Possibly Sick Tortoise

[TortNewbie]

Ok so as a few of you probably know I got a little tortoise. Just recently he had a runny nose and his eyes were a little watery looking but nothing running down his face. His nose was not runny this morning like it has been the last few days but hes been sneezing A LOT! The temps in his enclosure are 95 to 105 in the basking area and 80 to 85 on the cool side. Humidity is about 60% all the way around because I brought in a large humidifyer. His substrate has been really dry and I do have hay in his hideout because he seems to like diging in it when its just sitting out. He eats like a cow anything in front of him that looks slightly food like he will devour but the coming and going of the runny nose and the constant sneezing is making me worry. He kind of made a weezing sound this morning when he came out to his basking area.
Any suggestions guesses/advice/suggestions till i can get him to the vet?

 

[Yvonne G]

What kind of substrate do you use, and do you moisten it?


(Did you ever tell us what you'd like us to call you and appx. where you are?)

 

[ascott]

Yvonne in a prior post it shows mulch and coco fibers for the substrate...

 

[TortNewbie]

Yvonne I do use the coco fibers for it and i could add water to it since theres also a bit of organic dirt mixed in that has a lot of pete moss and plant fibers in it.
btw you can call me Jess.

Ill add a picture of his enclosure.
Hes extremely active and eats a ton but the constant sneezing and the coming and going of the runny nose and bubbly eyes is worrying.

 

[Laura]

check the hay and make sure it isnt moldy.. that could make him sneeze..

 

[TortNewbie]

I change it daily and I have horses too so i know what moldy hay looks and smells like. No mold here

 

[Yvonne G]

It just might be that the substrate is too dry.

 

[TortNewbie]

Thank you Yvonne.


Does it sound like a RI at all?
everything coming from his nose is completely clear.

 

[TortNewbie]

So I sprayed all of the bedding down in his enclosure yesterday and today and bumped up the heat a few degrees which bumped up the humidity. So this morning at 5:30 someone came out of his little hideout on his own and started messing with his food dish. I heard 2 sneezes this morning but other than that he looked better than he has since i got him.
We are going to give it a few days but today was a total 180 from where he has been. ^^

 

[tortoiselady]

Hi Jess,
I just popped in and saw you post. I looked at your photo and from the point of view of the photo the coconut coir looks visibly too dry and I am concerned about the placement of the water bowl. If the water bowl is in direct line with the heating lights the water can get too warm for the tortoise to drink. Your table temps are high so that is why I was worried about the water bowl. They also love to dig so digging in his hide is normal and part of putting themselves to "bed." When I wet the bedding for the tortoise tables I do not spray the table I actually ad multiple cups of water and mix it all in. I make sure it sticks together some but it does not drip water if I squeeze it. That helps keep the dust down and promotes good humidity because in the wild when the temperature goes over 95 deg. F they would be heading underground for cover. It is common in Senegal, Africa, for the temps to get as high as 114 F (81 or 82 deg. C) regularly during the summer and they are only out first thing in the morning and later in the afternoon for grazing. They also urinate in their burrows to create a microclimate and get the humidity up while they are in there. Like to know if he/she improves. Keep up the good work - they are majestic creatures.

 

[TortNewbie]

Ive been spraying it down the last two days and the water dish is only there because he moves the stuff around in his enclosure and i came home to it under the lamps and him in it drinking and basking. Kind of strange if you ask me but i just kind of left it close to where it was. Today he looks a ton better now that Ive been spraying it. I counted 3 sneezes but his hideout still had some hay left in it this morning. I piled the inside of his hideout really high with the coconut fibers and he kind of dug a spot for himself in it on his own so i just left it at that. I do spray that down as well and i have a space heater closer to that to keep it warm at night. The warmest it gets in there is 82 and the humidity stayed pretty stable around 70% last night. One of those sleepless nights you know just making sure everything was alright.

 

[tortoiselady]

Aw, yes I love the table redecorating or reorganizing. I think that is in practice for when they are bigger and re do your landscaping (lol). They are so addicting. I found that spraying the table just did not keep the "dusty" issue down so I turned to using my hands and tossing it when I add water. We all love our torts and try to help find ways to keep them healthy and happy, but there does come a time when nothing can replace a good reptile vet. A visit to the doctor may be worth some good nights of sleep if the sneezing continues.

 

[TortNewbie]

I planned on taking him to the vet very soon because it still worries me and I just want to make sure everything is alright.

 

[tortoiselady]

Oh that is good. I still can't find a good vet closer than a hours drive but I would not change to doggy kitty vet for anything. Such a difference.

 

[TortNewbie]

I found a herp vet about 40 minutes from me so its worth a shot I guess.

 

[tortoiselady]

I found a herp vet about 40 minutes from me so its worth a shot I guess.

That would be a big improvement for me. Is the vet listed on the recommended list on this site? You could check there if this is a new vet for you or ask on the group on the open discussion form if anyone knows this doctor.

 

[TortNewbie]

Is there anyway you can send me a link to the recommended vet list? I'm not sure shes on there.

Her name is Dr. Tracey Ritzman.

 

[Laura]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/Forum-Tortoise-Vet-List#axzz1oUdmS9ih

 

[TortNewbie]

Thank you Laura
and shes not on there but I found one thats not far from my grandparents house.

 

[Tom]

What is your night temp in there? What are you using for night heat?