

Examine the leg carefully- see if you can find sign of an injury or fracture. Avoid pulling the leg during this check. If you find signs that the leg is broken, again, see the vet.

If you find signs of an injury, treat it with a basic care program:
- Let the tortoise have a nice soak in warm water. Try to remove any dirt, old blood, etc. on the wound.
- Wash the area with a product like Betadine skin cleanser. if the area is hard to get to or the tortoise does not cooperate, then soak the area in warm water with a big squirt of Betadine in it for a few minutes.
- If the wound is still bleeding, apply a Stypic pencil or dab some cornstarch on the wound.
- Apply a dab of antibiotic ointment.
- Boost tank temps about 5% and give the tank a good cleaning. If using any kind of soil or hard to clean substrate, keep the tortoise on some old towels or something for a few days. (A pile of old towels can be used to let the tortoise burrow and hide in.)
- Repeat daily. Carefully re-examine the area every day. Look for pockets of pus, evidence of infection or signs of healing. Sometimes a wound, like a splinter, will become more obvious after treatment.
- If this does not help after a few days, or if the swelling gets worse, or if you see signs of redness- see the vet!

Answer 2

Most likely it is an infection, but it could also be trauma induced inflammation from physical injury like a broken limb or a bite of some kind. The swelling is localized, so that tells me if there is an infection, it is almost sure to be as a result of an injury/open wound in that same location.

What is not in question though, is that your tortoise is in a great deal of pain because of it. See a vet right away or he will need an amputation, or worse, an untreated infection could kill him.

Answer 3

Tortoises with swollen ANYTHING is a sign of infection. Check the foot to see if there is a cut or some kind of damage and treat as needed. If you can not perform the task yourself, I would suggest a trip to the vet (a good reptile vet).

Answer 4

Yes, it sounds like an infection, which may require antibiotics (meaning trip to a vet). It's always better to go to someone with experience treating exotics if you have such a person in your area, or consulting with a reptile vet if you must go to a vet that doesn't specialize in turtles. Because a good portion of their weight is shell, you want to get proper dosages of medications, adn dog/cat vets don't always consider this!

This link give a listing of vets (by state) that will treat turtles: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Info/state_resources.htm

Another for general reptiles:
http://www.anapsid.org/vets/index.html#vetlist

Answer 5

It's most definately an infection and I don't mean to be rude but I can't believe you've waited this long to see a vet. You need to find a good exotics vet and fast. He's in need of some antibiotics.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

If you had bought an American tortoise, he'd have told you if his foot hurts or not. But you don't speak Russian. See, that's your problem.