Clear discharge from nose in Baby Greek Tortoise

baker27

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Hello, Needing a little help. I have a 5 month old Southern Ibera. I've noticed lately that in the morning when wakes up he has some clear discharge coming from his nose. This has happened after soaking a few times but now it's only in the a.m. By mid morning his nose is clear and dry. He has a very healthy appetite and has gained weight not lost. Temp is about 80 and 95 under his basking light, UVB strip, humidity is around 50%. He is housed in a large Rubbermaid bin and is soaked daily. Can this be Upper Respiratory infection?
 

G-stars

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I wouldn't jump to that conclusion quite yet. Sometimes it's just stress that causes runny noses. How low do your temps go at night?
 

dmmj

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I wouldn't jump to RI, just yet. If it happen after soaks, then it could just be extra discharge, the fact that it seems to be happening reguraly, should be a concern. I would bump up th temp s for now, and watch. Keep an eye out for open mouth breathing, loss o f appetite, swollen eyes.
 

biochemnerd808

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I agree - bumping the night-time temps would help. You can do this by installing a 60W CHE (ceramic heat emitter - Amazon has them, they screw into a dome fixture), and a thermostat (important!) or a dimmer switch (must check temps to get it just right!). Alternatively, a heat pad installed on the SIDE of the enclosure, with some of that insulating bubblewrap-insulation stuff around 3 sides of the enclosure would help keep it warmer at night, too.
 

tortdad

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Hello, Needing a little help. I have a 5 month old Southern Ibera. I've noticed lately that in the morning when wakes up he has some clear discharge coming from his nose. This has happened after soaking a few times but now it's only in the a.m. By mid morning his nose is clear and dry. He has a very healthy appetite and has gained weight not lost. Temp is about 80 and 95 under his basking light, UVB strip, humidity is around 50%. He is housed in a large Rubbermaid bin and is soaked daily. Can this be Upper Respiratory infection?

So it's been a week now, did bumping up the night time temps help?
 

baker27

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He didn't have one for two days but today I noticed a bit of runny nose. It's clear and he still has a great appetite. Have been keeping temps at 82 during the night.
 

baker27

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I should of also said he only was having a runny nose in the mornings. None for 2 days.
 

biochemnerd808

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Have you checked the temps all over the enclosure? Sometimes, especially if the substrate is wet, there are cold spots in an enclosure. If that happens to be at the favorite nighttime hang-out-spot, he might be catching chill at night.
I'd continue the boosted night-time temperatures, probably until baby is 4" or more. Do you have a hot humid hide for this little one?
 

baker27

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I put a heating pad underneath. Temps are about 75 on bottom and cool side. Warm side during day is 90 and baking spot is 95-98. Also put a portable heater in his room see how that works. Thanks you all for the advice. Will let you know how it goes.
 

biochemnerd808

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If you're going to use a heating pad to boost the temps, then I would move it to the SIDE of the enclosure. You don't want to heat the substrate, you want to heat the air. :) Then you can use some of that bubble-wrap insulation material, to wrap around 3 sides of the enclosure to help keep warmth in... and possibly cover part of the top with foil or plexi glass. :) It should be nice and tropical in there.
 

baker27

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I did remove heating pad. Like you said it's not keeping it warm but extra heater I put in the room seems to be working at keeping temps constant. He hasn't had a runny nose in a few days so all the advice everyone has given me has helped! Thank you everyone! Happy New Year!!!
 
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