Is my tortoise sick?

Fuugottie

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Hey guys so I’ve had my baby leopard tortoise for around 6 month now! He’s my first tortoise so I’m new at this! When I had him only for a few weeks i noticed he made noises and had small bubbles out of his nose! I did a lot of research and saw a lot of different things it could be like substrate, RI and more! They lasted around a few weeks then cleared up with them only happening every so often! He still has them I feel like there getting more often! He’s always ate really well, been very active despite my research saying he wouldn’t last more then a few weeks! His temps are great! Basking area 110 warm side 90-100 and cool side around 80! I mist his cage everyday give him fresh food/water plus a soak every day! I’ve tried so many things to fix this! Gotten new substrate thinking it was dust! Increased his temps! Made the cage more moist then more dry! I have no idea what to do now! I live in Ontario and there is t any herp vets within 4-5 hours away and my breeder warned me they’ll end up doing more harm then good! So at this point idk what to do! I just want my tortoise to be healthy! I need some opinions! Is this normal? Do some tortoises just have nose bubbles! It’s been like 6 months and he hasn’t gone downhill at all! Just very confused rn!
 

zovick

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Hey guys so I’ve had my baby leopard tortoise for around 6 month now! He’s my first tortoise so I’m new at this! When I had him only for a few weeks i noticed he made noises and had small bubbles out of his nose! I did a lot of research and saw a lot of different things it could be like substrate, RI and more! They lasted around a few weeks then cleared up with them only happening every so often! He still has them I feel like there getting more often! He’s always ate really well, been very active despite my research saying he wouldn’t last more then a few weeks! His temps are great! Basking area 110 warm side 90-100 and cool side around 80! I mist his cage everyday give him fresh food/water plus a soak every day! I’ve tried so many things to fix this! Gotten new substrate thinking it was dust! Increased his temps! Made the cage more moist then more dry! I have no idea what to do now! I live in Ontario and there is t any herp vets within 4-5 hours away and my breeder warned me they’ll end up doing more harm then good! So at this point idk what to do! I just want my tortoise to be healthy! I need some opinions! Is this normal? Do some tortoises just have nose bubbles! It’s been like 6 months and he hasn’t gone downhill at all! Just very confused rn!
The tortoise probably has a respiratory infection. You could try to treat it with some veterinary ophthalmic drops called Neo-Poly-Dex drops. You should put one drop in each eye and one drop into each nostril twice a day for about 10 days to see if it clears up the condition.

The only problem is that you need a prescription from a vet to get the drops. If you are on good terms with any vet in your area and just say you need those drops for your tortoise, maybe they will sell them to you or give you the Rx you need to buy them online. Most vets will require you to bring in the animal before prescribing anything, but this is why I say if you are on good terms with any vets there to ask them to just sell you the drops without needing to bring in the tortoise.
 

Fuugottie

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The tortoise probably has a respiratory infection. You could try to treat it with some veterinary ophthalmic drops called Neo-Poly-Dex drops. You should put one drop in each eye and one drop into each nostril twice a day for about 10 days to see if it clears up the condition.

The only problem is that you need a prescription from a vet to get the drops. If you are on good terms with any vet in your area and just say you need those drops for your tortoise, maybe they will sell them to you or give you the Rx you need to buy them online. Most vets will require you to bring in the animal before prescribing anything, but this is why I say if you are on good terms with any vets there to ask them to just sell you the drops without needing to bring in the tortoise.
Am I able to buy them online without a prescription? I’ve talk to so many vets in my area and they all requested I bring the tortoise in! And by asking them I can tell they’ve never worked with any reptiles! I just don’t want to have them prescribe the wrong dosage and it end up killing him
 

TeamZissou

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Am I able to buy them online without a prescription? I’ve talk to so many vets in my area and they all requested I bring the tortoise in! And by asking them I can tell they’ve never worked with any reptiles! I just don’t want to have them prescribe the wrong dosage and it end up killing him

In the US, you do need to enter the prescription info on a place like Chewy.com or similar place. Are you in Ontario, California or Ontario, Canada? It may be different in Canada.
 

TeamZissou

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Ontario Canada

If you are forced to enter the prescription info for delivery in Canada, going to the vet and getting the prescription might be the only option. These drops are pretty general veterinary drops, used for dogs and such. If you have any friends with dogs or other animals, they might have some leftover drops.
 

mark1

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try an avian vet that will see reptiles ..... you have to have a bird vet near you ?
 

Yvonne G

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Put him in a smaller enclosure temporarily - a 10 gallon aquarium works great for a 'hospital ' tank. Fix it so you can cover the whole thing, lights and all. Set the temperature to 85°F overall, day and night.

Ask any vet for a prescription for Terramycin water soluable powder, then buy it online.

Soak in warm water daily for half an hour, adding a quarter tsp. of the Teramycin per quart of warm water. If you set the soaking container back inside the hospital tank it stays warm for the duration.

Quite often a bubbly nose is due to stress rather than R.I. Are you keeping the temperature up to at least 80°F at night too. Should stay at least 80 all the time day and night.
 

Maggie3fan

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Sometimes you can find the powder at a feed type store, Wilco, Coastal Farm, a local feed store will have it for cattle, that's what I used for years. It's hard to find now, but you can find it. I do agree it's an URTI
 

ZenHerper

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In many jurisdictions (IANAL), laws require that a veterinarian have a client/patient relationship in order to prescribe/dispense regulated drugs. This means a veterinarian has to have you in its current/recent client files, and that your tortoise has been examined - to verify you have a tortoise, and that X tortoise has a medical problem for which YZ meds are being prescribed.

