Sulcata Tortoise Illness

[wellington]

Wow, thats really cool that he's called the 'Godfather'! I know that he doesn't have myco because all symptoms have ceased after doing the suggested actions so it must've been stress & environmental changes. I just try to keep my humility with positivity, I'll always try to have a student mindset, and am just bringing more ideas & possibilities to the table. I am soon going to become more of a tortoise guy, so I'll always make sure to check this forum off as a good resource. Thank you everybody for your care for my family member.

Do remember, tortoises should never live in pairs and species should never be mixed
If you do get a tort that is small/hatchling or under 3 years the proper indoor housing is a closed chamber. Lights would be a tube flourescent for uvb, incandescent FLOOD bulb for basking and ceramic heat emitters for any added heat needed. They all need 80% humidity until they are big enough to live outside. Once they are big enough to move out of a closed chamber and outside, lighting and heat options change.
Be sure you learn more about a species care before getting it.

 

[Deleted member 160212]

Do remember, tortoises should never live in pairs and species should never be mixed
If you do get a tort that is small/hatchling or under 3 years the proper indoor housing is a closed chamber. Lights would be a tube flourescent for uvb, incandescent FLOOD bulb for basking and ceramic heat emitters for any added heat needed. They all need 80% humidity until they are big enough to live outside. Once they are big enough to move out of a closed chamber and outside, lighting and heat options change.
Be sure you learn more about a species care before getting it.

Of course, due dilligence is a virtue.

 

[Deleted member 160212]

The tortoise may have a Mycoplasma infection which flares up every so often, making its nose run. If Mycoplasma is the culprit, it is incurable, and will come and go as long as the tortoise lives.

Should I upload a small video so you all can comprehend his symptoms better?

 

[wellington]

I think if you get the night temps at 80 and not below in his house and make sure he is in it every night, you won't see the discharge.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Should I upload a small video so you all can comprehend his symptoms better?

You of course could. You would have to post it on some social media first and then send the link here.

 

[Deleted member 160212]

I think if you get the night temps at 80 and not below in his house and make sure he is in it every night, you won't see the discharge.

Thank you friend, I will upload a video somehow later. His name is Seignor (senior) btw.

 

[Deleted member 160212]

You of course could. You would have to post it on some social media first and then send the link here.

Please ignore the chicken, duck, and guinea-fowl noises in the background.

It was very hard to get some photos/videos because he was struggling as tortoises do not like to be handled. I gently opened his mouth to show the inside. It looks like a healthy soft-pink, and I saw bubbling earlier, but it seems to have died down a little bit?

His muscle structure is strong, and he is having a little wheezing from his nose, but very little to no discharge, and if he does, the discharge is nice and clear.

 

[Deleted member 160212]

What's the diagnosis in the video & photos doc?

The tortoise may have a Mycoplasma infection which flares up every so often, making its nose run. If Mycoplasma is the culprit, it is incurable, and will come and go as long as the tortoise lives.

 

[zovick]

What's the diagnosis in the video & photos doc?

I would say it appears to be an otherwise healthy tortoise who is a Mycoplasma carrier.

As I said earlier, the symptoms may come and go throughout the life of the tortoise.

 

[Deleted member 160212]

I would say it appears to be an otherwise healthy tortoise who is a Mycoplasma carrier.

As I said earlier, the symptoms may come and go throughout the life of the tortoise.

How come our other tortoise never got it then? His symptoms used to be a lot worse during that time.

 

[zovick]

How come our other tortoise never got it then? His symptoms used to be a lot worse during that time.

Some tortoises have more resistance to it than others. In fact, your second tortoise may quite possibly be an asymptomatic carrier which will never show any signs of illness.

To be certain of whether it is indeed mycoplasma, and whether your second tortoise may be a carrier, you would need to have swabs or blood samples from each tortoise tested for mycoplasma or antibodies against it. Doing these tests might be more costly than what the knowledge is worth, though.

 

[Deleted member 160212]

Some tortoises have more resistance to it than others. In fact, your second tortoise may quite possibly be an asymptomatic carrier which will never show any signs of illness.

To be certain of whether it is indeed mycoplasma, and whether your second tortoise may be a carrier, you would need to have swabs or blood samples from each tortoise tested for mycoplasma or antibodies against it. Doing these tests might be more costly than what the knowledge is worth, though.

Thank you brotha. I don't think it is because his symptoms have been slowly going away and not flaring up. I will do all I can to keep him healthy.

 

[Deleted member 160212]

Some tortoises have more resistance to it than others. In fact, your second tortoise may quite possibly be an asymptomatic carrier which will never show any signs of illness.

To be certain of whether it is indeed mycoplasma, and whether your second tortoise may be a carrier, you would need to have swabs or blood samples from each tortoise tested for mycoplasma or antibodies against it. Doing these tests might be more costly than what the knowledge is worth, though.

Hey, his symptoms have not gotten better and I was wondering where would be the best source to purchase any mycoplasma pneumonia tests from your knowledge since you seem very smart on the matter. Are they at-home hits or something, or would I need to send them off to a lab?

Thanks again friend, he is a very loved tortoise as he was my late mothers, so I want him to have the best life possible.

 

[zovick]

Hey, his symptoms have not gotten better and I was wondering where would be the best source to purchase any mycoplasma pneumonia tests from your knowledge since you seem very smart on the matter. Are they at-home hits or something, or would I need to send them off to a lab?

Thanks again friend, he is a very loved tortoise as he was my late mothers, so I want him to have the best life possible.

To the best of my knowledge, Mycoplasma tests are done by a specialized lab at the University of Florida Vet School and the last I knew, the samples had to be sent to them by your veterinarian. IE, they did not accept samples from the general public because too many samples submitted by lay people were contaminated by improper handling.

Here is the info. Your vet may already have this info or know of another lab which can do it, but this is the one which I know: https://labs.vetmed.ufl.edu/all-tests/tortoise-mycoplasma-testing/

Good luck! Hope your tortoise will do better soon.

 

[Deleted member 160212]

To the best of my knowledge, Mycoplasma tests are done by a specialized lab at the University of Florida Vet School and the last I knew, the samples had to be sent to them by your veterinarian. IE, they did not accept samples from the general public because too many samples submitted by lay people were contaminated by improper handling.

Here is the info. Your vet may already have this info or know of another lab which can do it, but this is the one which I know: https://labs.vetmed.ufl.edu/all-tests/tortoise-mycoplasma-testing/

Good luck! Hope your tortoise will do better soon.

Thank you brother, recently I have just been treating it as a normal respiratory infection to see if it would improve (keeping him isolated in heat, etc.) I have dealt with many sick animals on my homestead. Do you know the best natural home remedies that are safe for tortoises? I know garlic isn't healthy for them.

Sometimes it's hard because I live in the middle of nowhere and a physician that we can trust that is a chelonian specialist is a rare case, or at least not a 100 mile drive.

 

[zovick]

Thank you brother, recently I have just been treating it as a normal respiratory infection to see if it would improve (keeping him isolated in heat, etc.) I have dealt with many sick animals on my homestead. Do you know the best natural home remedies that are safe for tortoises? I know garlic isn't healthy for them.

Sometimes it's hard because I live in the middle of nowhere and a physician that we can trust that is a chelonian specialist is a rare case, or at least not a 100 mile drive.

No, sorry, but I am not aware of any home remedies for mycoplasma (or any other respiratory problem in tortoises).

 

[Chefdenoel10]

@Yvonne G
@Tom
@zovick