# I need some help



## tahoe-sierra (Sep 6, 2009)

Hi my name is Heidi and I have 4 desert tortoises, Tahoe, Boo, Peanut and Buttons. I have had desert tortoises all my life, 35+ years. I have 1 tortoises that has a thick mucus discharge from nose. He has been on oral antibiotic and baytril nose drops, nothing seems to help. He did contract herpes from another tortoise and that maybe why he is not getting better, I don't know. Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do to help aleviate his symptoms so he can breath?


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## Crazy1 (Sep 6, 2009)

Before we can help we need a little more information. How old or large are your tortoises (the pic was small and hard to see)? How long has he had the thick mucuc discharge.I take it you have taken him to a vet when and what did he say? Is he housed with the other tortoises? How do you have them housed, ex; inside (Temps, substrate, humidity), outside were are you located? How do you know he contacted herpes?


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## tahoe-sierra (Sep 6, 2009)

He is 8 yrs. old and he is 9" x7". He has had it for at least 3wks.. The vet gave him oral antibiotics and baytril nose drops. I always wants to put him through extensive testing which I just cannot afford right now. They all are housed together in Reno, NV, they are outside in the day and in at night. They all contracted herpes from a russian tortoise that walked across my patio, never were in direct contact.


Crazy1 said:


> Before we can help we need a little more information. How old or large are your tortoises (the pic was small and hard to see)? How long has he had the thick mucuc discharge.I take it you have taken him to a vet when and what did he say? Is he housed with the other tortoises? How do you have them housed, ex; inside (Temps, substrate, humidity), outside were are you located? How do you know he contacted herpes?


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## Yvonne G (Sep 6, 2009)

You need to set the sick tortoise up in a hospital tank indoors so that you can raise the temperature. When YOU are sick, your body gives you a fever. This helps to kill off whatever bug you have. So in order to help kill off your tortoise's bug, you have to set him up under a light and get him up to at least 85 degrees on the cool side and 100 directly under the light. Use a fairly large plastic tub, not a glass aquarium.

You also have to be very consistent with giving the antibiotic. Do exactly what the vet told you to do. The Baytril isn't really a nose drop, its a nasal flush. You need to squirt it up each nares with a little bit of oomph! in order to flush out whatever mucous is in there. Don't worry about getting it into his lungs, as the other end of the nose ends up in the roof of his mouth, not down his throat.

So go through all the days-worth of medicine treatment that the vet told you. Then wait a week and if he's still sick, start again. Did he also give you Baytril as the antibiotic, besides the flush? Baytril is about the strongest antibiotic for upper respiratory distress that you can use.

How do you know that the tortoise contracted Herpes? Did you have them tested?

Good luck. I hope he gets better soon. But bear with it. Sometimes it takes a real long time to get a very sick tortoise well. I worked with one for one whole winter before he was well enough to adopt out.

Yvonne


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## tortoisenerd (Sep 6, 2009)

Welcome to the group! So sorry your tort is sick. I hope you find some answers soon and stick around to chat too. Best wishes.


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## Stazz (Sep 6, 2009)

Welcome to the group !!!! I sure do hope your tort gets better soon, its so sad when they're sick. Great advice given here


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## katesgoey (Sep 7, 2009)

Welcome to the forum. You've got a lot of support and great information here. Hope your tort is better soon.


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## CGKeith (Sep 8, 2009)

My Vet gave me a copy of an article about DT's having a (certain) respiratory infection that actually settles in the nasal cavity. Apparently the cavity has a bowl shape to it and that is where the bacteria stays. He told me that they (researchers? Vets?) have determined that it is very hard to get rid of because of this and it may never go away once the animal has it. Basically that you may have it reoccurring for the life of the tortoise, and that it is contagious. So keep the infected one away from any other tortoises.

Anyway, I'm not diagnosing, and I am sure there is more than one type of infection. Just passing on info.

I am guessing that your Vet knows all about this. Give them a call and ask some more questions.


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