# i can hear her puffing?



## kezdoc09 (Jun 23, 2010)

hi, i;m really new to tortoise keeping and i'm really trying hard to look after my 50 year old horsefield who got given to me a few days ago. We are in uk and the weather is very unusually hot at the moment and i know that she needs to move her head and legs in and out to breathe but i can also hear her puffing, is this right?

also i just gave her a bath and she sounded a bit stuffy like she was hissing at me? when she was dry i put her back out and she ran (not literally)!!! to her food and started eating all the things shes never been given i her old home before, is this normal and surely it must be a good sign???


----------



## moswen (Jun 23, 2010)

i'm sorry i don't know anything about horsefields, but don't check her after a bath, or after eating anything particularly watery. sometimes they'll get water in their nose and they have to puff that out. i would check her when she's basking under her heat lamp or something, if she's still pumping her head and legs or puffing or if you can hear a little popping sound when she breathes, that is usually a sound of upper respiratory, and it's very easily fixed but it IS something you should get fixed immediately, because upper respiratories can lead to pneumonia and death. i believe in the uk those medicines are reasonably priced as well, but i'm from the us so i don't know for sure!

also, whar are the things she's never eaten before and what are you feeding her and what was her diet before? i believe if she ran (as much as a tortie can run!) over to her food her instincts are telling her she needs some of that. but, it just might be some candy she spied! i don't know anything about horsefield's diet but someone else on here will be able to give you a good list of healthy foods. lucky you if she's eating the healthy stuff!! most of our tortoises are spoiled and stubborn and we have to "convince" them to eat the better stuff!

good luck with your girl!


----------



## tortoisenerd (Jun 23, 2010)

Hearing them breathe and seeing their head/neck/arms move is normal, but you don't want to hear any sort of wheezing sound or see bubbles. You will soon get a feel for what is normal so you will be able to recognize what isn't normal. If you think it at all sounds like wheezing, then take the tort to an experienced tort vet. Right after a bath is the only time it is ok to see a bubble or for the tort to sound a bit wet (likely drank water, which involves sticking their mouth and nose under).

How hot is unusually hot? I would not leave the tort out in hotter than 100 F weather, and that is only if it has shaded areas, a mud/water hole, etc, and if it isn't that long for too long of the day.

If you avoid quick movements you may be able to cut down on the amount of hissing (sound of air escaping lungs as they quickly retreat into their shell in times of fear), but it should also cut down as the tort gets to know you as the food god and not a predator. It will always happen to some extent though as its their natural instinct.


----------



## Yourlocalpoet (Jun 24, 2010)

Congrats on your new tortoise, do you have any photos?
Just sounds like all the normal noises they make to me, as Kate said the hissing sound when you pick them up or startle them and especially when drinking etc.
I don't think us brits have EVER experienced weather hotter then 100F so i wouldn't worry about that!


----------



## kezdoc09 (Jun 24, 2010)

no deffo not over 100f!! don't really work in farenheit but it was prob about 27/28 celcius? i'm having real problem downloading the pics onto here, how do i do it? every time i try it just says file too big??!


----------



## tortoisenerd (Jun 24, 2010)

Try uploading the photos to a site like postimage.org or tinypic.com, and use these instructions: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-1408.html You want to post the "


----------



## kezdoc09 (Jun 25, 2010)

no shes lived outdoors in uk since she was 7 years old!!! I can't beleive it either, but she looks in great shape and is very heavy! 240mm and 2.5kg! Shes eaten like a pig every day i've had her??


----------



## Yourlocalpoet (Jun 26, 2010)

Where in the Uk do you live? Up here in Yorkshire our summers are never warm enough for outdoor living, the weathers always too tempremental. I'd advise getting her an indoor enclosure for cooler days and definitely at night time, if you haven't already.


----------



## kezdoc09 (Jun 27, 2010)

we are in devon, yep shes got a house to go in when she wants, when i knew i was getting her i started sorting out electric for outside to run her a basking spot but then i found out that she has never had one since she was seven so i didn't bother! and she seems fine so fingers crossed!!


----------

