- Joined
- Jan 17, 2013
- Messages
- 55
I am in desperate need of help! My Russian tortoise is extremely sick. Two Saturdays ago (July 30th), my tortoise (Gilbert) started acting very strange. He had (what seemed to be) a lot of mucus coming out of his nose and mouth. By a lot, I mean I kept seeing a bubble come out of his nose and a bubble come out of his house every now and again. Based on research, I figured this was a Respiratory Infection.
He also seemed like he was choking, but there was no food in his mouth. He was also making this awful sound. It almost sounded like the quack of a duck. I have a video, but the file is too big to attach, so I'm not sure how to show it. Finally, he kept rubbing his face with his front legs.
Of course, I took him to the vet. She put him on a nebulizer, gave him a 100mg injection of an antibiotic (Gentamycin), and a 2mg injection of a steroid (Dexamethasone). This is all according to the bill. She continued this treatment Monday through Friday of last week. However, M-F, she used another antibiotic (Baytril-Enrofloxacin Injectable) instead of the steroid. I never went back with him, so I'm not sure how all of this went down.
It is now the Monday, August 8th, and he started acting very strange again yesterday. He started doing that choking-like action again, this time without the sound. He also kept sticking his neck out really far, which was really unusual for him as well. He is continuing to rub his face, and he is extremely lethargic. It seems the only time he's not in pain is when he is asleep, and that is all he does.
THE BIGGEST CONCERN right now is that he is not using his back legs to walk AT ALL. He barely even responds to touch on his back legs. I took him outside to see if maybe it was just yesterday, but he literally just used his front legs to drag himself around and turn himself in circles.
If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I have no idea what to do. I'm in an area where there aren't really any qualified or experienced exotic pet veterinarians, and mine is the best in town.
P.S. I don't know his age, but if I had to guess, I would say around 20-25. He weighs around 1.16kg. He eats mostly greens: spinach, romaine, radishes, carrots, dandelions, and an occasional strawberry. He is in a 40 (I think) gallon tank with a 75 watt heat lamp. He has a water dish with a ramp, a half-wooden log for hiding, and a rock to put his food on. His substrate is EcoEarth Coconut Fiber Substrate, and usually Zoo Med New Zealand Sphagnum Moss (which is his favorite).
He also seemed like he was choking, but there was no food in his mouth. He was also making this awful sound. It almost sounded like the quack of a duck. I have a video, but the file is too big to attach, so I'm not sure how to show it. Finally, he kept rubbing his face with his front legs.
Of course, I took him to the vet. She put him on a nebulizer, gave him a 100mg injection of an antibiotic (Gentamycin), and a 2mg injection of a steroid (Dexamethasone). This is all according to the bill. She continued this treatment Monday through Friday of last week. However, M-F, she used another antibiotic (Baytril-Enrofloxacin Injectable) instead of the steroid. I never went back with him, so I'm not sure how all of this went down.
It is now the Monday, August 8th, and he started acting very strange again yesterday. He started doing that choking-like action again, this time without the sound. He also kept sticking his neck out really far, which was really unusual for him as well. He is continuing to rub his face, and he is extremely lethargic. It seems the only time he's not in pain is when he is asleep, and that is all he does.
THE BIGGEST CONCERN right now is that he is not using his back legs to walk AT ALL. He barely even responds to touch on his back legs. I took him outside to see if maybe it was just yesterday, but he literally just used his front legs to drag himself around and turn himself in circles.
If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I have no idea what to do. I'm in an area where there aren't really any qualified or experienced exotic pet veterinarians, and mine is the best in town.
P.S. I don't know his age, but if I had to guess, I would say around 20-25. He weighs around 1.16kg. He eats mostly greens: spinach, romaine, radishes, carrots, dandelions, and an occasional strawberry. He is in a 40 (I think) gallon tank with a 75 watt heat lamp. He has a water dish with a ramp, a half-wooden log for hiding, and a rock to put his food on. His substrate is EcoEarth Coconut Fiber Substrate, and usually Zoo Med New Zealand Sphagnum Moss (which is his favorite).
