New Tort keeper - bubbles on the nose

[Rozz]

Hello guys!
I am a new tort keeper I’ve had Beanie ( the Horsfield tort) for about two weeks now . I am absolutely in love with him however I did got some bias help from reptile shop workers so I thought I would come in here and ask for help . So today beanie woke up with nose bubbles for the first time , he has only had them in the morning and now they disappeared. He eats , poos/wees normally whenever he’s not asleep he’s very curious and active . He sleeps majority of the day however it’s also very important to point out that he’s only 7/8 months old . His masking temp is always 30-32 degrees ( I have a dimming thermostat) and the night temps never go below 20 degrees.
I will attach pics of his enclosure below however he currently doesn’t have uvb light as we are very struggling with how to attach them to his enclosure . ( so if anyone has any tips thank you!)
But my question is should I be concerned and take him to the vet or should I monitor him ?
* Please no hate as I’m trying my best and so far I’ve haven’t gotten any help from the reptile shop

 

[zovick]

Hello guys!
I am a new tort keeper I’ve had Beanie ( the Horsfield tort) for about two weeks now . I am absolutely in love with him however I did got some bias help from reptile shop workers so I thought I would come in here and ask for help . So today beanie woke up with nose bubbles for the first time , he has only had them in the morning and now they disappeared. He eats , poos/wees normally whenever he’s not asleep he’s very curious and active . He sleeps majority of the day however it’s also very important to point out that he’s only 7/8 months old . His masking temp is always 30-32 degrees ( I have a dimming thermostat) and the night temps never go below 20 degrees.
I will attach pics of his enclosure below however he currently doesn’t have uvb light as we are very struggling with how to attach them to his enclosure . ( so if anyone has any tips thank you!)
But my question is should I be concerned and take him to the vet or should I monitor him ?
* Please no hate as I’m trying my best and so far I’ve haven’t gotten any help from the reptile shop
View attachment 366022View attachment 366023

Why is the tortoise pictured on rabbit pellets? Those are far from ideal for a tortoise substrate. Unfortunately, so is the sand/soil/earth in the second photo (as I'm sure others will soon tell you as well).

You have very likely been told the usual incorrect husbandry techniques by the shop where you bought the tortoise. It is unfortunate, but we see it here almost daily.

You would be best off using a closed chamber to raise your baby tortoise. Search on this forum for numerous threads on how to create one. For a start, here is a link to one such thread showing a good closed chamber idea:

How can i create a closed chamber that won't realise humidity?

Lewis (my 18lb sulcata) recently had a RI, he was sick for nearly 2.5 months. We got him a humidifier and it worked along with the other things we changed to make him better. We believe he got sick in the first place because we moved to an appartment, and there's so many working variables...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Tom]

Hello guys!
I am a new tort keeper I’ve had Beanie ( the Horsfield tort) for about two weeks now . I am absolutely in love with him however I did got some bias help from reptile shop workers so I thought I would come in here and ask for help . So today beanie woke up with nose bubbles for the first time , he has only had them in the morning and now they disappeared. He eats , poos/wees normally whenever he’s not asleep he’s very curious and active . He sleeps majority of the day however it’s also very important to point out that he’s only 7/8 months old . His masking temp is always 30-32 degrees ( I have a dimming thermostat) and the night temps never go below 20 degrees.
I will attach pics of his enclosure below however he currently doesn’t have uvb light as we are very struggling with how to attach them to his enclosure . ( so if anyone has any tips thank you!)
But my question is should I be concerned and take him to the vet or should I monitor him ?
* Please no hate as I’m trying my best and so far I’ve haven’t gotten any help from the reptile shop
View attachment 366022View attachment 366023

Hello and welcome. No hate here, only help. In order to help we have to tell you what is wrong. You've gotten all the usual wrong advice. If you will let us, we will help you get it all sorted.

The runny nose is likely due to cold temps, or from the inappropriate dry dusty substrate.

