New tortoise not doing well

JenJ1234

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Hi all! My name is Jen and I live in Ottawa. I have wanted a tortoise for over 15 years and Friday I got a little red foot off kijiji. Right away I noticed something was wrong, she was stretching her neck and opening her mouth really wide like a yawn but not soon after that their were bubbles coming out of her nose. I contacted the seller and got no reply so I have no idea how long she's been sick. The first night she was gasping about every 15 seconds and I really thought she wouldn't even make it threw the night. The next morning I started warm soaks and the gasping slowed to over a minute apart. I thought she was improving but about an hour ago I noticed saliva coming out of her mouth. Right now she is in a carrot bath and seems to really be enjoying it she hasn't eaten anything... I'm so worried I'm making things worst with all the baths the last thing I want is to stress her out. According to her add she's about 6 months old but the add also said she was in excellent health.. she was living in a home made tortoise table before so I'm betting she has never had proper heat or humidity
 

TechnoCheese

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Sounds like a respiratory infection. I’m assuming it was like this when you got it?

Please post pictures of your tortoise and enclosure. What are your enclosure temps?
 

LaLaP

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You aren't making it worse with soaks so keep those up. Make sure the water stays nice and warm. Carrot baby food is great while she isn't eating. Keep the temp in her enclosure at 80 and 100 under her basking light. She needs to stay very warm and hydrated.
 

JenJ1234

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There were symptoms right away so I'm assuming she's been sick awhile. I'll try to figure out how to post photos. I think she got sick and her owners just sold her so they wouldn't be out the cost of her. The add said urgent because they were moving but I think it was urgent because she's dying... I set her up in a 15g long aquarium the heat is closer to 90 because I read that higher heat will help her get better, should I try to lower it?
 

wellington

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The enclosur is way too small. You should have a flourescent tube uvb for RF. Most RF don't usually bask and your temp needs to be closer too 80 to 85
Do not use the cfl/coil type uvb bulbs.
 

Yvonne G

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See if you can buy this online:

terramycin.gif

Here in the states it requires a prescription. If your vet won't write you a prescription, then maybe they'll sell you a bit of the powder. I soak my sick tortoises in 1/4 teaspoon per quart of warm water. After about an hour the solution looses its efficacy, so I soak for about an hour, daily for a week. It's good to have this on hand, so I hope you can buy the packet.

Just like a fever on a sick human helps to "sweat" out the germ, heating up a sick tortoise helps them get over a respiratory infection. It's ok to use that tank for now. Cover it and make sure the overall temp inside is 85F or so. But be thinking about a larger enclosure for when the tortoise gets well.
 

JenJ1234

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:( I cant find it online. Since her carrot bath she's only gasping every 1.40 ish minutes and she's not even opening her mouth it's the head movement right now she's so tired and weak tho I hope she's not giving up. Not looking forward to going to work tomorrow and leaving her... luckily my mom will be here to watch my son so she will be able to keep an eye one her. If see makes it threw this I have a 3×3 foot octagon aquarium I've always planned to be my tortoise tank it's also 2 ft tall so good room for an extra level/ tunnel.
 

jsheffield

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Good luck!

Keep the temp and humidity high and keep up the warm soaks, hopefully it'll turn things around for your tort.

Jamie
 

JenJ1234

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I really hope so I've wanted this for so long and I really wanted to do it all right and instead I made an impulse buy and got scammed... and if I have to watch this poor little thing die that will be it for my tortoise dream
 

LaLaP

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So very sorry that you both are going through this. It's unfair that the breeder put you both in this awful position. Sounds like you are doing the right things. Keep it up and we will be pulling for you.
 

JenJ1234

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She seems better still gasping but not often and hasn't had any more runny nose or mucus from the mouth. I switched from the ceramic heat admiter to heating pads sealed into the lid the heat is holding at 80 and the humidity is 75 and I insulated the back and sides of the tank
 

Markw84

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Bump up the heat a bit if you can. For a sick tortoise, I like to mimic the temperature required for incubating them. That is the ideal metabolic temperature. I would do 85° - 88° and humidity as high as you can. Be sure the tortoise is that temperature as a glass tank will conduct heat well and the glass will tend to be closer to room temp than inside temp. Good you insulated the sides best you can. Although that small tank is too small for an enclosure, it will make a good hospital tank for now - easier to control temps and humidity.
 

JenJ1234

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I was reading one of the forums about quick set up for red foots and it mentioned a 50 watt ceramic heater I checked the one I got with the tortoise and its 150! That's why I couldn't get the humidity to stay up! I haven't seen any mention of heating pads for the heat source but that's what I been using from my hermit crabs and they have very similar needs. I'm going to keep a close eye on things I would like to get it a little warmer but the humidity is awesome
 

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