# My tortoise is gasping/choking?



## TortoiseGurl (Sep 15, 2012)

Please help, she's been doing this for about half an hour now, directly after she ate food (food she usually eats) she opened her mouth REALLY wide, so wide I could see down her throat even though there was nothing there. She made these squelching noises and now she just puts her head down on the floor and doesn't move at all, doesn't even blink, she looks dead but every now and then she does that gasping thing again. I tried offering her more food, putting her in water twice, taking her outside, anything I could think of! It's happened once before but like a year ago I can't remember exactly but I think we leave her at the "limp" stage and she was normal the following day, but now I'm really worried, sometimes when I pick her up and she doesn't move at all I think she's dead and it's heartstopping. Please please please help. My mum said she heard "coughing/sneezing" from her a few times the past couple of days, she's a five year old female marginated tortoise, I don't know if this is relevant but her butt is all swollen up and she rarely drinks when I usually put her in water she doesn't drink at all.

I was literally about to ask about her swollen butt until she started gasping, I only noticed it was really swollen today, it was a tiny bit swollen before.

It started off with her eyes bulging some red stuff, & it's creepy now at the moment because if I wave my hands infront of her she doesn't do ANYTHING, she usually flinches or looks my way or something, I have to poke her leg pretty hard to see if she's still breathing or not.

And all this bubbly snot stuff comes from her nostrils & mouth area


----------



## dmmj (Sep 15, 2012)

From, the way you describe it sounds like a RI of some type, plus the swollen tail/cloaca could be some type of impaction/blockage. The only thing I can recommend is a vet visit ASAP.


----------



## TortoiseGurl (Sep 15, 2012)

Thank you very much! I suspected a respiratory infection :S


----------



## Laurie (Sep 15, 2012)

Sorry this is happening to you. Apart from looking in his mouth to make sure nothing is lodged, soaking and maybe a vet visit, I don't know what else to suggest 

If it were me, I would get to a vet. I hope others can offer you more advice. Good luck!


----------



## TortoiseGurl (Sep 15, 2012)

I can't believe it's sunday tomorrow, and that it's night at the moment.  Thank you very much for replying


----------



## SulcataSquirt (Sep 15, 2012)

You need to find a 24 hour vet or sumthing. This could progress into losing your tort.. Gasping for air is not good, Id raise the overall temp in the enclosure, do some warm baby food soaks, and even bird, vitamins, also, warm soaks alot, to try and break up and clear her passages, she must be using very little oxygen, and when she actully needs to breath she is gasping from her mouth. as for the butt, what are you feeding her? any rocks she could have swollowed?


----------



## mainey34 (Sep 15, 2012)

Poor baby, need to see a vet.


----------



## kimber_lee_314 (Sep 15, 2012)

Whenever I've heard that gasping kind of sound, it has been pneumonia. Your tortoise needs to get to a vet asap.


----------



## Laura (Sep 15, 2012)

up your temps, and dont pester her much. the swelling could be fluid retention as well..


----------



## sibi (Sep 15, 2012)

Get to a vet asap! Check to see if there is a vet that you can call on at night or on the weekend. Most animal hospitals have emergency hours. I don't think she can wait until Monday.



TortoiseGurl said:


> Please help, she's been doing this for about half an hour now, directly after she ate food (food she usually eats) she opened her mouth REALLY wide, so wide I could see down her throat even though there was nothing there. She made these squelching noises and now she just puts her head down on the floor and doesn't move at all, doesn't even blink, she looks dead but every now and then she does that gasping thing again. I tried offering her more food, putting her in water twice, taking her outside, anything I could think of! It's happened once before but like a year ago I can't remember exactly but I think we leave her at the "limp" stage and she was normal the following day, but now I'm really worried, sometimes when I pick her up and she doesn't move at all I think she's dead and it's heartstopping. Please please please help. My mum said she heard "coughing/sneezing" from her a few times the past couple of days, she's a five year old female marginated tortoise, I don't know if this is relevant but her butt is all swollen up and she rarely drinks when I usually put her in water she doesn't drink at all.
> 
> I was literally about to ask about her swollen butt until she started gasping, I only noticed it was really swollen today, it was a tiny bit swollen before.
> 
> ...


----------



## ascott (Sep 16, 2012)

Have you checked her enclosure to make sure that all looks good? Ants, wood pieces she may have eaten?? I would focus on soaking her in a warm water soak (keep the water warm) for at least an hour....I also agree you should bump her temps to no less than 80-85 degrees--day and night....is she eating? 

The swollen butt concerns me though....I would really do the warm water hour long soaks each day--and if it were me, I would offer up a couple of soaks per day...


----------



## TortoiseGurl (Sep 16, 2012)

I'm traumatized to say she didn't make it, the lines were closed and in the morning when I went down to check she had sadly died. Thank you all for your help.
1st July 2007 - 16th September 2012


----------



## dmmj (Sep 16, 2012)

Sorry to hear that, my condolences.


----------

