My sulcata is having early signs of respiratory infection- HELP!!

[Lynne T]

He was fine yesterday but today sounds congested, having labored breathing, and has runny nose & puffy eyes.

What should I do first!

 

[Lynne T]

He was fine yesterday but today sounds congested, having labored breathing, and has runny nose & puffy eyes.

What should I do first!

He is about 10-11 in in length- don't know the age.

 

[Lynne T]

 

[dmmj]

He looks pretty big I'm guessing he's housed outside? those symptoms don't usually show up overnight like that. I would keep him in a small enclosure keep him warm & make a vet visit.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Yep, vet visit.
But ensure you visit a herp vet who specializes in tortoises, as regular vets often are next to useless with reptiles.
And don't let them inject vitamins or antibiotics such as baytril, these are best taken orally, it seems. (I am not a vet myself).

 

[Tom]

First, get him warm.

How are you housing him? Where do you live? What is his nighttime heat source and how warm is it in his night shelter?

 

[Lynne T]

i live on The island of Maui in Hawaii. We built him an insulated dog house. It is very warm at nights here (ave 72 deg), and his enclosure gets warmer- maybe 75 at night.
Tom. is the weekend. I 'll see how he is first thing in the am. Sadly we dn have many choices for vets here but we took him about 6 mos. ago for physical- i will go there if need to.
Just wondering.... How fast can a tortoise go downhill once first symptoms occur?

APPRECIATE ALL YOUR FEEDBACK!!

Mahalo!!

Lynne

 

[Lynne T]

I think he may have gotten sick from me dripping handfuls of water over his face because I cut some grasses to feed him and it gets all over his face and blocks his eyes & nose. Should i NOT be doing this?!

Thanks again,

Lynne

 

[Lynne T]

And he often goes into his house with his head wet after eating. But it is quite warm in there from all day sunshine.

Appreciate any advice or comments:

Lynne

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Damp and cold is a problem. 72 is cold by sulcata standards. And if that's an average temp, I assume you have lower lows too. If he's sick, find a way to keep him at 85F overnight. Don't let temperatures for him go under 80F, especially if it's humid or he is wet.

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum!

I'd suggest a visit to the vet asap.

 

[dmmj]

if he is open mouth breathing that's the last sign to show up for an RI. he needs to see a vet as soon as possible and if temperatures are 75 at night you should have a heated night box in my opinion.

 

[Lynne T]

Damp and cold is a problem. 72 is cold by sulcata standards. And if that's an average temp, I assume you have lower lows too. If he's sick, find a way to keep him at 85F overnight. Don't let temperatures for him go under 80F, especially if it's humid or he is wet.

Ik

if he is open mouth breathing that's the last sign to show up for an RI. he needs to see a vet as soon as possible and if temperatures are 75 at night you should have a heated night box in my opinion.

ok will

 

[Lynne T]

Thanks all! I will get him to a vet today. We found "weezie" about a yr ago and were not prepared for housing and care. We are learning as we go. Joining this forum has been the best thing ever! We have been scouring internet prior and getting answers would take sometimes hours or even days.

U will ket u all know how things go.


Thanks again,

Lynne

 

[maui sulcata]

Do you still have this Sulcata?