Leopard problem maybe...

[Mao Senpai]

So my big Leopard has been.... well I'm not sure what to think of it but seems like she would sneeze once in a while... or wheeze. When I first got her back in ... August she always had a running/bbubly nose once in a while. I would probably say once a week or something. I don't think it's RI but I could be wrong since my other leopards don't have any issue with runny nose or breathing funny. It started off with some hard wheezing but lately (its been a week) she would occasionally sneeze or just sounds like a release of air. Every few hours or so. No behavior has changed... still bask under the light and gets excited and eats and poops and curious on what I'm doing and such. The only thing I can recall I changed was I've been adding that TNT powder but... I used it for a week with no change and lately I've stopped using it for a week and the symptoms haven't gone away. I also noticed she has no more runny nose or bubbles which is good I suppose? I forgot to mention, she doesn't breath from her mouth or anything either and for the most part acts normal. I've changed the substrate thinking it may have been something from the mulch but no change on her.... just getting concerned and what I should do at this point.

 

[Neal]

When she sneezes or wheezes does she open her mouth and stretch her neck?

 

[Mao Senpai]

When she sneezes or wheezes does she open her mouth and stretch her neck?

Hmm not usually. At first she would be wheezing I would say fairly frequently. Lately it's becoming less and less. She sometimes does at first but not as of recent. I just remembered it was also during my bulb change to the megaray new bulb they sent me and the glass..... was almost clear which now makes me wonder. I switched in the old bulb I had just to see if that made any difference. I also noticed it seems to only happen if she is awake. When sleeping there is none of that wheezing or wierd sneeze.

 

[dmmj]

That is a quandary, sounds like it could be an RI but she is still active and eating which usually does not happen when they are sick. Personally I would schedule a vet visit, not being an owner of leopards I am no expert, I do seem to recall that some leopards have runny noses. anyone else wanna chime in?

 

[yagyujubei]

It sounds to me like a mild but chronic respiratory infection. It's great that she's eating, but I might schedule a vet visit sometime in the near future. Maybe have a fecal done as well. In my experience usually when I suspected that there was a problem, there was a problem. Are the eyes frequently wet ( darker around them)or dry? Probably the best I can say would be to keep a close eye on her, and if the symptoms get worse, or new symptoms, have your vet chech her out. Good Luck.

 

[Mao Senpai]

The eyes are perfectly fine as well.... the next few days if it doesn't go away, I'm going to bring her in to get her checked out since its been worrying me.

 

[Robert]

Good luck Mao. Keep us posted.

 

[John]

mao what is the humidity like where you live is it very low right now?

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

Oh Mao that is nerve racking! Finally the weather is turning around for us and now this! PM me is you think there is anything Rob or I could do to help.[/align]

 

[Neal]

When she sneezes or wheezes does she open her mouth and stretch her neck?

Hmm not usually. At first she would be wheezing I would say fairly frequently. Lately it's becoming less and less. She sometimes does at first but not as of recent. I just remembered it was also during my bulb change to the megaray new bulb they sent me and the glass..... was almost clear which now makes me wonder. I switched in the old bulb I had just to see if that made any difference. I also noticed it seems to only happen if she is awake. When sleeping there is none of that wheezing or wierd sneeze.

Sometimes when a tortoise has RI it could lead to breathing problems and possibly pneumonia in some cases. I don't want to raise any alarms as I am not a vet, and from your description it doesn't seem as serious as pneumonia. They stretch their necks out and gape their mouth because they can't breathe through their nose due to the blockage. When they do this they make a squeaking or wheezing sound, so that's why I ask.

I have an article I can scan and send to you about RI, it's not much different from the stuff on the net. Wouldn't get around to it till later tonight though.

Even a sick tortoise will eat and poop normally. How big is he? Again, I wouldn't be too alarmed, but it seems like a vet visit is in order. Until then, like Squamata asked, what is the humidity like in the enclosure? I'm not making this suggestion as everyday husbandry, but if you can get him in an area that's close to 90 degrees and humidity above 80% that will help. At least it has in my experience. Egg incubators work really great for this.

It also could be nothing at all, I'm only making guesses so please don't take this as a diagnosis or anything.

 

[Mao Senpai]

Yeah at first I thought of RI or pneumonia but things just didn't match up. So I changed back to the lamp two days ago... and for the last few hours no noise at all. I sprayed her with water and such and she's back to normal again. Which makes no sense to me. It could be the lamp or she could have just gotten better. I am gonna keep an eye on her for a few more days. Then I'll switch it back to the megaray bulb just to see if that really was it or not. I... never really heard of a lamp making them wheeze which blows my mind. But right now there she is... as if nothing ever happened, eating and looking at me. The humidity has been up and down so I try to spray them every few hours since it is pretty dry. But it's up in the 60-70's as I try to keep it. Oh and the size is 3 1/2 inch.

 

[Balboa]

Can you give some specifics on the lamps, obviously one is megaray, what's the other, wattage? etc.

What comes to mind is that IF it is in any way related to the lamps, (which yes seems unlikely) it could be from radically different output levels.

 

[Mao Senpai]

I take it back :\, heard a wheeze tonight. Oh for the lamps I have a few. Zoo med, t-rex active uv heat and the megaray. Since she is still doing it I'm going to guess its nothing to do with the lamps... I'm going to schedule an appointment with the vet and see what they say.

 

[Mao Senpai]

Well as an update, I've taken them to the vet and they took x-rays and all that. They think it was some what more of a sinus infection rather than something severe like RI. Since the lungs look clear. So she's on antibiotics for now just in case. The next couple of weeks we'll see if it clears up and such... whew glad it was nothing serious. On the bright side, I got a fecal test done and that came out negative. Yay!

 

[Robert]

Thanks for the update Mao. I hope you were happy with the vet recommendation. We like her, but I know that a vet relationship can be a personal thing.

Hope your tort is getting better.

 

[Mao Senpai]

I was very happy with the vet, as with all medical related things it was just ouch and wasn't ready for it but it's been taken cared of I'm just looking foward to her being better. She told me... it could be because the tort has been having an on going problem and finally got better if that makes any sense. Since when I got her she already had bubbly nose once in a blue moon. Just recently it went away for good. Ah well, a few weeks from now she shall be back to normal with maybe a personality change since she is on the mend.