# Respiratory infections



## Laura (Feb 8, 2008)

Do all get it? Are WC more apt to get it? Do they ever get over it? 
How easy are they to treat? Injections or oral meds? 
Is it contagious to other torts? 
How cold can they get during hibernation? Do you bring them inside or in the garage? As long as they are dry can it freeze outside? Like the deserts? 
Lots of questions.. thinking of expanding a bit..


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## Yvonne G (Feb 8, 2008)

Quite often what we perceive to be a respiratory infection is really a tortoise that is being kept too dry....or on cedar or pine shavings, etc. But if your tortoise does get a respiratory infection, its not a death sentence. If I have a tortoise with a runny nose, I usually ignore it. The only time I intervene is if the mucous turns thick or colored, or if the tortoise stops eating. Then, my drug of choice is Naxcel. Baytril is very harsh and causes the tortoise much pain.

Yvonne


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## Laura (Feb 8, 2008)

Is Naxcel given orally? If they are not eating, how do you get it to them?


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## Yvonne G (Feb 9, 2008)

Laura said:


> Is Naxcel given orally? If they are not eating, how do you get it to them?



You give it IM or sub cu.

Yvonne


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## chelonologist (Jun 26, 2008)

Laura said:


> Are WC more apt to get it? Do they ever get over it?



Many wild tortoise populations have been decimated by Upper Respiratory Tract Disease (URTD), a fatal condition caused by _Mycoplasma agassizii_. It's possible that the Mycoplasma is a mutated form introduced from exotic tortoises. One theory is that wild desert tortoises were captured and housed with exotic species, became sick, and then were released back into the wild where they infected other wild desert tortoises. Another theory poses that the disease is naturally occurring, but populations experience flare-up during stress or environmental perturbations. It's spread by face-to-face contact, which adult tortoises engage in during courtship and male-male combats. The tortoises usually display outward signs of the condition (discharge from nares and swollen, puffy eyes) for a while, and spread the Mycoplasma during this stage. The next phase involves lethargy, decreased activity, and no obvious outward signs, often for months. Then the tortoise becomes emaciated and dies. 

This is one more reason (besides the obvious legal reason) that we should educate people that removing wild desert tortoises from populations is a really, really bad idea.


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## Yvonne G (Jun 26, 2008)

chelonologist said:


> Many wild tortoise populations have been decimated by Upper Respiratory Tract Disease (URTD), a fatal condition caused by _Mycoplasma agassizii_.



But everyone should bear in mind that all runny nose is NOT URTD. Most of the runny noses you see in captive tortoises is merely a reaction to stress or too dry conditions. 

I receive mostly male desert tortoises through my Rescue. The majority of them have runny noses. The only way to tell if it is URTD or not is through a blood test. Since this is not feasible for me (no money), I wait to see if it causes the tortoise to stop acting in a normal way. If he becomes lethargic or stops eating, then I treat with antibiotics. In all the years I've been treating runny noses, I've only lost one or two tortoises. They usually recover to live long lives. But the mycoplasma that causes URTD never goes away. The only thing the antibiotic treats is the symptom of the disease.

Yvonne


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## Crazy1 (Jun 26, 2008)

Laura said:


> Do all get it? Are WC more apt to get it? Do they ever get over it?
> How easy are they to treat? Injections or oral meds?
> Is it contagious to other torts?
> How cold can they get during hibernation? Do you bring them inside or in the garage? As long as they are dry can it freeze outside? Like the deserts?
> Lots of questions.. thinking of expanding a bit..



Laura, here are some sites for info on URTI. 
http://www.tortoise.org/general/urds2.html
http://www.tortoise.org/archives/brown1.html
http://www.tortoise.org/general/urds.html

How cold can they get during hibernation? you must keep them above freezing. If it drops to freezing or below the first thing to freeze are the eyes and the torts become blind. Continued low temps cause death. My DT hibernated in my canvas shed the temps got down to the low 30's for a few nights but the temp in the shed stayed in the mid 30's. I know lots of people who place them in the garage for hibernation in CA. I have heard a good hibernation temp is 38-40. Remember in the wild they dig burrows and will move within the burrow to keep a good hibernation temp and humidity in a tote in the garage or shed they can not do this.
About a month before hibernation I stop feeding mine but continue to give them lots of water. You don't want to try and hibernate a tort with a gut full of food.


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## longbeachskunk (Oct 15, 2008)

What about the occasional bubble that comes out of there nostrils? I see a clear bubble come out of my torts nostrils once a day but it usually pops and they behave normal. They eat and run around everywhere still and seem totally healthy, they haven't slowed down one bit and they are about to go into hibernation in a month. Are the occasional bubbles something to be seriously concerned over? Or will they be fine?


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