Respiratory infection?

Dovis Sim

New Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Dublin
I have a 3year old russian tort and i dont know whats wrong with her. She has not pooped in about a week. She was still quite active running around until today. She didnt come out of her hide this morning and i had to take her out. I gave her a warm water bath yesterday and today for 15minuets. All that came out is the white stuff. It is still eating alot. I am feeding it dandilion greens and today i fed it some peppers to hopefully make it easier for her to poop. Since her bath this morning she has barely moved. She has gone to a corner in her enclosure and dug herself in a bit. She looks like shes uncomfortable as sometimes she stretches her neck out and pulls it back in. I dont know but her tail looks a bit bigger than normal and it seems to be hanging it down more instead of being tucked in. I will attach a photo. If she gets worse in the next two days i will have to bring her to the vet. She seems very lathargic. Could she be getting ready for hibernation??
 

Attachments

  • 20211001_151058.jpg
    20211001_151058.jpg
    948.5 KB · Views: 33

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
You want her to scramble around in the soak, trying to get out. Scrambling is what makes them poop in the water. So leave her in there longer than 15 minutes. I've left them for an hour or so (but keep an eye on her to make sure she's ok).
 

Dovis Sim

New Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Dublin
You want her to scramble around in the soak, trying to get out. Scrambling is what makes them poop in the water. So leave her in there longer than 15 minutes. I've left them for an hour or so (but keep an eye on her to make sure she's ok).
Im letting her soak now for an hour. She trying to scramble around but slower than normal.
 

Dovis Sim

New Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Dublin
You want her to scramble around in the soak, trying to get out. Scrambling is what makes them poop in the water. So leave her in there longer than 15 minutes. I've left them for an hour or so (but keep an eye on her to make sure she's ok).
Shes only been in 20minuets and she pooped already. Im still going to let her chill in the water bath for an hour and see if she poops anymore.
 

Dovis Sim

New Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Dublin
I think my tortoise has a respiatary infection. She didnt come out of her hide this morning, i had to take her out. I gave her a 1hour soak in warm water as she hadent pooped in about a week. She pooped. But for the remainder of the day, she was very lathargic. She was making weird head movements, scratching her face weirdly, sneezing alot, yawning alot aswell, and moving her arms and legs weirdly. She also has watery eyes. She mainly tried to sleep in the corner of her enclosure for the whole day but looked really uncomfortable and iritated. She is still eating. What should i do. Thanks for any advise in advance.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,388
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
That's good. Another thing to think about is the time of year. Tortoises are thinking of brumation now.
 

Dovis Sim

New Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Dublin
That's good. Another thing to think about is the time of year. Tortoises are thinking of brumation now.
I think she may have a repiatary infection. She has watery eyes, yawning quite a bit, weird head movements and sneezing. She is walking around a bit now but i can still see something is
bothering her.
 

Sarah2020

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Mar 16, 2020
Messages
1,604
Location (City and/or State)
London, UK
Check your heat temperatures are what they should be. As we are getting colder in Europe could there be a draft or chill that is affecting the enclosure?
 

Dovis Sim

New Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Dublin
I highly doubt theres a draft. She has her basking light and i turn on her heating mat during the night and on top of that my room is fairly warm. I think she has got a respiatary infection as she is displaying symtoms of it. If she gets any worse in the next 2 days i will have to find a vet.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
What species?
How old?
Temps?
Basking
All over temps
Night temps
Type of lighting?
Type of heat?
Type of enclosure?
 

Dovis Sim

New Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Dublin
What species?
How old?
Temps?
Basking
All over temps
Night temps
Type of lighting?
Type of heat?
Type of enclosure?
Russian tort
3years
Basking temp is 93F
Not sure what the all over temps are but im going to get thermometer soon
During the night i have a heating mat for her for when the nights start getting cold
Its a wooden enclosure
What do you mean by type of heat?
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,658
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Its important to know temps, so get a good thermometer asap and not those round puck type ones that pet stores sell, they are not accurate. Get a digital thermometer and a point and shoot temp gun work great for checking temps.
Heat mat is dangerous, especially for a species that dig so remove the mat unless you put a heat bulb above it. Tortoises warm themselves from above not below. Heat mats can burn them.
Type if heat, they need 75-80 during the day, the basking spot and then at night they can handle no heat as long as the enclosure does not go below 60. So is the basking bulb the only day heat and does it heat the whole enclosure to 75-80 along with the basking spot?
They also need a 4x8 minimum enclosure.
While you think she may be sick, get the day heat upto 85 and keep it warmer at night too; at least 80 until symptoms go away for a week. A ceramic heat emitter is good for night heat as it heats but does not give off light.
If she doesn't improve with the improvements you need to do then seek out a vet
 

Dovis Sim

New Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Dublin
Its important to know temps, so get a good thermometer asap and not those round puck type ones that pet stores sell, they are not accurate. Get a digital thermometer and a point and shoot temp gun work great for checking temps.
Heat mat is dangerous, especially for a species that dig so remove the mat unless you put a heat bulb above it. Tortoises warm themselves from above not below. Heat mats can burn them.
Type if heat, they need 75-80 during the day, the basking spot and then at night they can handle no heat as long as the enclosure does not go below 60. So is the basking bulb the only day heat and does it heat the whole enclosure to 75-80 along with the basking spot?
They also need a 4x8 minimum enclosure.
While you think she may be sick, get the day heat upto 85 and keep it warmer at night too; at least 80 until symptoms go away for a week. A ceramic heat emitter is good for night heat as it heats but does not give off light.
If she doesn't improve with the improvements you need to do then seek out a vet
I took her to the vet today and she does indeed have RI. She got her antibiotic injection and i have to give her oral antibiotics every 2 days. Any advise on how i should give them the antibiotic oraly? I will try get a thermometer soon.
 

Gijoux

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
May 28, 2014
Messages
469
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I highly doubt theres a draft. She has her basking light and i turn on her heating mat during the night and on top of that my room is fairly warm. I think she has got a respiatary infection as she is displaying symtoms of it. If she gets any worse in the next 2 days i will have to find a vet.
Respiratory infections will present with bubbling at the nose and you will hear every breath they take.
 

Lyn W

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2014
Messages
23,497
Location (City and/or State)
UK
Was your vet a tortoise specialist?
I was going to ask what substrate you're using in her enclosure in case that was irritating her.
If you post pics of her enclosure with the lamps you use you'll get good feedback to make sure it's as safe as possible for her.
The heat mat is not safe for her you need a CHE run through a thermostat for night use.
What are you using for UVB?
This is the caresheet you need
 

Dovis Sim

New Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2021
Messages
13
Location (City and/or State)
Dublin
Respiratory infections will present with bubbling at the nose and you will hear every breath they take.
She literally had all the other symtoms except those ones. I feel that i did catch onto the infection really early so maybe those symptoms didnt get a chance to kick in
 

New Posts

Top