Tortoise seems unwell

[Lyn W]

So sorry to hear this, you're doing your best for him and many torts do recover form RIs with the correct care.
I read somewhere that a healthy tort mouth should be pale pink so try to not worry too much about that aspect. My leopard's mouth is always pale pink but darkens up when he starts eating.
The antibiotics may also affect his appetite so don't be surprised if he is slow to start eating. When my tort was off his food I bought some Oxbow critical care mix from Amazon which is normally used when tube feeding but I just spread some on favourite and normally restricted foods like very thin slices of cucumber or strawberry to tempt him to eat and get some nutrients into him to boost his red blood cell count and build him up.
When we have a nice warm day maybe try to put him out for short spells (10 mins?) to get some uvb direct from the sun and I'm sure you already know to keep his temps up to keep him warm day and night with a basking bulb and che for night.
I do hope the blood test results will be OK when you get them and that he will soon make a speedy recovery.

 

[Dena]

Aww, poor little guy. I really hope he makes a full recovery. It sounds as if you are doing everything you can to help him.

 

[Kipley]

Hoping for the best for your little guy. Please keep us updated.

 

[Kevmoet]

He’s had all his treatment today and has actually eaten some food. He’s also been a lot more mobile than he has been. He still looks quite poorly and makes the occasional sound. We are doing all we can and hope he pulls through. We’re realistic though and know he has a long way to go.
Thanks again for all the advice and support.

 

[Flora Belle's keeper]

Hi! I applaud you for taking such great care of him. I also had a tortoise with a terrible upper respiratory aliment. She’s an African Spur thigh tortoise. I had to do just what you have been instructed, shots every 72 hours and nebulizer treatment everyday twice. I was told by my Vet that because reptiles are cold blooded and have a slow metabolism they general take much longer to heal which is why the proper heating is so important as it helps the healing process. My tortoise became very ill after I attempted to re home her into a small local but well maintained zoo. They had others of her species there so I thought it in her best interest at the time. They, unfortunately, left her outside after temps dropped to low in the year and she became very, very ill. I got her back but it literally took her many months of treatment to overcome. I hope yours will not. Listen closely to your vet and don’t give up or get discouraged, it could take some time but they can come back and thrive with the proper care! My tortoise weighed about 40 pounds at the time so I was instructed to put her in a large plastic tote with a lid on for the nebulizer treatment. I cut a hole in the side and placed the treatment nozzle in it. I would let it run and fill the bin until the whole dose of added antibiotics?/breathing treatment ran though. I would then turn it off and let her sit in it for a few more minutes until she inhaled the remaining added med. This usually took about 20 mins. This was in a large crate with lid on but no danger of it running out if air as the crack around it and space in it was adequate. This was the only way to do it for her as she wouldn’t leave her head out and be available for treatment due to her size. Check with Vet first though if you wish to try this. My tortoise was much larger and administration techniques can impact the dosing. So much luck and well wishes here!

 

[Flora Belle's keeper]

I should also add that mine had a mild case of pneumonia due to upper respiratory issues.

 

[Kevmoet]

So sorry to hear this, you're doing your best for him and many torts do recover form RIs with the correct care.
I read somewhere that a healthy tort mouth should be pale pink so try to not worry too much about that aspect. My leopard's mouth is always pale pink but darkens up when he starts eating.
The antibiotics may also affect his appetite so don't be surprised if he is slow to start eating. When my tort was off his food I bought some Oxbow critical care mix from Amazon which is normally used when tube feeding but I just spread some on favourite and normally restricted foods like very thin slices of cucumber or strawberry to tempt him to eat and get some nutrients into him to boost his red blood cell count and build him up.
When we have a nice warm day maybe try to put him out for short spells (10 mins?) to get some uvb direct from the sun and I'm sure you already know to keep his temps up to keep him warm day and night with a basking bulb and che for night.
I do hope the blood test results will be OK when you get them and that he will soon make a speedy recovery.

Thanks for sharing that. We certainly won’t give up on him. On Thursday I didn’t think he’d make it til the morning. Here we are at Sunday and hes’s still fighting. He’s still making some odd sounds but his eyes and colour look a lot better, and he’s eating which he hadn’t done for a few days. Fingers crossed that he keeps fighting and keeps improving. Thanks again.

 

[Flora Belle's keeper]

I’m so glad to hear he’s eating that is a great start! With the correct temps and hydration, his metabolism should rev up some and process the meds to hopefully make him feel more like eating. I believe (not sure it’s scientific but guessing it has to be) that because reptiles are prone to more activity including feeding in relation to temperature which can certainly be witnessed in colder climates where certain species hibernate, that temperature plays a big role in metabolic rates and even healing. It seemed to when mine was sick. Hopefully you will continue to see improvement. Please do keep us posted and thank you for sharing. We all learn from each other’s trials and even errors in how to care for these amazingly complex yet magical creatures. There is still such much to be learned by all because they are exotic pets.

 

[Lyn W]

How is your little guy doing?
Has he improved with the medication?

 

[Flora Belle's keeper]

Just checking in, how’s your tortie?
Kelly