Sick Sulcata

[Petedog8]

My Sulcata is aprox 4 months old and has a bad case of URI. Currently family issues have made funds tight so taking him to a vet right now is out of the question, if he continues on this course I know his death is just a short time away. I have him isolated in a separate tub and his heat is running at 90 degrees, I also am soaking him in warm water 3 times a day and providing a liquid vitamin supplement. He has not eaten in 2 weeks. I am looking for any home remedies that might help me out, Thanks.

 

[Sulcata_Sandy]

Good job with the temps, make sure you have moderate humidity. I had success with 75% for a recurrent URI.

Also, go buy some baby food. Pumpkin, squash, carrot. No fruit or meat. So do a 10 minutes soak in warm water (in case he needs to eliminate), then do 20 minutes in the baby food/warm water slurry. I use half a jar in warm water in a Rubbermaid bowl. Then I refrigerate it, and reuse is a bunch of times...basically until it looks gross. 40-60 seconds in the microwave. I cover with a dark cloth for privacy and to reduce heat loss...the sides are translucent, so I can see thru to make sure they are ok.

The baby food will offer calories and nutrition, even if he does not drink, but most will gulp it down.

Do everything you can to keep his stress level down. I have soaked mine in their enclosure.
Mist his shell 2-3 times daily as well to help hydration.

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And discontinue the liquid vitamines. You may be inadvertently doing more harm than good. Once a week is all you need to do.

 

[ascott]

Are you still housing the sulcata with the red foot tortoise?

 

[Petedog8]

Are you still housing the sulcata with the red foot tortoise?

No they we're seep rated a while back. Red foots are Ok.

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Good job with the temps, make sure you have moderate humidity. I had success with 75% for a recurrent URI.

Also, go buy some baby food. Pumpkin, squash, carrot. No fruit or meat. So do a 10 minutes soak in warm water (in case he needs to eliminate), then do 20 minutes in the baby food/warm water slurry. I use half a jar in warm water in a Rubbermaid bowl. Then I refrigerate it, and reuse is a bunch of times...basically until it looks gross. 40-60 seconds in the microwave. I cover with a dark cloth for privacy and to reduce heat loss...the sides are translucent, so I can see thru to make sure they are ok.

The baby food will offer calories and nutrition, even if he does not drink, but most will gulp it down.

Do everything you can to keep his stress level down. I have soaked mine in their enclosure.
Mist his shell 2-3 times daily as well to help hydration.

---

And discontinue the liquid vitamines. You may be inadvertently doing more harm than good. Once a week is all you need to do.

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Thanks for the advise I'll give it a try. Fingers crossed.

 

[sibi]

How do you know he has an URI? Do you see bubbles coming from his nose or mouth? Do you hear rattling noise coming from his mouth or feel it on the top of his shell? is there mucus, clear, yellowish or greenish?

 

[Sulcata_Sandy]

How do you know he has an URI? Do you see bubbles coming from his nose or mouth? Do you hear rattling noise coming from his mouth or feel it on the top of his shell? is there mucus, clear, yellowish or greenish?

Excellent point, Sylvia! Yes, what symptoms are you seeing?

 

[Petedog8]

How do you know he has an URI? Do you see bubbles coming from his nose or mouth? Do you hear rattling noise coming from his mouth or feel it on the top of his shell? is there mucus, clear, yellowish or greenish?

Everything you described are evident symptoms.

 

[Sulcata_Sandy]

How is he? Any better? Been thinking about him.

 

[Petedog8]

He is still with us, but not much of a change. His eyes seemed to be like glued shut.

 

[Yvonne G]

It is very important for you to soak this tortoise. Please follow these instructions carefully and be sure to do this every day:

Go to the store and buy several jars of Gerber strained carrots (this is in the human baby food section of the store)

In a tub or bowl with tall sides, but a small floor space, put about a half of the jar of baby food and add enough warm water to make the solution come up to the middle of the baby's sides. \

Leave him soaking in this solution for at least a half hour.

I put my bowl back inside the habitat just on the edge of where the light shines down so it keeps the water warm.

If you do this faithfully EVERY DAY, you will see an improvement within 3 days. But you MUST do it daily! I've been taking care of sick turtles and tortoises for over 30 years, and in that time I've lost a few, but I've never, in all that time, failed to see an improvement in the stuck shut eyes after about 3 days. I promise...if you do it faithfully, it will work.

Once you get his eyes open you have a better chance of his eating on his own. But if you are seeing signs of respiratory infection (runny nose, open mouth breathing) he will probably need some antibiotics. But we'll worry about that when the time comes. Get his eyes open first, and please keep us in the loop.

 

[Petedog8]

I followed your original instructions and have been daily soaking him in warm water for about 10 minutes, then the baby food mixture for 20-30 minutes. With little or no change, I hate to see him go down hill but theirs not much more I can do. Like I said earlier funds are extremely tight because of our own medical problems, the reptile vets I have spoken with want aprox $75 just to show up and then theirs the treatment etc. Your help is invaluable and I appreciate it, maybe luck will shine down on us. Thanks.

 

[Yvonne G]

You are defeating your purpose by soaking in plain water first. There is only so much absorption that can happen in a little tortoise. He's all filled up with plain water by the time you put him into the baby food water. I don't believe I've ever said to soak in plain water first. At any rate...quit that, and go directly to the baby food soaks. Half hour at the least, and longer is even better.

 

[Petedog8]

Your very first post to me said do a 10 minute soak in warm water before the baby food soak of aprox 20 minutes, those are the directions I have been following ? In any event I will follow your most recent course of treatment and see what happens. Believe me i I do appreciate your help but I am very frustrated that I can't do more for him.

 

[Sulcata_Sandy]

That was me that posted the 10 minutes in plain water first. That way they can poo in the water, and you get more uses from the baby food vs throwing it out each time. I'm on a strict budget as well. So I need to make my baby food last.

Either method works very well, since in the end he's getting 30 minutes of hydration.

 

[Yvonne G]

Since the tortoise hasn't eaten, I don't think there's a danger of pooping in the water. I've never let that stop me anyway. If they poop in the water, too bad. They stay in there for the full 30 minutes anyway. It is only offensive to me, not to the tortoise.

 

[Petedog8]

So far so good things status quo for now.

 

[Petedog8]

Yesterday some progress. Passed his first stool in weeks and eyes briefly opened up, with the help of friends I will be able to finally get him to a vet tomorrow Friday 1/9. Hope for best.

 

[Petedog8]

Today off to the vet. Vet told me he still has fight, was given 2 Fortaz injections and sent home with 5 additional syringes. He was also force fed with a B-12 paste to stimulate his appetite and an ointment for his eyes. Will see how things go.

 

[J_W]

Good luck, I hope he gets better. It's hard when they are sick and so small.

 

[Sulcata_Sandy]

Any update? Been thinking about you. [PURPLE HEART]