help needed! my baby leopard suddenly refuses to eat.

[Sidniy]

hi @Lyn W thanks for your concern. the blue plastic container is only used during the night time. for day time he gets plenty of sunlight and there's one time i think he's over heated because even under the shades the temperature rises as high as 45c. without shades, the temperature can goes as high as 50c plus. i think that's how he gets his bubbly nose. heat stroke perhaps? now, during the day time, he's housed under the roof behind my house, it's less heat. around 31c to 35c. he will gets his sunlight around 2 or 3 pm onward until 5 pm. he still walks around if i wakes him up. also, he seems to starts eating the grass i grow for him.

the only problems that's bothering me is
1) his appetite seems up and down,
2) not sure how to deworm him,
3) and the worst of all, his bubbly nose.

as for the shredded paper, i guess he never eats it. i did wonder about that as well previously. so i did check for any bite marks on the papers and there's none. well, of course that method wasn't 100% sure. other than that, whenever i put him back to this plastic container, immediately he finds a nice spot and starts to sleep until the next morning. still the same spot. around 7pm to 5am. other than that, he's a very choosy eater or should i say, low appetite? i tried feeding him hibiscus leaves and flowers, he won't eat it. feed him opuntia pad, a few bites. lettuce, barely eats it. like i said, his appetite is a roller coaster ride. can't really predicts it. so based on these 3 observations, i guess he didn't ate any shredded paper.

please don't get mad at me for making such stupid assumptions. hehehe...

 

[JoesMum]

The bubbly nose is very unlikely to go away without antibiotics (injections from a suitably qualified herp vet) and is probably the most urgent problem.

 

[Sidniy]

The bubbly nose is very unlikely to go away without antibiotics (injections from a suitably qualified herp vet) and is probably the most urgent problem.

oh meaning that i need to get my tort to get injected no matter how? i thought it would just go away just by his own antibody. i worry it would only gets worse after injection. things like side effects or so. btw, what's a herp vet? i think we only have general vet here. no specializations.

 

[Sidniy]

anyone tried using antibiotic drops into nasal chamber? I read at http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/commondisease.html it suggest giving nasal drop. any feedbacks or review? Since mine is a leopard tortoise , it says there they might react by vomiting and frothing at nose and mouth. A bit worried though.

 

[JoesMum]

By a herp vet, I mean one who knows about tortoises.

Here in the UK antibiotics are only available on prescription* (both for humans and animals) so we can only administer them under medical supervision. I have never seen them administered other than by injection. As a tort's nose connects to its mouth - unlike a human - I guess it could work, but it sounds slow and difficult!

*This is because their free use is rendering them useless as the bugs become resistant to the drugs. So you only get them if you need them and then only get the antibiotic that is effective against the bug concerned.

 

[Lyn W]

I have read somewhere on the forum that an antibiotic called Baytril is bad for leopards but you can search that and see what is said by others - just on case that's the one the vey wants to use.
If you think he has worms you will need to take a faecal sample to the vet for testing and if there are worms present in it they will prescribe treatment but it may not be a good idea to give at the same time as an antibiotic.

 

[Sidniy]

I have read somewhere on the forum that an antibiotic called Baytril is bad for leopards but you can search that and see what is said by others - just on case that's the one the vey wants to use.
If you think he has worms you will need to take a faecal sample to the vet for testing and if there are worms present in it they will prescribe treatment but it may not be a good idea to give at the same time as an antibiotic.

thanks for the reminder. i just fed my tortoise fenbendazole. now im observing to see if there's any improvement within this one week. but that's only deworming. hopefully the bubbly nose is caused by the stress from the worm and goes away with the dead worms.

 

[Sidniy]

hi guys, its been few days. finally, i've decided to give antibiotic a try this coming monday. since my vet here is not a herp vet so i need to do a bit of research here. there's few things in concern. anyone with tortoise jab experience may share your experiences as a reference.

all i know Baytril may cause allergic reaction to leopard tortoise

what other possible antibiotic that is suitable or i need to be aware of?
usually how many shots does it takes?
any possible initial reactions?
what is the normal duration for them to heal?

 

[Fredkas]

How is your little leopard doing now?

