My Redfoot Tortoises have mycoplasma. PLEASE HELP!

[BradKellerDA]

Can anyone help me with some information on mycoplasma? My vet just diagnosed my group of Redfoot Tortoises with it. I have several other species (all in separate pens) and I'm worried about them all getting it. Any information on this situation would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dmmj]

it's spread through the body fluids mucus blood & semen

 

[BradKellerDA]

So as long as they don't come in direct contact with the other tortoises, the other ones will be alright?

 

[dmmj]

So as long as they don't come in direct contact with the other tortoises, the other ones will be alright?

exactly

 

[dmmj]

Was you heard of reddoots bought from different sources?

 

[BradKellerDA]

what you heard of reddoots brought from different sources?

I got these guys a few months back. This is my first time hearing about mycoplasma and it sounds pretty serious. Like it could wipe out my whole collection.

 

[Yvonne G]

It's unusual for RF tortoises to have this. They must have come into contact with a tortoise that had it.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090023314002366

If you're careful and don't step into other tortoise yards in the same shoes, etc. your other tortoises should be safe.

A tortoise with mycoplasma can still live a long and healthy life. He needs to be kept separate from other tortoises and kept in a stress-free environment. The symptoms go away, but the bug never does, so stress may cause the symptoms to flare up.

This paragraph should be of interest to you:

" Although aerosol transmission is possible, control gopher tortoises housed in pens adjacent to clinically affected tortoises did not become clinically diseased or seroconvert, suggesting that M. agassizii did not travel even relatively short distances over low (0.7 m) barriers ( McLaughlin, 1997)."

 

[BradKellerDA]

Thank you so much for all the information, Yvonne. That paragraph at the bottom makes me feel a lot better. I'm so worried about now having a group of infected tortoises infecting the rest of my collection. Have you ever dealt with this situation before??

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, on a daily basis. I operate a turtle and tortoise rescue in California and my most frequent rescues are desert tortoises. Most of them are infected, but without symptoms. I also have my own collection of over 100 turtles and tortoises and have never had any of my collection infected.

 

[enchilada]

#TORTOISESLIVESMATTER

wish we could find a cure soon

 

[BradKellerDA]

Yes, on a daily basis. I operate a turtle and tortoise rescue in California and my most frequent rescues are desert tortoises. Most of them are infected, but without symptoms. I also have my own collection of over 100 turtles and tortoises and have never had any of my collection infected.

How far do you keep your turtles and tortoises away from the infected ones? I have some that are infected and aren't infected in the same room but are in separate pens. Also can I keep the group of infected ones together in the same pen? They're all Redfoots that are in the same enclosure or should I separate them in all different pens? Also, what if they were to breed? Is that possible with them being infected and if so would the babies be infected with mycoplasma? Thanks for all the help!!!

 

[Yvonne G]

We've all just taken your vet's word for it, but I feel I must ask - how did your vet arrive at the mycoplasma conclusion? It takes a blood test to diagnose.

They share a fence.

 

[BradKellerDA]

We've all just taken your vet's word for it, but I feel I must ask - how did your vet arrive at the mycoplasma conclusion? It takes a blood test to diagnose.

They share a fence.

I took my Redfoots to the vet because they were showing signs of a respiratory infection. When I got there, the vet wanted to do blood work to make sure it wasn't mycoplasma that they were suffering from. When the results came back, it showed that they were positive for mycoplasma.

So you use a fence to separate the ones that you have that are infected from the ones that are not? I'm sorry for all the questions, I'm just really freaking out over this. I want to contain the infection and keep it from spreading to my other tortoises. Unfortunately, being in Ohio, I had to move most of them in for the winter. They don't share pens but they are in joining pens. The ones that have it have never been in the same pen as any of the others but I'm worried now that they are indoors its going to wipe out my collection. This is such a bummer.

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, they are in adjoining yards and I work with the infected ones (feeding, watering, cleaning) last.

 

[sibi]

Keep in mind that transmission can also be made by just having stepped in urine, poop, or semen and then walking over to a healthy pen. Also, if your pens are separated by some fencing, are you sure that urine or other fluids won't run off into a healthy pen? Your best bet is to sterilize everything when dealing with your animals.

And your question about hatchlings? I would keep the eggs separated. I don't think it can be passed on genetically, but I would check into it if I were you.