Skin covering nose

[Bossyadie]

Hey, this is my first thread on this forums but just wanted some help from some fellow tortoise owners and carers!

My tortoise who I have had for 14 years (Russian tortoise) called Patrick has been having a few issues with his nose recently.

First noticed a issues when I was watching him have some water randomly and seen afterwards he was making a weird noise from his nose and when I had a full look I noticed it was clogged with some food I should expect and also some skin was covering the other side and it was making it difficult for him to breath while having soaks and or drinking water from what I have noticed.

He is eating completely fine no issues at all with that from what I have seen and also drinking. No issues with any dodgey discharge I have seen while not having any soaks and or drinking any water and no weird sounds at all outside of it.

We have used a cotton bud to very gently just brush/wipe over the nose to try and unclog his nose and it seemed to have worked and I had a clear view down both nostrils but this is a issue that is continuing to come back. Unsure what to do from here on out if it’s best seeing a vet to just check on it or fully clean them out or to keep what I am doing his his what’s inside is always turned on the heat bulb at the correct temperature with a cold and hot side with a place to hide.

He eats a lot of kale and also baby corn with tortoise wet food at the same time as another option with calcium ( the white powder) on both food with also a block of it inside of his enclosure to make sure he is getting enough.

Thank you for your help and I will be awaiting your reply’s!

 

[TammyJ]

@Yvonne G @wellington @Tom @zovick . Hi and welcome! Please give us details of how he is kept, and post pictures, thanks!

 

[wellington]

His diet needs improving and kale to be fed sparingly. Do not feed corn. Endive, arugula, water cress, cactus pads, dandelion, ridicchio, bok choy, to name a few if you can't get the safe weeds.
Post pics of his face and give us the exact temps and type of heating and lighting you are using along with substrate.

 

[DoubleD1996!]

Hey, this is my first thread on this forums but just wanted some help from some fellow tortoise owners and carers!

My tortoise who I have had for 14 years (Russian tortoise) called Patrick has been having a few issues with his nose recently.

First noticed a issues when I was watching him have some water randomly and seen afterwards he was making a weird noise from his nose and when I had a full look I noticed it was clogged with some food I should expect and also some skin was covering the other side and it was making it difficult for him to breath while having soaks and or drinking water from what I have noticed.

He is eating completely fine no issues at all with that from what I have seen and also drinking. No issues with any dodgey discharge I have seen while not having any soaks and or drinking any water and no weird sounds at all outside of it.

We have used a cotton bud to very gently just brush/wipe over the nose to try and unclog his nose and it seemed to have worked and I had a clear view down both nostrils but this is a issue that is continuing to come back. Unsure what to do from here on out if it’s best seeing a vet to just check on it or fully clean them out or to keep what I am doing his his what’s inside is always turned on the heat bulb at the correct temperature with a cold and hot side with a place to hide.

He eats a lot of kale and also baby corn with tortoise wet food at the same time as another option with calcium ( the white powder) on both food with also a block of it inside of his enclosure to make sure he is getting enough.

Thank you for your help and I will be awaiting your reply’s!

This is pretty common in russian and easy to treat. It happens when they get their nose clogged.

You can take a needle and gently remove that thin layer from the nairs, and use antibiotic cream such as neosporin. I like to use an eyelash brush. You soak the tort and gently rub it in circles. The skin will usually come off easily.

Here's a vid with more info:

 

[DoubleD1996!]

Also, I would avoid corn and try to feed a more natural diet. Like a variety of safe weeds, such as dandelion or thistle, and maybe produce like collards, and Romain. Hope I was able to help a little.

 

[Bossyadie]

Sorry for the late reply’s as I am just at work right now but I am shocking hearing that he can’t have corn! I think I have been mis lead then on other places on what to feed them and not that some of them did say corn! I will be stopping this from now on and also I genuinely didn’t know they could also have romain lettuce. It’s something I feed my red footed tortoise but just never thought to give it to my Russian. Any other ideas on a wider diet for him then? Normally summer I just let him have a run outside and he destroyed all the dandelions I put down for him. I also do give him cucumbers and that also

 

[DoubleD1996!]

Check out the tortoise table. It gives you a general idea of the type of weeds they can eat.

You can also feed things like spineless cactus instead of cucumber, cactus pear, rose petals, rose of sharon, hibiscus leaves and flowers, clover, bitter dock and the list goes on(collect from pesticide free areas).You just want a lot of variation.

Of course not everything is safe to feed, and there is still much we don't know about what is truly harmful, because tortoise process things differently than us and other mammals.

Box turtles for example. Mushrooms that would be fatal to us they eat care free.

Its like you only eating oatmeal for every meal. Sure, it's healthy, but it doesn't supply you with all the nutrients you need.

Sorry for the late reply’s as I am just at work right now but I am shocking hearing that he can’t have corn! I think I have been mis lead then on other places on what to feed them and not that some of them did say corn! I will be stopping this from now on and also I genuinely didn’t know they could also have romain lettuce. It’s something I feed my red footed tortoise but just never thought to give it to my Russian. Any other ideas on a wider diet for him then? Normally summer I just let him have a run outside and he destroyed all the dandelions I put down for him. I also do give him cucumbers and that alsot

 

[EppsDynasty]

This is pretty common in russian and easy to treat. It happens when they get their nose clogged.

You can take a needle and gently remove that thin layer from the nairs, and use antibiotic cream such as neosporin. I like to use an eyelash brush. You soak the tort and gently rub it in circles. The skin will usually come off easily.

Here's a vid with more info:

Thank You for this piece of tortoise Knowledge. In my bag o knowledge it goes. O and great job helping Patrick.

 

[Maggie3fan]

I had a tortoise for close to 20 years. He was diagnosed with mycoplasma, it presented as a respiratory infection in him, and his nares was constantly plugged. Visibly clogged. However, that didn't stop me from soaking him, then using a q-tip on the outside only. During the soak the plugged stuff should come right off. The tort would breathe thru his mouth...sorta like an alligator.

Then this is what "I" did. I am not an expert or a Vet, but I used an otc nasal spray and very carefully sprayed both holes...for years... then he could breathe easier.

 

[Tom]

Sorry for the late reply’s as I am just at work right now but I am shocking hearing that he can’t have corn! I think I have been mis lead then on other places on what to feed them and not that some of them did say corn! I will be stopping this from now on and also I genuinely didn’t know they could also have romain lettuce. It’s something I feed my red footed tortoise but just never thought to give it to my Russian. Any other ideas on a wider diet for him then? Normally summer I just let him have a run outside and he destroyed all the dandelions I put down for him. I also do give him cucumbers and that also

Hello and welcome. You've already gotten great help with your primary issue, but it sounds like you've also run into all the usual old wrong care and feeding info too. Give this a read through, and look for the temperate species care sheet and heating/lighting breakdown near the bottom:

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Yvonne G]

Just an FYI: the tortoise nares ends up in the roof of the mouth, not down their throat, so there's no danger of squirting into the lungs.

 

[EppsDynasty]

Just an FYI: the tortoise nares ends up in the roof of the mouth, not down their throat, so there's no danger of squirting into the lungs.

Great Point, and great info.