Nose bubbles but otherwise fine

[HollieK]

Hi. I've seen nose bubbles from my baby leopard tortoise's nose sporadically for around a month or so and I'm not sure whether it's cause for worry as he's acting completely fine otherwise. It happens more frequently when he's eating though if that could possibly be the reason? His temps and humidity are fine, he's hydrated and his setup and diet are a lot better than they used to be so I'm not sure if this is RNS or just something else. TIA

 

[Korall]

Does bubbles come out of his nose at any time or is it just when he is soaking or drinking? Is his food moist so that he could get water in his nose or mouth? Bubbles coming out of their nostrils when drinking or ingesting a lot of water is normal.
Fluid buildup in the lungs caused by sickness can be fatal to a tortoise if not dealt with.
Try picking him up and tilting at a slight angle forwards so that his nostrils are pointed slightly down and if you see bubbles, take him to a reptile vet for a checkup.

 

[Tom]

Hi. I've seen nose bubbles from my baby leopard tortoise's nose sporadically for around a month or so and I'm not sure whether it's cause for worry as he's acting completely fine otherwise. It happens more frequently when he's eating though if that could possibly be the reason? His temps and humidity are fine, he's hydrated and his setup and diet are a lot better than they used to be so I'm not sure if this is RNS or just something else. TIA

What are his four temperatures? Warm side, cool side, basking area, and overnight low?
What heating and lighting equipment are you using to achieve these temps? UV bulbs? What type?
What substrate are you using?
How old is your tortoise and how much does it weigh?

Nose bubbles is not normal and should not be happening. Quick action to discover and correct the cause can prevent a full blown RI.

 

[HollieK]

@Korall It happened for a few days around a month ago and when I was going to take him to the vets it completely stopped and has only reappeared recently. At that time I was changing his enclosure a lot as I'd just moved him from a table to a more humid set up so I put it down to stress which I read it could have been. The bubbles appear mainly when he's chewing his food, (cactus, lambs lettuce, chicory) only one or two bubbles but I've seen the odd one at other times. I can't really see bubbles in his nose and I've pressed down gently as others have advised but nothing's really happened. His eyes are also clear as far as I can tell.

@Tom
I've only just got a temperature gun so I'm not sure of the complete accuracy but these are the temps.
Warm side - 31/32
Cool side - 28/29 (a bit lower underneath his cool hide which I've reintroduced to his setup)
Basking area - 36/37
Overnight low - 25-28
The generic thermometer I have in there just says 31 degrees and around 90% humidity, sometimes lower, sometimes higher but rarely under 80.
I use an 125W MVB (sometimes an additional heat bulb if the temp really drops during the evening) during the day and a CHB at night. He only goes outside when it's sunny which it rarely is here so he hasn't been out a lot lately.
I use a mix of coco coir and top soil as an overall base and some orchid bark over top in different sections of the enclosure to help with humidity.
He's around 9/10 months and he weighs 122g.
I can take him to the vets immediately but the bubbles happen so inconsistently that I'm not sure if it's stress or RNS. I don't have any especially good reptile vets near me (tried and tested- they weren't very good) though my local vet always does his best to get in second opinions from further afield reptile vets and has really helped our reptiles before so I could try him. I'm just really worried as I've not had much experience with this.

 

[Tom]

I would warm things up a few degrees all around. Under normal circumstances I would keep the night temp no lower than 27. Under these circumstances I'd keep night temp no lower than 30 anywhere in the enclsoure. Keep ambient at least this high for at least two weeks after symptoms disappear. It will be good if the ambient temp creeps up to 32-34 each day for a while too. These hot temps will help the tortoise's immune system fight off infection. Remember, these things come from Africa. Its hot there!

Be sure to soak every day with these hotter temps too.

I would not go to the vet yet. If you do end up going to the vet, be careful. Many vets are quick to inject Baytril and/or vitamins, and this can be detrimental or fatal in some cases.

 

[HollieK]

I bathe him everyday so that's good! I'll definitely be keeping a closer eye on his temperatures and making it a bit hotter in there. Thanks for the help.

 

[Tom]

I bathe him everyday so that's good! I'll definitely be keeping a closer eye on his temperatures and making it a bit hotter in there. Thanks for the help.

You're welcome!

I don't see anything obvious that would be causing this, so given your climate, cooler temps are my best guess at this stage.

Please keep us posted and let us know if the warmer temps correct the problem.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

@Korall It happened for a few days around a month ago and when I was going to take him to the vets it completely stopped and has only reappeared recently. At that time I was changing his enclosure a lot as I'd just moved him from a table to a more humid set up so I put it down to stress which I read it could have been. The bubbles appear mainly when he's chewing his food, (cactus, lambs lettuce, chicory) only one or two bubbles but I've seen the odd one at other times. I can't really see bubbles in his nose and I've pressed down gently as others have advised but nothing's really happened. His eyes are also clear as far as I can tell.

@Tom
He's around 9/10 months and he weighs 122g.

How certain are you regarding his age? I ask because although I didn't weigh him with notes my sulcata hatchling grew much faster than that. Currently, all I have for comparison is my Leo that hatch in October of that year. Understand that all tortoises and turtles grow at their on speed, some very slow while others very quickly but here is the growth weight of my leopard Shebelle
You can see she hatched middle November and the end of August was the last time I weighed her. Typically, I weigh right after her bath, because that's when tortoises typically cr@p and I want here gut empty for the best reading. Nothing to panic about really, unless she stops eating or starts losing weight. Also for the ups and downs of weighted tortoises from one week or the next, I don't panic I just skip putting that down and, "skip" weighing that day. Hope all of this babbling about tortoises weight, poop, and bath time has helped you and your tortoise to live long and happy together until your kids are faced with the decision of who has the best yard and garden for it.

Hatch 11/18/2016=019 gms
Got her 05/03/2017=142 gms
05/27/2017 =160 gms
06/26/2017 =175 gms.
06/29/2017 =180 gms.
07/01/2017 =170 gms.
07/10/2017 =180 gms.
07/26/2017 =190 gms.
07/29/2017 =185 gms
08/07/2017 =215 gms
08/18/2017 =225 gms
08/31/2017= 230 gms