1. First and foremost, he needs a viv. There is no way to maintain the correct heat and humidity for a baby in an open topped enclosure unless you heat and humidity the entire room, like a dedicated reptile room.
2. Wrong substrate. Encouraging a tortoise to et sandy substrate by putting little bits of limestone in it makes absolutely no sense. Who thought that was a good idea? That stuff shouldn't be made or sold. Get rid of it ASAP! Sand should never be used as part of tortoise substrate. Its a terrible skin and eye irritant and it can cause impaction when they eat it as it sticks to their food.
3. Heat lamps should not be set on a thermostat. They should be set on a timer. Thermostats are for maintaining ambient temperatures. The basking area directly under the bulb should have a flat rock of some sort, and it should be 36-37C. Adjust the height of the fixture to get the correct basking temperature, or use a different wattage bulb. Check the basking temperature by laying a digital thermometer on its back directly under the bulb and letting it bake for an hour or more.
4. Best to keep ambient temps a bit warmer for a baby, and especially for one showing early signs of a respiratory infection. I wouldn't let it go below 23-24C at night, and 26C would be better for a little while until after you've seen no symptoms for 2 weeks.

All of this and much more is right here:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Look for the heating and lighting breakdown and the temperate species care sheet near the bottom.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Hello. And welcome to the forum.
Please read the links provided. And do not return to the pet shop.
(They usually know very little correct information and usually sell the wrong supplies)

 

[Maggie3fan]

Also...the nares and mouth are connected, it is possible that he IS too dry and the body makes saliva to moisten his mouth and it bubbles, it might be nothing at all... I'd read the stuff you've been given, up his temperatures immediately...then follow those directions moniter him he's not Vet ready yet

 

[Rozz]

Hey guys thank you so much for your replies , I have purchased a new viv etc I’m changing his substrate got him uvb strip light . I just have one question , does any of you could tell me what they think of this substrate ? So below the rabbit pallets I have this substrate and I don’t really sure what to think about it . I just purchased orchid bark however I want to mix it with something and I was wondering if I could mis it with that .
Again thank you so much for your help ☺️

 

[Rozz]

I just realised that this substrate contains sand so I won’t use it .
Could anyone tell me what I could mix it with ?

 

[Maggie3fan]

Hello guys!
I am a new tort keeper I’ve had Beanie ( the Horsfield tort) for about two weeks now . I am absolutely in love with him however I did got some bias help from reptile shop workers so I thought I would come in here and ask for help . So today beanie woke up with nose bubbles for the first time , he has only had them in the morning and now they disappeared. He eats , poos/wees normally whenever he’s not asleep he’s very curious and active . He sleeps majority of the day however it’s also very important to point out that he’s only 7/8 months old . His masking temp is always 30-32 degrees ( I have a dimming thermostat) and the night temps never go below 20 degrees.
I will attach pics of his enclosure below however he currently doesn’t have uvb light as we are very struggling with how to attach them to his enclosure . ( so if anyone has any tips thank you!)
But my question is should I be concerned and take him to the vet or should I monitor him ?
* Please no hate as I’m trying my best and so far I’ve haven’t gotten any help from the reptile shop
View attachment 366022View attachment 366023

Hey guys thank you so much for your replies , I have purchased a new viv etc I’m changing his substrate got him uvb strip light . I just have one question , does any of you could tell me what they think of this substrate ? So below the rabbit pallets I have this substrate and I don’t really sure what to think about it . I just purchased orchid bark however I want to mix it with something and I was wondering if I could mis it with that .
Again thank you so much for your help ☺️
View attachment 366217

Don't mix the orchid bark with anything...

 

[Maggie3fan]

Rabbit pellets are a very bad substrate...it makes the torts legs roll....pellets cause the tortoise's legs to 'splay' out to the side...meaning his legs would grow mostly useless remove them immediately...the orchid bark is good/best used without anything else

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome!

 

[EppsDynasty]

@Rozz ... Seems overwhelming but it will come 1 fix at a time. You seem to be doing just that so kudos to you. WELCOME

 

[jeff kushner]

Yeah E, I'm on board with that too....when new owners care enough to make the changes required, it's all good...just a matter of time till they have one happy little guy!


Welcome Rozz!

The orchid bark is Expensive....but for reference, I put 3-4" of it in Matilda's 48" x 24" "winter home"...it cost 60 bucks.....but 4 mos later it's completely intact, no smell, no rot,,,and I keep it in 1" of water to provide the humidity she needs!

You have already received advice from some of the top talent on the planet.....they won't steer you wrong or waste your money!



Good luck!

jeff

 

[TechnoCheese]

If you want to mix the orchid bark with something, it’s fine to mix it with coconut coir. You can buy dry bricks of it that you rehydrate. Just keep it damp so it doesn’t get dusty

 

[Rozz]

Hey guys thank you all !
I got him new viv , orchid bark , uvb strip light . He instantly became way more active I can tell he’s much happier . Thank you so much 🩷🩷