Respiratory Infection

[Saleama]

I had mine in theirs for about that AND there were 6 others in there with them when they got sick. Turtles are amazingly adept at hiding any weakness and that includes sickness. 90f is good for an hour or so in the morning while he eats but you should let it go to 82ish hot side to 74ish cool side and if not dark, at least gloomy for most of the day. They also need cool down and complete darkness at night so no light should be used. Mine have a heat light come on at 6am and goes off at 8am. the UVB comes on at 6am and goes off at 8pm. I actually turn the thermastat in my house up to 78 when I go to work so their temps are perfect when the heat light goes off.

 

[Saleama]

Thanks for all the great advice! I will change the light ASAP. Can someone put a link to a website that sells the light/heating device that I should be using?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009YHSWK/?tag=exoticpetnetw-20 I use this one and the fixture I use is the one in the also bought section. For heat I use a house hold light bulb, 60 watt soft. You can still find them for the next few months. I bought about 25 4 packs when Wal-Mart had them for $1.19 before the ban.

 

[Behnad]

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiSun®-Fluorescent-24-Inch/dp/B0009YHSWK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406840432&sr=8-1&keywords=UVB light strip I use this one and the fixture I use is the one in the also bought section. For heat I use a house hold light bulb, 60 watt soft. You can still find them for the next few months. I bought about 25 4 packs when Wal-Mart had them for $1.19 before the ban.

Thank you so much! My local pet store sells those tube lights. I'll try to pick them up tomorrow.

 

[Behnad]

Update: After being soaked with carrot baby food, his mood greatly improved! He became very active and opened his eyes. I also used some eye drops that I found at petsmart (picture below). Has anyone had experience with this?

 

[Pameladale]

what kind of light bulb do you have in?

 

[Behnad]

100 Watt Exo Terra Solar Glo Mercury Vapour Bulb.

 

[turtlelou]

Update: After being soaked with carrot baby food, his mood greatly improved! He became very active and opened his eyes. I also used some eye drops that I found at petsmart (picture below). Has anyone had experience with this?View attachment 89701 View attachment 89702

What a cutie!
I have used those drops on a wild turtle that came to my garden with puffy eyes, it was helpful. Keep doing the carrot soaks too.

 

[turtlebuddies]

Have any vet order baytril im! Intermuscular shot! It must go into front arm! 2.27% use panacure which the vet will also have to order for parasites!

Baytril (enrofloxacin)
Lizards and snakes:
Routine: 5 mg/kg IM/PO q 24h
Resistant: 10 mg/kg IM/PO q 24h

Tortoises:

7.5-10 mg/kg diluted with normal saline IM

All reptiles: Highly cytotoxic and nephrotoxic - give with SC/IC fluids. Injectible form may be administered PO. NOTE: When given PO, it may be mixed with a small amount of Syrpalta, banana, applesauce, etc., to make it more palatable; increase dose to 10 mg/kg for PO. There are now flavoring agents vets can use to mix the orally administered Baytil with making a more palatable medicine that is easier and safer to administer than by injection.

Tortoises: Give in front legs only, up to 21 days (Lancaster, pers comm, 1997). May also give PO.

 

[Behnad]

TE="turtlebuddies, post: 912037, member: 29265"]Have any vet order baytril im! Intermuscular shot! It must go into front arm! 2.27% use panacure which the vet will also have to order for parasites!

Baytril (enrofloxacin)
Lizards and snakes:
Routine: 5 mg/kg IM/PO q 24h
Resistant: 10 mg/kg IM/PO q 24h

Tortoises:

7.5-10 mg/kg diluted with normal saline IM

All reptiles: Highly cytotoxic and nephrotoxic - give with SC/IC fluids. Injectible form may be administered PO. NOTE: When given PO, it may be mixed with a small amount of Syrpalta, banana, applesauce, etc., to make it more palatable; increase dose to 10 mg/kg for PO. There are now flavoring agents vets can use to mix the orally administered Baytil with making a more palatable medicine that is easier and safer to administer than by injection.

