Just a question

[roscoepcole]

I've been reading some things online About respiratory infection in tortoises and it says, even if you treat the infection it will never be totally clear up.. True?

 

[Jacob]

I Believe if you go to the vet and get some antibiotics it will cure it.
But you you try to do a home remedy such as warming them up and keeping them warm for weeks etc, it never really goes away!

 

[kimber_lee_314]

I have some tortoises that appear to be cured from URI, but I have others that have it chronically. Anytime they get stressed or the weather changes ... etc. it flairs up.

 

[roscoepcole]

What do you use as medication? My vet won't be available until tues.i have and 3 year old leopard and a baby Indian star with bubbles coming from the nose but still eating well. I've had tortoises and turtles pretty much all my life,i never really had a sick one that I had to take to the vet

 

[Neal]

Indian stars are prone to RI. I would recommend boosting his temperatures and soaking him in warm water for at least 10 to 15 minutes daily. Try keeping him at 80 to 85 minimum.

 

[GeoTerraTestudo]

I've been reading some things online About respiratory infection in tortoises and it says, even if you treat the infection it will never be totally clear up.. True?

I think this is referring to URTIs caused by mycoplasmas, which are common. Regular bacteria can be fought with antibiotics, which kill the bacteria by disrupting their cell wall, or targeting their ribosomes so that they can't make proteins anymore and die.

Mycoplasmas are technically bacteria, but they are somewhat unique in that they are intracellular parasites. This means that they invade the cells of the host animal, in this case in the upper respiratory tract. This makes it very difficult to fight them with antibiotics because they have no cell wall. It is also very difficult to target their proteins, because they live inside the host's cells. So they are kind of tucked away and safe from chemical therapy.

URTI can also be caused by viruses, which are not bacteria (they are arguably not even alive, just tiny biochemicals), but function by invading the host's cells and producing more of themselves with the cellular machinery.

So that is why, once you have a mycoplasma or viral infection, even if the disease itself goes away, the parasites are still going to remain permanently inside your body. They are intra-cellular parasites, so they cannot be removed. Some drugs can accelerate the course of viral diseases (like herpes), but they cannot really get rid of the viruses, which have literally incorporated themselves into the DNA of the host animal. Mycoplasma DNA doesn't merge with host DNA, but these bacteria are still pretty much untouchable inside the host's cells.

 

[roscoepcole]

So how do you which infection your dealing with? Are deferent species more prone to contracting and will they show the same symptoms?

 

[Yvonne G]

I get in a lot of Gopherus agassizii, desert tortoises. Quite a few of them have the URTD (upper respiratory tract disease) caused by mycoplasma. When I first started doing tortoise rescue, many, many years ago, I used a lot of Baytril. I have since learned from my own experience, that if I leave the tortoise alone and let him be a tortoise, the runny nose symptom usually goes away by itself. Stress is a big factor in making the symptoms come back. The only way to know if you are dealing with the mycoplasma URTD is by blood test.

 

[roscoepcole]

Well I have a leopard and baby star that are showing symptoms they are still eating well I really don't like to use meds unless I really have to but I don't want it to get worse leading to a potential loss.i have never had any of reptiles died so I'm not going to start now.. just unsure

 

[Yvonne G]

One thing to bear in mind if you DO take them to the vet:

Baytril is the antibiotic of choice for reptile respiratory infections. Some leopard tortoises are allergic to Baytril.

If the tortoise are still eating, I would just leave them alone in a stress-free environment. But, if the discharge changes from clear to thick and colored, or if they lose their appetites, its time to visit the vet.

 

[roscoepcole]

What do you think about the young Indian star tortoise?