Coughing or hiccups?

[Hjmledman]

Backstory: My red foot tortoise usually stays indoors, except to go for long walks in a big corral every other day. The other day, he was outside and the weather dropped dramatically in just a couple of hours. It got down to maybe 50 degrees before I figured it out and got him inside. The next two days, he hid under his log in the indoor habitat and didn't eat. He finally ate this afternoon and was walking around tonight.

But tonight, he started making this crazy little sound, like a cough or sneeze or hiccup or something. He did them one after the other for about ten minutes (not the mating sound, I know that one). I put him in my lap and pet him, and it seemed to calm him down. At first I though he might have a respiratory infection because his breathing sounded "off" too - kinda wheezy, not like his usual squeaking when he wants a treat. But then he stopped with the little coughing sound and I'm wondering if tortoises can get hiccups? Anyone heard of that before?

His breathing still doesn't sound right to me, but I can't take him to a vet till tomorrow. Wondering if I need to set up a special habitat for him overnight. If I do need to do something, any suggestions on what will help a RI before I can get to meds?

 

[wellington]

Raise the temps to 85 do this any time you hear a wheeze or cough.
Does he have a runny nose or eyes? If he is eating, no runny nose or eyes, I would hold off on the vet, raise the temps like I said and give it a couple days. If nothing looks bad or gets worse, he'll probably be fine.
If you can, build him a box with some heat in it. This way when he is outside, he has a warm spot to go too if he gets cold. What might feel warm to you, might feel cooler to him. With a warm spot to go too, there's no worries of not getting to him before the temps drop.

 

[Hjmledman]

Thank you!! No watery eyes or nose, thank goodness, and last night he ate like a teenager! Probably from not having eaten the last two days. He just kept chasing me around the kitchen for more. I’ll raise the temp like you said and watch him carefully. Thanks a bunch!!

 

[JoesMum]

. He just kept chasing me around the kitchen for more.

Do you let him roam free? You shouldn’t.

A tort is healthiest and happiest in a proper sized enclosure. On your kitchen floor he is away from the heat, humidity and UVB that he needs for health. It’s all very well raising temperatures, but he must be in the enclosure to benefit. Try lying on your kitchen floor for a while; it’s not very warm.

The other risks out of the enclosure are escape, being stepped on and, deliberately or accidentally, eating something he shouldn’t. Dust bunnies and hair are a particular problem as they cause gut blockages. You only have to be distracted for a moment and, sadly, we see instances of all of these on this forum far too often.

 

[TammyJ]

It's true that you should not let him free roam in your house for too long out of his protected and controlled enclosure.
I hope he will be OK and you don't have to take him to the vet, but if you do, take him to a good reptile vet!
Some pics of him and his habitat would be nice!
By the way, just curious - how can you be a new member when your join date is December 2016? Were you here before?

 

[Hjmledman]

Yes! No worries! He has an indoor habitat! I use cypress mulch to keep humidity up and he has his heat lamp , plus a UV light, a hide, and a huge water bowl (pool). I only let him roam around the kitchen when I’ve swept it clean immediately before taking him out, blocked off all the exits to the rest of the house, and all the kids are upstairs or outside. Sometimes if everyone is gone, I’ll sweep the whole house and let him cruise (all wood floors, couch and furniture are too low for him to go under and get dust bunnies- but believe me he tries!)

His habitat isn’t small, but it’s not gigantic either, so I make sure he gets out for some exercise either every day or every other day. Some days I can’t watch him outside, so he gets to cruise around the kitchen.

He’s crazy social too. He wants to be out and around us all the time, and sometimes he’ll just stand next to my feet when I’m washing dishes. That’s another reason we let him out often. He seems to get a little depressed when he’s stuck in the habitat if we are gone a lot one week. I had no idea redfoots were so social (or else he’s got a lot of personality). He’s like having a puppy!

And great news! That wheezing/coughing sound stopped that day and he hasn’t done it again. His breathing also sounds back to normal. I let him out in the sunshine a few days later and he was happy as a lark, back to his usual self. Thanks for the great recommendation about keeping him warm! Seems like it did the trick!

And I’m probably still considered a new member because I haven’t posted much on the forum since last year.

Thanks to everyone for the replies! I still wonder what that weird sound he made was though. I’ve had him 11 years and never heard it. I still wonder if they can get hiccups! It was a lot like it!