 

[Sidniy]

How is your little leopard doing now?

hi @Fredkas , its been a while. yeah, well, i brought my baby for injection. the Dr did not told me the antibiotic she's using, even though i asked her. she just told me its antibiotic. cant blame her though, she's not herp vet. well, the bubble seems reduced, but it's still there. asked local breeder to visit their place for references, but they seem 'shy' to let me visit. so it's all up to me. some local 'forummer' suggest i should start with easier species such as sulcata. but what can i do? i'm now stuck with my poor baby. just try my best to give the best to him.

 

[Fredkas]

hi @Fredkas , its been a while. yeah, well, i brought my baby for injection. the Dr did not told me the antibiotic she's using, even though i asked her. she just told me its antibiotic. cant blame her though, she's not herp vet. well, the bubble seems reduced, but it's still there. asked local breeder to visit their place for references, but they seem 'shy' to let me visit. so it's all up to me. some local 'forummer' suggest i should start with easier species such as sulcata. but what can i do? i'm now stuck with my poor baby. just try my best to give the best to him.

Hopefully the little one recover soon.
It looks like there is a myth in both your country and mine about how sulcata is a hardy one. I think they all the same.

 

[cmacusa3]

Hopefully the little one recover soon.
It looks like there is a myth in both your country and mine about how sulcata is a hardy one. I think they all the same.

I raise both and agree both are the same.

 

[Sidniy]

Hopefully the little one recover soon.
It looks like there is a myth in both your country and mine about how sulcata is a hardy one. I think they all the same.

i see. well, the bubble seems lessened. i can usually see it when he wakes up. other than that. rarely. not sure if its a sign of healing or what

 

[Sidniy]

Guys, when should I really really worry about my tortoise? I mean, he's eating and eyes are clear. Sleeps most of the time, assuming that he's still a baby. The only problem is the bubbly nose. well the bubble is clear. But this morning, I saw his bubble was as big as his head. and when he saw me, he was a bit shocked and the bubble pops. It kinda sux not having a herp vet around.

 

[Fredkas]

@Yvonne G should be able to help you. she is well experienced for years.

Btw as usual, please provide his environment temp day and night include the humidity as details as possible in several spot. this will help people help you. don't make assumsion, we need exact temp.
The best is you attach pic in one post all together with all the information to help others help you. this thread is too long for others that not following the thread from the first.
Keep it together in 1 post and you are helping them to help you.

 

[Fredkas]

Update? @Sidniy

 

[Sidniy]

oh hi, its been a while. now i changed him into indoor habitat. prolong under the sun seems hazardous even with shades and everything. now he's house indoor with exo terra solar glo. the spot directly under the light is 60C. the cooler end is 30C. even though its 60c, at least he can stay wherever he wants with suitable temperature. unlike under the sun, heat everywhere.
substrate is top soil mixed with coconut coir. im not sure about substrate. it so messy. he walk all over the place, getting dirt onto his drinking bowl, and food. it's even on his face. And oh, few days before i house him indoor, he seemed to **** a lot. like 3 times a day. is that over hydrated? and i never seen him pass urates. from day 1. is that normal? as for the bubbly nose, it seems reduced. not sure if the soil went into the nose and soak the waterin the nose or really is healping out.

sorry cz no pic yet. my phone under repair. will post pic once i got my phone back. probably next week according to the shop.

btw i made my habitat based on the hatchling husbandry i found certain website and youtube camp kenan tortoise baby care.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

I'm hoping you have your temperatures wrong. You're getting 60C (140F) at tortoise level in your basking spot? That is way too high. Raise your bulb up or replace it with a lower wattage bulb. Your tortoise won't be able to bask in those temperatures.

 

[Sidniy]

yeah i know that too,but that's the maximum height i can get. well, i guess he's ok with that, but not sure. cz he never goes directly under it. he just stay at the border where the temperature is just right. just now i manage to get a pic from my tablet. no need to wait until next week.

not sure if its alright. that bulb actually cost me a lot. it stated there at 4 inch height the temperature is 40C. but when measured, its 60C

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Four inches is way too close. If you can't raise it up higher, move your bin further away from the light (ie. Move it to the side), it's not ideal, but if you're actually getting 60C in the enclosure, you're creating dangerous conditions for your tortoise.