need a little help. (wierd noise, itchy eyes)

Ola55

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Hi im new here i just wanted a little help with my tortoise its been doing this weird thing where it closes its eyes and makes a weird noise and pulls its head in and start trying to itch its head or something i would also like to know if its a male or a female and does it look healthy?

i have some pictures here

image1[1].jpg image0dsa.jpg dsadsad.jpg
 

Yvonne G

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Hi and welcome!

Sorry, I can't help with the 'itchy head' problem. Doesn't sound familiar to me. Could his nose be plugged up?????

And for sexing, we need you to lay the tortoise on it's back and take a picture looking down at the tortoise, including the tail area, like this:

sexing a tortoise.jpg
 

Ola55

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ok thank you here is a picture and does he look healthy? i rly dont know this stuff

image0[2].jpg
 

Ben02

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Hi im new here i just wanted a little help with my tortoise its been doing this weird thing where it closes its eyes and makes a weird noise and pulls its head in and start trying to itch its head or something i would also like to know if its a male or a female and does it look healthy?

i have some pictures here

View attachment 269406 View attachment 269407 View attachment 269408
Does it look like he is sneezing? Is there any nasal discharge?
 

Ola55

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Does it look like he is sneezing? Is there any nasal discharge?
his not sneezing but sometimes there is bubbles coming out it looks like he has a cold or something but i dont think tortoises can have a cold and his eyes starts watering
 

Ben02

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his not sneezing but sometimes there is bubbles coming out it looks like he has a cold or something but i dont think tortoises can have a cold and his eyes starts watering
Does he have bubbles on a regular basis or just after drinking? Can we also see some pictures of his enclosure?

I don’t mean to worry you but bubbles can sometimes indicate that the tort has a respiratory infection, that is the worst case scenario. It can also be caused by incorrect temps and a dry environment. Also could you tell me the hot spot temps and ambient temps?

Best of luck I shall keep an eye on this thread.
 

TammyJ

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Welcome to the site, you will get great assistance from the experts here! Information from you is needed in order to help more. Like pictures of his enclosure and details of the temperatures and humidity, diet etc. And by the way, the more you let him loose in your house, the more likely he will be to get ill or in trouble.
 

Ola55

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The enclosure broke around a week ago so atm his walking around on the floor but not a big area temps are around 50F to 60 but u mentioned the bubbles could be cuz its cold it gets a little cold in the mornings and its around there is see it i should probaly take him to the vet and how big should an enclosure be exact?
 

Ola55

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And also thanks yall for helping me out here i rly want him to be healthy
 

Cheryl Hills

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Letting him walk on the floor is really dangerous. Temps on the floor are at least 10 degrees colder. He can eat things he is not supposed to and die. He probably has a respiratory infection and needs antibiotics and a proper enclosure with proper temps. If this is not taken care of, you will most likely lose your tort. Please read our Russian tort section,care sheets. They need at least an 8 by 4 enclosure .
 

TechnoCheese

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Ola55

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I Will make one asap If its this bad ive heard torts shouldnt have glass on the enclosure is this true and what are signs of this infection thing he rarely gets these bubbles i was talking about its just sometimes
 

Ola55

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I read the signs of infection He has tons of energy he walks around all day when i first got him i was surprised how active he is he breath is not a problem from what i know i only hear him breathing heavily when his climbing on stuff when his just walking around its normal breathing his eyes get watery sometimes and sometimes he has a bubble in his nose for a couple seconds but this dosent happen very often but sometimes he opens his mouth like 3 times in a row it looks like his breathing from his mouth or doing a yawn either way im still gonna take him to the vet and he also dosent have Any problems eating sometimes he also from what it looks like Itch his eye
 

TechnoCheese

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I Will make one asap If its this bad ive heard torts shouldnt have glass on the enclosure is this true and what are signs of this infection thing he rarely gets these bubbles i was talking about its just sometimes

The problem with glass enclosures is that, unless you have a custom made behemoth, they’re usually much too small. You have an adult tortoise that requires a minimum enclosure size of 8x4 feet, and there is no tank big enough.

It sounds like the start of a respiratory infection. If you do choose to go to the vet, do not let them give any vitamin injections. Reptiles can easily overdose, and it can cause their skin to slough off.
 

Ola55

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What should i do then ? let it cure by itself or do i need to buy something?
 

TriciaStringer

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What should i do then ? let it cure by itself or do i need to buy something?
The vet should give you antibiotics. Just decline any vitamin injections. One way to help with a RI is to keep the tortoise warm, above 80 day and night. They need that warmth to heal.
 

Gillian M

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Welcome to the forum.

Don't worry - you will get the help you need from the experts. We all began at "zero" so as to say.

And please keep us updated.
 

Lyn W

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Hi and welcome
Have a look at the Enclosures thread for ideas.
Does he have an outside enclosure?
 
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