Puffy neck and legs

Lies

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Hi guys, a happy 2022 to all of you.

I noticed that Mihai has a puffy neck and the skin looks liie very thin and puffy legs. I went to the vet (the same, as I did not find another one yet ☹). She says that it could be a lot of things like kidney, liver failure or a heart desease or an infection. So she gave me Sulfatrim in case Mihai has an infection. But she thinks that it is because of lack of protein. I have to give the dog/ cat food and then the shell will get harder and this problem will disapear.

Mihai did not poop since last week when I changed his terrarium. I soak him everyday and now after soaks he looks like more puffy. So I do not soak him longer than 15min.

Is there a way I can help this totoise?
 

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Toddrickfl1

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Your tortoise looks fine to me. Please stop giving dog food and stop going to that Vet. That tortoise is not suffering from a calcium/protein deficiency that's nonsense. Please read these care sheets and get your tortoise setup correctly. No offense, but your going to kill that tortoise if you keep taking it back to the vet and giving it random medicines for "maybe" having an infection, and calcium shots. Set the tortoise up correctly and feed it a good varied diet and that is the best thing you can do.

 
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Lyn W

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Your species of tort gets protein from the right plant diet.
Unless your vet is a tort specialist then she is just guessing and experimenting.
Please follow Toddrick's advice above and @zovick may be able to help
 

ArmadilloPup

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Yes, please listen to the folks above. It sounds like your vet is making a guess off of information about swelling (I actually have the liver issue!) and box turtle care (cat food as additional protein).

I soak him everyday and now after soaks he looks like more puffy

This is normal. An example of this is when a tortoise is "reverse pyramiding" where the shell looks somewhat sunken, a good soak and some time in proper humidity can round it back out within a day.

So many issues in captive torts are solved by proper diet and environment. Just be sure their habitat is comfortable and don't over-handle the little one!

If you want to do something extra, you can try a safe supplement like Emeraid or Critical Care Herbivore, it is a powder that you make into a mush. It helps their gut biome if it is off, but doesn't hurt them if nothing is wrong.
 

ZenHerper

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The photo of the back legs is too blurry to be helpful.

But your tortoise is NOT displaying the kind of Puffiness associated with illness -- in those cases, the legs blow up so much that they block the shell and cannot be pulled back in. Gravely ill animals do not eat. Is this tort eating a varied and balanced diet of broad leaf weeds or mature grocery greens (not just baby greens in salad mixes). Dog and cat foods contain too much protein for this species and WILL cause liver failure.

When a tortoise is constipated, they can get a wee bit puffy. The solution is to correct what is backing things up inside. Warm water soaking can help because reptiles can absorb water through the vent in the tail. If the atmosphere inside the enclosure is too dry, the animal will dehydrate too quickly under the heat lamps.

Read the care sheet very carefully, make adjustments, ask follow-up questions.
 

Yvonne G

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Your russian tortoise is quite young. I see no puffiness, and if he's eating and more or less acting normal, I'd quit worrying and just let him be a tortoise.
 

Lies

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Hi All, thank you for the replies. I will try not to worry. But I can not overlook the double chin ?

I am trying to get the temperature and humidaty correct but it is harder than I thought. I have this closed wooden box so I can not move the lights. I have to change the bulbs. I will explain what I have now.
1. Basking Area
I tried:
- Exo Terra Intense Basking Spot
The basking spot 100W, it is too hot right under (40C) and 50W is too cold (32C). I can not find the 75W anywere yet.
- Basking Solar Flood lamp 75W from Arcadia. Temperature under was 33C and Mihai's eyes were puffy after.

I see that a normal 45-65W incandescent flood bulb is enough but I can not find it anywere online and the stores are closed.

2. Ambient heat maintenance
I use a ceramic heating element set on thermostat. But I read again how to use and I do not think I am using it correctly. It is just working at night for the temperature to not drop below 20C.

3. Light
I use a Luxvista E27 Par38 LED Reflector Bulb 15W 220V Cool White 6000K Spotlight Waterproof IP65
I have no idea about all the words but I saw 6000K so I bought it.

4. UV
It is cold now in the Netherlands so I am using a 87cm wide 12% HO type fluorescent tube from Arcadia.

When I put the UV light on the temperature is too high everywhere. In the cool site it is around 28-29C and in the warm is around 42C.

