URTI please read again, Maggie

[APBT_Fanatic]

In your opinion and experience, do you believe that upper respiratory infections in tortoises are contagious, or non-contagious, to other tortoises?

I have heard different sides from different sources.

Thanks!

 

[N2TORTS]

RE: Upper Respiratoy Infection in tortoises-- Contagious?

Simple .... " YES" ... and even more so if keeping different species together ...or cross contamination between mixing food/water dishes. Always <quarantine , sick , or injured tort , and wash hands after interaction with sick tortoise.

JD ~

 

[Tom]

RE: Upper Respiratoy Infection in tortoises-- Contagious?

I agree with JD. Yes.

 

[APBT_Fanatic]

RE: Upper Respiratoy Infection in tortoises-- Contagious?

Thank you.

So then do you believe that once the tortoise has the infection, with medication he/she can become asymtomatic, but will always be contagious? Or do you believe they can be cured with medication and eventually put with/near other tortoises?

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: Upper Respiratoy Infection in tortoises-- Contagious?

If you're talking about the mycoplasma that causes URDS (Upper respiratory distress syndrome) in desert tortoises, then yes, it is highly contagious. Once a tortoise has the mycoplasma it never goes away. We treat the symptoms and the symptoms go away but the mycoplasm is always inside the animal. And stress can cause flare-ups. For some unknown reason, it can't be killed off. So far, Baytril has been the one antibiotic that helps with the symptoms.

 

[egyptiandan]

RE: Upper Respiratoy Infection in tortoises-- Contagious?

The answer to that is yes and no It's yes and no because all tortoises carry the bacteria that cause URIs. It's when a tortoise becomes stressed (for any number of reasons) that symptoms show up. When the immune system is compromised the bacteria (that were being kept in check by the immune system) can proliferate causing the URI.
So the bacteria are passed between tortoises, but the only time a tortoise is going to have a problem with the bacteria is when that tortoise is stressed.

Danny

 

[Maggie Cummings]

RE: Upper Respiratoy Infection in tortoises-- Contagious?

She has a Sulcata hatchling who has a URTI. The Vet told her that for the rest of his life he would have to be kept separated from all other tortoises. He simply has a resp infection. This is not a desert tortoise with a mycoplasma problem.
She PM'd me for information and I told her that there was no reason to keep him separated after the all signs of the resp infection are gone. He does not have to be kept away from all tortoises for the rest of his life. Please reconsider your replies as you will be confusing her and me. He has a simple resp infection, why would he have to be kept apart from other tortoise for the rest of his life? That does not make sense to me and I don't think any Sulcata that has had a simple resp infection has to be kept away from all torts for the rest of his life.

 

[Tom]

I was thinking of the CDT problem that Maggie referred to. Very contagious. However, I also agree with Danny about stress causing a hampered immune system and the disease organisms being ever present.

I see no reason why he can't be around other tortoises later on, after he's well healed and has shown no symptoms for several weeks.

Having said all of that, as JD noted above, it IS risky mixing tortoises and much more so with different species. Here's a possible scenario: You take two healthy, quarantined torts and put them together. The less dominant one is psychologically and/or physically bullied. This stress, over time, hampers his immune system and he gets an URTI. Does this mean one of them was contagious? Not really, but technically they are all "contagious" since they all carry the disease organisms. In theory, you could put a tortoise into a sealed, disease free chamber for ten years and through manipulation of the environmental conditions, you could induce sickness. After ten years of being "sealed", he didn't "catch" anything from another tortoise, yet he'd still be sick.

 

[Rhyno47]

Stress and cold got mine sick. I dont have any others but I avoid those at all costs.

 

[Tom]

Stress and cold got mine sick. I dont have any others but I avoid those at all costs.

Always sorry to hear about a sick tort. Which species are you referring to and was it also damp/humid when the chill occurred?

 

[Yvonne G]

There are many things in a tortoise's life that present as a bubbly nose and runny eyes. The only way for your vet to know for sure if it IS a respiratory infection is to do a smear and a culture. Nine times out of ten its dusty substrate, new surroundings (stress), a new litter mate (stress), a change in the weather or habitat (stress).

Unless you've had the test done and you know for sure that your tortoise has the mycoplasma that causes URDS, then there is absolutely no reason to think that your tortoise is some sort of lethal carrier of a dreaded disease. He is going to live a long and happy life and will be perfectly alright in a habitat with other tortoises.

I'd be almost willing to bet that he doesn't really have a respiratory infection, but without a culture, no one knows for sure. If he's eating and acting normal, I'd say just let him be a tortoise and enjoy him.

 

[Tom]

There are many things in a tortoise's life that present as a bubbly nose and runny eyes. The only way for your vet to know for sure if it IS a respiratory infection is to do a smear and a culture. Nine times out of ten its dusty substrate, new surroundings (stress), a new litter mate (stress), a change in the weather or habitat (stress).