Tortoises: Give in front legs only, up to 21 days (Lancaster, pers comm, 1997). May also give PO.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the recommendations. I will mention the baytril and panacur when I go to see the vet tommorow. He has been opening his eyes more recently but has been occasionally been breathing through his mouth and continues to have discharge coming out of his nose.

 

[turtlebuddies]

From the sounds of it he probably should go ASAP! They can't get the fluid out of there lungs by themselves they need the antibiotics! Increase the humidity and temp in enclosure make sure the vet weighs him as the dose depends on his weight!

 

[Behnad]

I went to the vet and they said that it doesn't seem like he has a respiratory infection but from what I have read his symptoms seem to match those of respiratory problems. They also said that they didn't have baytril in stock. What do you recommend I do now? Is it possible to order the medicine of the internet?

 

[Saleama]

I went to the vet and they said that it doesn't seem like he has a respiratory infection but from what I have read his symptoms seem to match those of respiratory problems. They also said that they didn't have baytril in stock. What do you recommend I do now? Is it possible to order the medicine of the internet?

Remember, it could be a vitamin A deficiency. Symptoms are very similar. Keep up the carrot food soaks and get some bird vitamins or some reptile vitamins from your local pet store. Go to a pharmacy or a dentist and get one of those syringes that they use to flush out your gums when you have a tooth pulled. They will know what to give you. Just tell them you have a tiny turtle that needs to be force fed vitamins. That or when he has his eyes open and can eat, put a drop or two on the worm you feed him.

 

[Saleama]

How is he doing by the way? From the pic, he looks like he is doing much better!

 

[Behnad]

How is he doing by the way? From the pic, he looks like he is doing much better!

He seems to be doing a lot better but continues to occasionally have bubbles coming out of his nose. He still has a large appetite so I am able to add the vitamins (currently using reptivite) to his food. Will I need to administer any medicine or would it be sufficient to keep doing the carrot soaks, using the eye drops and giving him vitamins?

 

[lisa127]

If the bubbles are clear I would provide the babyfood soaks, cod liver oil drop on his food twice a week, and adding gentle night heat temporarily. I wouldn't give him baytril just yet. Keep him humid and slightly warmer than usual. Do these things for two weeks and see if that helps. Of course if things get worse get him to a vet. But do not allow the vet to give a vitamin A shot. I just don't like rushing into giving antibiotics unless necessary. And if the fluid out of his nose is clear and he is still eating I would try what I said above.

Unlike some people have said, I do provide gentle heat for the entire day for my boxies. I use a lower wattage black moonglo bulb on one end of the enclosure for the entire day. Especially when illness is suspected, they need a bit of heat to combat it. Keep in mind like said earlier, boxies do not like a very bright enclosure though.

 

[Eric Phillips]

Glad to see your little one is getting better, a little bit of caring goes along way with box turtles

 

[Saleama]

If the bubbles are clear I would provide the babyfood soaks, cod liver oil drop on his food twice a week, and adding gentle night heat temporarily. I wouldn't give him baytril just yet. Keep him humid and slightly warmer than usual. Do these things for two weeks and see if that helps. Of course if things get worse get him to a vet. But do not allow the vet to give a vitamin A shot. I just don't like rushing into giving antibiotics unless necessary. And if the fluid out of his nose is clear and he is still eating I would try what I said above.

Unlike some people have said, I do provide gentle heat for the entire day for my boxies. I use a lower wattage black moonglo bulb on one end of the enclosure for the entire day. Especially when illness is suspected, they need a bit of heat to combat it. Keep in mind like said earlier, boxies do not like a very bright enclosure though.

I provide heat by allowing the temps in my house where they are to go up and I have a small, 60 watt bulb that goes on in the am. They are at 85 ir so for the first few hours of the day and then settle in around 76 - 78. For the sick ones, I provided heat with a small fan driven heater with a bowl of water in front of it and the "tub" they were in was "caved" in by a hoody, lol. As you said, they do not like bright light so the soft white light bulb seems to work the best for ambiance. The UVB I use doesn't cast that much of a light on them and they have a ton of hiding options that also let the UVB get to them a little bit, like leaf litter and vine like plants.