I don't know if my tortoise is sick

[Geng]

My 1,5 year old russian wakes up every morning with a runny nose. It isn't really that much, but she has a little bit of coco substrate sticking to her nose. Her night temps can drop to 65F (not lower). The next day she comes out of her hide and warms herself up under her basking spot (100F) when the lights gets turned on. She would lay there for 30 min - 1 hour, and then move to her food plate and sit there while waiting for food. Or she goes munching on her cuttle bone. I'm not really sure if she is sick, because she still has her appitite and immediately reacts to food when she sees it coming. She also gains weight, and I soak her daily. I don't know if shes active because I'm not home most of the day. The runny nose is really bugging me.

Also, she moved to a bigger enclosure a month ago, and I read somewhere on the forums that a change in environment can cause stress, which can lead to a runny nose.

If anyone can provide me the anwser it would be great!

 

[Tom]

Everything you said above is correct. You have all the right info.

In your case, due to the runny nose, I would add some night heat. I like to use a Ceramic Heating Element set on a thermostat for this. Try keeping her around 75 at night for a little while and see if the symptoms stop.

Also, are you using any indoor UV? What type? Sometimes the cfl UV bulbs can burn their eyes, and in theory, this could cause a runny nose, independent of other symptoms.

 

[Geng]

Everything you said above is correct. You have all the right info.

In your case, due to the runny nose, I would add some night heat. I like to use a Ceramic Heating Element set on a thermostat for this. Try keeping her around 75 at night for a little while and see if the symptoms stop.

Also, are you using any indoor UV? What type? Sometimes the cfl UV bulbs can burn their eyes, and in theory, this could cause a runny nose, independent of other symptoms.

Thanks for the reply!

I use a MVB from the brand Reptech. About the CHE, should her sleeping spot be 75F or should her whole enclosure have that temp at night? Also, can the CHE be used together with a light dome that I use for my basking lamp?

 

[lismar79]

I would aim for the whole enclosure at 75. And yes, if you have a double fixture and it can handle the watts you can use both.

 

[Tom]

Thanks for the reply!

I use a MVB from the brand Reptech. About the CHE, should her sleeping spot be 75F or should her whole enclosure have that temp at night? Also, can the CHE be used together with a light dome that I use for my basking lamp?

The whole enclosure should be kept warm at night so that the temp will be correct no matter where she sleeps.

CHEs work in the same fixtures as basking lamps, so yes, it should be fine. Just make sure you are using one with a ceramic base that is rated to handle more than the wattage you will be using.

 

[martaemha]

I actually think that it may be the coco substrate that is causing the runny nose. My experience with this kind of substrate is that it is difficult to keep a right humidity, it often dries out too much and emits some dust that may irritate the respiratory tract. For several years now I have only been using grass - every now and then I go to a meadow cut some pieces of grass (together with soil) for my Russians' enclosure and it works best, even when dry.
I am not sure as to raising the temps - I personally try to mimic the conditions these torts have in the wild and in the steppe there are huge temperature gradients between day and night. I am in Poland and in the summer the nights are sometimes cold (50F or even less ) and in the morning when they go back to 80 and my torts leave their burrows they really look like they had a good night sleep. I believe these torts need great temp changes between day and night for their metabolism. So I would personally try changing the substrate first.