You pay for the legally required exam, and the vet can give you a written script if they don't carry the meds you are asking for. As long as the vet in question can verify for themselves that the drug you are asking for is indeed appropriate for the species you own, and indicated for its symptoms, there is usually no trouble arranging the transaction.

If the vet is not one that sees torts routinely, then respectfully decline additional treatments (like vitamin A - if a tortoise is eating well, it is not vitamin A deficient, promise!).

Not sure if either Neo-Poly-D*x or Terr*mycin (oxytetracycine) are by prescription in Canada, but a bit of google-fu should tell you if you can buy them from online sellers with or without a script.

*************

Misting is not the preferred method of increasing ambient humidity - it blows large water droplets into the air and those droplets can have an adverse effect inside the tort's sinuses and lungs. It is also very short lasting.

It is more effective to take about a quart (more or less, depending on how it lasts) of water and pour it under the main basking bulb. This creates a damp basking zone where moisture is more naturally released upward as fine vapor that is non-harmful when breathed in. Adding edible potted plants also helps maintain more healthful humidity in a habitat; this also eliminates the need for the entire substrate to remain constantly wet-through.
 

Maggie3fan

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In many jurisdictions (IANAL), laws require that a veterinarian have a client/patient relationship in order to prescribe/dispense regulated drugs. This means a veterinarian has to have you in its current/recent client files, and that your tortoise has been examined - to verify you have a tortoise, and that X tortoise has a medical problem for which YZ meds are being prescribed.

You pay for the legally required exam, and the vet can give you a written script if they don't carry the meds you are asking for. As long as the vet in question can verify for themselves that the drug you are asking for is indeed appropriate for the species you own, and indicated for its symptoms, there is usually no trouble arranging the transaction.

If the vet is not one that sees torts routinely, then respectfully decline additional treatments (like vitamin A - if a tortoise is eating well, it is not vitamin A deficient, promise!).

Not sure if either Neo-Poly-D*x or Terr*mycin (oxytetracycine) are by prescription in Canada, but a bit of google-fu should tell you if you can buy them from online sellers with or without a script.

*************

Misting is not the preferred method of increasing ambient humidity - it blows large water droplets into the air and those droplets can have an adverse effect inside the tort's sinuses and lungs. It is also very short lasting.

It is more effective to take about a quart (more or less, depending on how it lasts) of water and pour it under the main basking bulb. This creates a damp basking zone where moisture is more naturally released upward as fine vapor that is non-harmful when breathed in. Adding edible potted plants also helps maintain more healthful humidity in a habitat; this also eliminates the need for the entire substrate to remain constantly wet-through.
In Oregon the Vet has to have seen that animal within 2 years. Believe me, I am always trying to get around that somehow...lol
 

KarenSoCal

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You were correct to increase the temps to help treat an RI, but you went a bit too high.

For basking, you want 90-95°F directly under the bulb, at the height of your tortoise's shell. It's also good to put a flat rock or piece of tile or slate under the bulb for him to rest on.

Follow Yvonne's advice for the ambient temp...85°F day and night.
 

Maggie3fan

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Yeah, it varies. Vets who want to keep their licenses don't vary their degree of compliance.
Well..yep I know that but I do keep trying as I always think I am so special they need to bend the rules for me. My narcissistic egotistic thinking I know...I push she says no, no harm no foul????
 

Fuugottie

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Put him in a smaller enclosure temporarily - a 10 gallon aquarium works great for a 'hospital ' tank. Fix it so you can cover the whole thing, lights and all. Set the temperature to 85°F overall, day and night.

Ask any vet for a prescription for Terramycin water soluable powder, then buy it online.

Soak in warm water daily for half an hour, adding a quarter tsp. of the Teramycin per quart of warm water. If you set the soaking container back inside the hospital tank it stays warm for the duration.

Quite often a bubbly nose is due to stress rather than R.I. Are you keeping the temperature up to at least 80°F at night too. Should stay at least 80 all the time day and night.
I have 3 lights in his tank right now like always! His tank is pretty big! It’s also closed and my overall temp in the tank is above 80! I have him in my room with my other pets including my very noisy and loud parakeet, do u think that could be stressing him out! I also bring him outside when I have time at the end of the day so I do pick him up a few times maybe that whole transition is stressing him out? I don’t see how it could be an RI everything in his tank is right he eats great drinks water! Very active when he’s not sleeping! I tried doing the soak and tilt method to see if anything came out and nothing came out! No drippy snot! It seems to happen more often in the morning when he wakes up he has a few tiny tiny bubbles and he’s wiping his face a lot does a few yawns then I soak him and then he heads right over to his food dish and mows down everything u gave him
 

Maggie3fan

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But she's a GREAT Doctor.
I have always thought so as well...but...without any doubt she made a mistake and it cost my 16 year old cat his life. She knew it and never apologized or even mention it again. Also she blew it with my big Sulcata Bob. I started going to the guy in Albany...don't bother. I haven't needed an exotic Vet again until Mary Knobbins needed a beak trim...3 or 4 years maybe. I do not have the confidence in either of those Vets for a serious disease or surgery, but for minor things she's better than he is...
 

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