My leopard tortoise is just under a yr old. I got her in Austin, Tx. I just moved back home to Kentucky. Whompas has been showing signs of a respiratory infection since the move in January. Iv gone to the only vet Iv found about Twice a month. He has administered shots that Keep Whompas well for about two weeks. But it rains here so much and the humidity strikes and she shows the signs of being ill again. Iv read they can acclimate to climates, but I am still worried that I shouldn't have her up to this region... Im hoping for advise from anyone...?
concerned
- Thread starter jmelyn20
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Is Whompas in the house or outside? We usually tell people to keep the substrate slightly damp even for leopards, however because of the respiratory problems, you might try keeping it on the dry side.
Another thing that makes it seem like your tortoise has a respiratory infection is living in a habitat that is too dry.
So, Jmelyn20, you can see that there is conflicting advice. We need to know more about how you have your tortoise set up, before we can help you with your problem.
indoors or outdoors?
lights?
heat?
size of habitat?
temperature in the habitat...cool side? warm side?
The usual treatment for respiratory infection for a tortoise is a regimen of antibiotics, one shot a day for about a week. The time you referred to probably wasn't long enough to kill the bug, if it was an infection. And, Baytril is the most common antibiotic used.
Let us know.
Yvonne
Another thing that makes it seem like your tortoise has a respiratory infection is living in a habitat that is too dry.
So, Jmelyn20, you can see that there is conflicting advice. We need to know more about how you have your tortoise set up, before we can help you with your problem.
indoors or outdoors?
lights?
heat?
size of habitat?
temperature in the habitat...cool side? warm side?
The usual treatment for respiratory infection for a tortoise is a regimen of antibiotics, one shot a day for about a week. The time you referred to probably wasn't long enough to kill the bug, if it was an infection. And, Baytril is the most common antibiotic used.
Let us know.
Yvonne
Okay Shes inside, due to the north weather at the moment its too cold most days especially nights. On one side of the box its showing 80 degrees, its the side she prefers to feed at. on the warmer side its usually 85, sometimes 90. at night I drop it to 80 where she sleeps. I use the bed a beast from pets smart. I have the bulb thats the heat and the UV I got when I got her from the pet store. The humidity gauge shows about 35. Though if its a rainy day its spikes to 45 normally. In Texas I never had issues with these symptoms. My vet believes its allergies...?
You didn't mention what kind of substrate you have Whompas on. Quite often, a dry, dusty substrate gives the tortoise the same symptoms as a resp. infection. We have found that if you use coconut coir mixed with sand or soil...all mixed up together, then pour water over it and mix it up with your hands. After a bit, the lights will dry out the top layer, leaving it moist underneath. This gives the tortoise the humidity it requires. Or you can use orchid bark or cypress mulch. Any of these substrates would be good.
If you already have her on one of these substrates and she still has a runny nose, try making the habitat a little warmer. You should be able to get a warm side around 85 degrees, cooling to about 75 degrees on the other end of the habitat. They need to be able to "thermoregulate" that is to say, warm up, then cool down, as they wish.
If you think your house is too humid for the tortoise, you can buy a de-humidifier for the room that the tortoise is in. They don't cost too much. But quite a few people are able to keep desert-type tortoises in places where there is lots of rain and wet air.
Yvonne
If you already have her on one of these substrates and she still has a runny nose, try making the habitat a little warmer. You should be able to get a warm side around 85 degrees, cooling to about 75 degrees on the other end of the habitat. They need to be able to "thermoregulate" that is to say, warm up, then cool down, as they wish.
If you think your house is too humid for the tortoise, you can buy a de-humidifier for the room that the tortoise is in. They don't cost too much. But quite a few people are able to keep desert-type tortoises in places where there is lots of rain and wet air.
Yvonne
Yvonne gives great advise and she has Leos.
Ok I don’t have a leo. But this is what I have read.
Substrate:
it seems you are using bed a beast as the substrate. Alone this can dry out and become really dusty. I would mix play sand with it in a ratio of 70% bed a beast 30% sand. Or use the cypress mulch. What you are seeing may not be the URI. There are various causes for Runny noses (keep reading) If your humidity is about 35-45% that should be Ok. according to his site http://www.africantortoise.com/ which stated;
Relative humidity above 70% can cause upper respiratory problems. The subspecies Geochelone pardalis babcocki appears to be more tolerant of high humidity.
Also using the bed a beast and sand substrate can allow part of the enclosure to be dampened and the other part dryer.
Temps:
75ish on the cool side with a bright basking area in the low 90's is about as close to ideal as you can probably get. Be sure to verify the temps with thermometers on both sides at tort level.
Sick or newly acquired or moved animals may be best kept in the 80's overnight to aid in their immune response and combat the stress of adjusting to a new home.
Runny nose:
A runny nose, which can have various causes. if you observe a clear runny nose, it may be nothing more than a reaction to new surroundings or increased humidity. If a tortoise is eating but seems to be losing weight and has a clear nasal discharge, it may be suffering from parasites. Collect a stool sample and have this analyzed.
Hope this helped some.
Ok I don’t have a leo. But this is what I have read.
Substrate:
it seems you are using bed a beast as the substrate. Alone this can dry out and become really dusty. I would mix play sand with it in a ratio of 70% bed a beast 30% sand. Or use the cypress mulch. What you are seeing may not be the URI. There are various causes for Runny noses (keep reading) If your humidity is about 35-45% that should be Ok. according to his site http://www.africantortoise.com/ which stated;
Relative humidity above 70% can cause upper respiratory problems. The subspecies Geochelone pardalis babcocki appears to be more tolerant of high humidity.
Also using the bed a beast and sand substrate can allow part of the enclosure to be dampened and the other part dryer.
Temps:
75ish on the cool side with a bright basking area in the low 90's is about as close to ideal as you can probably get. Be sure to verify the temps with thermometers on both sides at tort level.
Sick or newly acquired or moved animals may be best kept in the 80's overnight to aid in their immune response and combat the stress of adjusting to a new home.
Runny nose:
A runny nose, which can have various causes. if you observe a clear runny nose, it may be nothing more than a reaction to new surroundings or increased humidity. If a tortoise is eating but seems to be losing weight and has a clear nasal discharge, it may be suffering from parasites. Collect a stool sample and have this analyzed.
Hope this helped some.
I switched my leo's bedding to a 60/40 mix of soil and sand. I wet the top of it once a day or so to keep it moist. They like to dig themselves into the corners at night, and they haven't had any respiratory problems.
Your temps sound good, humidity sounds good. About the only thing you can try changing is the bedding to see if that makes a difference. I don't know if I buy allergies as the cause, but I'm no vet either.
Good luck!!
Your temps sound good, humidity sounds good. About the only thing you can try changing is the bedding to see if that makes a difference. I don't know if I buy allergies as the cause, but I'm no vet either.
Good luck!!
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