So I am totally lost in this heating and lighting.
 

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Lyn W

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If you post pictures of his enclosure it will give members a better idea of the way you are using lamps etc and if they are all needed.
 

Toddrickfl1

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Hi All, thank you for the replies. I will try not to worry. But I can not overlook the double chin ?

I am trying to get the temperature and humidaty correct but it is harder than I thought. I have this closed wooden box so I can not move the lights. I have to change the bulbs. I will explain what I have now.
1. Basking Area
I tried:
- Exo Terra Intense Basking Spot
The basking spot 100W, it is too hot right under (40C) and 50W is too cold (32C). I can not find the 75W anywere yet.
- Basking Solar Flood lamp 75W from Arcadia. Temperature under was 33C and Mihai's eyes were puffy after.

I see that a normal 45-65W incandescent flood bulb is enough but I can not find it anywere online and the stores are closed.

2. Ambient heat maintenance
I use a ceramic heating element set on thermostat. But I read again how to use and I do not think I am using it correctly. It is just working at night for the temperature to not drop below 20C.

3. Light
I use a Luxvista E27 Par38 LED Reflector Bulb 15W 220V Cool White 6000K Spotlight Waterproof IP65
I have no idea about all the words but I saw 6000K so I bought it.

4. UV
It is cold now in the Netherlands so I am using a 87cm wide 12% HO type fluorescent tube from Arcadia.

When I put the UV light on the temperature is too high everywhere. In the cool site it is around 28-29C and in the warm is around 42C.

So I am totally lost in this heating and lighting.
You'll want to set your thermostat to a specific temperature with your ceramic heat emitter during the day. A cool down at night for Russians is ok I think. That way if it gets too hot your ceramic heat emitter will cut off. You also don't have to run your uvb light all day. You can just run it 2-3 hours mid day. That way you won't have all that extra heat in your enclosure.
 

ZenHerper

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Air bubbles in the skin of the upper body and neck can be a sign of Spontaneous Subcutaneous Emphysema, or Pneuomediastium. This is a type of side effect from pneumonia.

The most likely cause is the problem you are having with the temperatures.

The LED bulb is just a light bulb. It is unnecessary as the heat and uvb radiation bulbs give enough light.

The open socket will allow you to add another CHE. CHE bulbs can be managed with thermostats. Set them for 26*C overnight. Use the basking bulb at one end of the habitat and use the CHE as supplemental heat (through thermostats) as needed during the day.

Specific temps and ambient humidity for this species can be found in the care sheet in post #2 above.

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

If your tortoise is still eating and active, then no medical therapy beyond correcting the heat issues is needed.

Let's see if some members from the Netherlands can help with supplies and veterinary professionals:
@Carlos-NL @BoredPotato @DutchieAmanda @Tes
 

Lies

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Here are some pictures. In the cool side I put Reptiblock Hatchling and in the other side Reptibar fir bark.
 

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Tes

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Hi Lies!

Hopefully your tortoise will be a little less puffy with all the help and advice from this forum.

In Nieuwegein (nearby Utrecht) there is a vet specialised in repitles (http://www.kikdierenarts.nl/) that I can recommend
.
Furthermore, I always buy my stuff from https://www.dekammieshop.nl/ . They have lots of products, but also the 'wrong type' of bulbs. The exo terra bulb is a spot bulb, so Im using the Arcadia flood bulb. However you mentioned that the eyes were puffy afterwards, sure that was caused by the bulb? Perhaps the bark wasnt humid enough?
I can set the minimum temperature of my CHE depending on the time of the day. So the minimum temperature is higher during the day and will drop during the nicht. Perhaps yours have the same settings?

Hope this info helpt you.
If you have any questions, let us know!
 

Chariya

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Is there glass between the tortoise and the wafer board you're using? That board has chemicals in the glue they use to manufacture it that aren't good for the tortoise, add humidity and it makes it worse. It could also have an allergic reaction to the chemicals is why it's face and legs are swollen.
 

Lies

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Is there glass between the tortoise and the wafer board you're using? That board has chemicals in the glue they use to manufacture it that aren't good for the tortoise, add humidity and it makes it worse. It could also have an allergic reaction to the chemicals is why it's face and legs are swollen
There is nothing between the wafer board and the tortoise. I informed at the store and it should not be harmful for tortoises. This company is selling these terrariums for years so I trusted the guy.
 

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