Unless you've had the test done and you know for sure that your tortoise has the mycoplasma that causes URDS, then there is absolutely no reason to think that your tortoise is some sort of lethal carrier of a dreaded disease. He is going to live a long and happy life and will be perfectly alright in a habitat with other tortoises.

I'd be almost willing to bet that he doesn't really have a respiratory infection, but without a culture, no one knows for sure. If he's eating and acting normal, I'd say just let him be a tortoise and enjoy him.

As usual, agreed.

 

[egyptiandan]

To answer the last question You do not have to keep your Sulcata seperate from other Sulcatas for the rest of it's life. Bacteria will be present in any other Sulcata your tortoise comes in contact with, so your tortoise won't be giving it to another tortoise. Thats not to say that another tortoise (or your tortoise) won't be stressed when put together and one or the other or both wouldn't get a URI. If that would happen you'd just seperate and treat with an appropriate antibiotic.

Danny

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I absolutely appreciate everyone making their replies much more to what the problem is.
I do want to ask tho, I have experience with desert torts (Gopherus agassizii) and mycoplasma, but do Sulcata get it to? Are some Sulcata carriers of this dreaded disease?

But the problem as *I* understand it is that her Vet says he has an URTI and will have to be kept away from other torts for the rest of his life because HE is contagious and will make other torts sick.

Thanks again for replying again I really appreciate it.

 

[Rhyno47]

When I got mine it was stressed. I also kept him kind of cool and dry. His nose completely sealed up for weeks and he squeaked when he breathed through his mouth. It was my sully by the way.

 

[Tom]

I vote considering a new vet, if that's the case.

I'd like to know about Maggie's sulcata question too. I've never been around a sick sulcata, other than MBD and neglect. Never seen a sulcata with URTI. Lots of CDT's, a few Russian imports, two leopards that were housed outside with no heat in winter, but no sulcatas. I feel like I'm lacking in experience, but maybe its just so dry here, that they don't tend to get URTIs even though other species sometimes do.

 

[stells]

I have a trio of Moroccans... which came to me last year from a brilliant keeper... the smaller female.. ALWAYS has a runny nose... she is kept in with the male and the larger female who have NEVER had a runny nose... they have been kept this way for at least 15 years...

She has had treatment but has never responded and reacted badly to antibiotics.. and it doesn't bother her... she eats well.. is very active and lays eggs...

 

[Yvonne G]

http://www.uga.edu/separc/TaskTeams/DiseasesParasites/SEPARCMycoplasmaFinal.pdf

Even though the mycoplasma is called "mycoplasma agassizii" there is one school of thought that it first came from imported sulcata tortoises that were released into the desert.

There's no way to know for sure where it came from but there's lots of reading material if you do a GOOGLE search for it.

 

[Annieski]

My Morty[Sulcata] had a URTI when he was about 1 year old. We had come back from a vacation in NC[he was outside 12 hours/day and in at night] It was about 8 days after our return to NJ[this trip was in the middle of July] that I noticed the "first" bubble. After three days of the bubbles increasing--went to Vet. He was X-Rayed and lung fields were very clear. Nothing else changed--eating,pee,poop---all the same. As a precaution--Vet started Baytril[I crushed it into powder and put on small amout of applesauce] By the 3rd day Morty stopped eating[amout of bubbles stayed the same] Back to Vet--Now we moved to Fortaz injections[Morty not a happy camper with those needles and I couldn't give them by mysel] 1 injection every 3rd day for 2 week duration. When all was said and done it took about 1 full month for Mortimer to be himself again. Just recently[about 4 months ago] saw a bubble again and not wanting to go through the same ordeal for him or me, I increased the temps from 90 degrees to 95/97 during the day, wet down his food abit more than reg., and made his hide abit warmer so there was less of a difference. After 10 days both of us were back to "normal". I also removed substrate for sleeping quarters and replaced with a baby quilt[left over from my 2 human babies]

 

[APBT_Fanatic]

Sorry if my first post was not clear enough....

The vet said that due to his respiratory problem that he will need to be separated from other tortoises, probably for the rest of his life. She said the medication will hopefully make him asymptomatic, but he probably will never get over it and will always be contagious to other tortoises.

I do NOT necessarily need to put him directly with other torotises, but would like for them to atleast be in the same yard (with a one foot barrier so they can't touch eachother), so they can all be safe in the backyard.-- The sick Sulcata (Cricket) has been only in the front yard (with close supervision), since I was told he was contagious.

After reading your replies, I can see where the vet may have been confused in thinking that when any tortoises (not only the CDT) becomes sick, they need to be separated.