Both of my sulcatas have runny noses!

[reach.marypm]

I have a large 10+ year old female that I raised from a baby with no previous history of runny nose and adopted a male (5year old?) last July who showed signs of runny nose shortly after I quarantined him but the rescue said he wasn't sick just maybe had an allergy to hay. The male improved over the summer and maintained in the winter. Now they are both snotty. My female is still eating but the male doesn't eat. I took them both to the vet on monday and he gave me oral baytril for the female that I am supposed to give every other day and eye drops for both that I am supposed to give twice daily. I am really concerned. I have the male inside for warmth and the female is in her heated shed outside. When can I expect to see i the meds are working? How do you know when the oral meds are not enough? both of their runny noses are clear mucous. Is there anything else that can be done?

 

[JoesMum]

Oral meds are very difficult to give to tortoises. I am surprised a course of injections wasn't prescribed. Both torts need to be kept separately, warm and well hydrated. Recovery can be long and slow unfortunately. How confident are you in your vet's knowledge of tortoises?

As for hay allergy... hmmm... never heard of that in tortoises. You were strung a line I think. That tort came to you with a respiratory infection.

They will need to be kept separately on a permanent basis. Sulcatas are particularly bad in a pairs situation and introducing them is likely to result in fighting.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

With a R.I. your tortoises will give it back and forth to one another. I'd treat both at the same time, so as not to let the infection build up any sort of immunity to the drugs.
Then house them separately.
I've also never heard about any herp or reptile having "allergies"

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Mary:

Chances are good that your male tortoise came to you with Mycoplasma. Once a tortoise is infected with the Mycoplasma, the symptoms may go away, but the little bug is always there inside the tortoise, and he's very contagious. He may have flare-ups over his lifetime. Treatment with Baytril (enrofloxacin) helps the symptoms to go away, but it doesn't kill the Mycoplasma. Here's a good article to help you understand the problem.

http://www.tortoise-tracks.org/wpto...tortoise-and-upper-respiratory-tract-disease/

Your tortoises need to be separated, however, if it is Mycoplasma, your female has already been infected. The best thing now is for them to live a stress-free life, as stress causes the flare-ups. And breeding is one stressor.

 

[Tom]

I have a large 10+ year old female that I raised from a baby with no previous history of runny nose and adopted a male (5year old?) last July who showed signs of runny nose shortly after I quarantined him but the rescue said he wasn't sick just maybe had an allergy to hay. The male improved over the summer and maintained in the winter. Now they are both snotty. My female is still eating but the male doesn't eat. I took them both to the vet on monday and he gave me oral baytril for the female that I am supposed to give every other day and eye drops for both that I am supposed to give twice daily. I am really concerned. I have the male inside for warmth and the female is in her heated shed outside. When can I expect to see i the meds are working? How do you know when the oral meds are not enough? both of their runny noses are clear mucous. Is there anything else that can be done?

What are your night temps? Where are you and what are the day temps like? Are they living together as a pair?