Baby Box Turtle- Frequent “yawning”

[Hello0123]

Hi,

I bought two “well-started” three toed box turtle hatchlings from tortoise town about five months ago. When they arrived, one (the female) had a swollen eye, and both looked pretty anemic. I posted here, and received some great advice and they both improved. The sick female is now a healthy voracious eater and has grown much larger than the male — who now appears to be sick. His eyes don’t seem to be infected, but he does rub them. He also opens his mouth a lot- almost a yawn, and will lean forward. He’s still eating almost every other day (a mix of earthworms, rolly pollies, wax worms and meal worms). For the past two weeks I have soaked them both in a little pedialyte, warm water and a tablespoon of baby carrot food. 1-3x a week I put a little cod liver oil in each eye.

Tank:
They have the eco terra plantation soil substrate, which is misted daily, a soaking dish, and a uvb fluorescent “tropical” light, which I ensure they stay under at least 30 min a day while soaking (they spend most of their time buried in the substrate). Their tank is near a window with natural (but not direct) light every day, and the temp in their room stays around 80 and humid.

Is the yawning a sign of respiratory disease? Should I take him into the vet? I will post a video of it if the forum allows it.

I would be grateful for any help.

Thank you!

 

[Yvonne G]

Because turtles and tortoises don't breathe through their mouth, "yawning" is usually a sign of respiratory infection (plugged nose). They go as long as they can without breathing (due to plugged nose), then they have to open their mouth and gasp in some air. I would move this baby into a small maybe 10 gallon tank and set the temperature up to about 85F degrees. I use powdered antibiotic that I put in the water. You may be able to buy some from your vet. Or ask if he'll write you a prescription, and you can buy it online:



You use one quarter teaspoon in a quart of warm water. Leave the baby soaking in the solution for about a half hour, but keep your eye on him to make sure he's not tipping over in the water. Do this daily for a week or so.

 

[Becca267]

That's the same stuff we used on our backyard chickens when a few got a respiratory infection. Just mixed it into their water and dosed the entire flock as recommended (some birds can be asymptomatic). Didn't know I could use the same stuff on turtles.

 

[Hello0123]

Thank you! As an update, my dad took him to the vet for a prescription of the medication above. Apparently it was discontinued by Pfizer. Where do you buy it? The vet said that his nose was clear (but couldn't open his mouth to check something in there?). She offered to give him several shots of calcium and vitamin A, which we declined for now. She did give us a prescription for the Terramycin powder, but I've been unable to find a company to fill it.

 

[Becca267]

Thank you! As an update, my dad took him to the vet for a prescription of the medication above. Apparently it was discontinued by Pfizer. Where do you buy it? The vet said that his nose was clear (but couldn't open his mouth to check something in there?). She offered to give him several shots of calcium and vitamin A, which we declined for now. She did give us a prescription for the Terramycin powder, but I've been unable to find a company to fill it.

We used to get it at the feed store when we had chickens. You could try calling around to that type of store and see what they have.