Wheeze in sulcata tortoise

[mojo_1]

Those are correct.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I see that lights in the enclosure are on the mesh top. Are heating fixtures with CHEs placed the same way? If possible, I would move heating and lightning inside the enclosure and cover the top with insulated board. However, you should be careful as CHEs could burn tortoise shell when placed too low.

Another thing, that on 2 feet height UVB lamps are almost useless - they should be around 12-14 inches over shell top.

Also, 4 fixtures with 2 150Wt each is 1200 watts in sum. It seems, would be easier to go with oil-filled radiators for heating... You can check this thread: https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/single-tortoise-night-box.181515/ on how to make warm box for sulcatas. Also, place a thermometer on the ground of the enclosure for 1 hour to get reading of surface temperature (or use an infrared temperature gun) - if the ground is too cold, you might need a Kane mat or pig blanket to make a warm spot. I don't expect it's really needed, but please check.

 

[Tom]

He has jungle floor Cyprus mulch and 4 heat lamps each equipped with 2 150watt ceramic heat emitter. He is in a 4ft wide × 6ft Long × 2ft tall enclosure made of wood. It's brand new, he just got it on tuesday. It's got a couple windows we have just boarded up and I hope it helps keep heat in and make him feel better

That enclosure would be too small for an 8 inch one pound sulcata. He needs more space than that. You are likely to end up with an impacted tortoise or a bladder stone with such a small enclosure for a 20 pound sulcata.

How do you know its 81 degrees if you don't have a thermometer? RIs are typically caused by cool temperatures. The cure for them is warmer temperatures. Your tortoise should not need to go to the vet at all if you warm things up appropriately.

It sounds like you have enough heat in there, but if the heat isn't contained, it will never work. Also, you need heavy duty light fixtures from Home Depot for this application. The little pet store ones will not hold up well and could cause a fire. The home depot ones are cheaper too at around $13.

Heat lamps and CHEs are not a good way to heat larger tortoises. At 4 feet high, and if you monitor them carefully, these might be okay for your application but the fixtures are hanging down a bit, plus the length of the bulb itself, and this puts the bulb at about three feet. If your tortoise is standing, the top of his shell is probably about 12 inches from the floor. Now, in that scenario, there is only 24 inches between your tortoise's carapace and the potentially damaging heat coming from those bulbs. At 20 pounds, it is time for a new heating strategy. The mini radiant oil heaters from Walmart for about $50 work well to maintain a warm ambient temperature. They are both safe and electrically efficient when run on a thermostat and set up correctly. Then you need a way for the tortoise to safely warm up above ambient. Heat lamps will burn the top of the carapace. A Kane mat is always a good thing for a large tortoise enclosure that is on the floor.

If it is 81 degrees at human eye level in a room, you can expect it to be at least 10-15 degrees cooler at the floor, and depending on the floor and what is under the floor, I've seen drops of 20-25 degrees. Check this in your house any time. Set a digital thermometer on top of the fridge or a book shelf high in the room and leave it for a couple of hours. Then set it down on the floor out of the way somewhere and note the difference in temperature. So in a warm 80 degree room, the floor might only be 60-65 degrees and that is what your tortoise's plastron is resting on. It needs to be 80+ down on the floor, which would mean you'd need it to be 95-100 at eye level in a normal open topped enclosure. Using an insulated closed chamber is a game changer for this. If its well insulated and heated reasonably well, the temperature differential between the floor and the ceiling should be substantially less because the heat is contained.

Bottom line for you right now is: Know the temperature at tortoise level, and get things warmed up ASAP. I'd keep this guy at 85-95 24/7 for at least a couple of weeks. Cold causes RIs. Heat cures them. You have a species that comes from an area that is near 100 degrees every day all year long. They stay in burrows that are 80-85 degrees all day and all night, and they warm up daily at the mouth of their burrow in that hot African sun. They don't tolerate colder temperatures well. Soak daily to maintain good hydration with these warmer temps, and keep the water warm for the entire 30-40 minute soak.

 

[AshleeSparling]

Digital Heat Mat Thermostat Controller 40-108°F BN-LINK - BN-LINK

BN-LINK Digital Heat Mat Thermostat Controller For Seed Germination Reptiles And Brewing 40-108 F

www.bn-link.com

How would those attach to a heat

That enclosure would be too small for an 8 inch one pound sulcata. He needs more space than that. You are likely to end up with an impacted tortoise or a bladder stone with such a small enclosure for a 20 pound sulcata.

How do you know its 81 degrees if you don't have a thermometer? RIs are typically caused by cool temperatures. The cure for them is warmer temperatures. Your tortoise should not need to go to the vet at all if you warm things up appropriately.

It sounds like you have enough heat in there, but if the heat isn't contained, it will never work. Also, you need heavy duty light fixtures from Home Depot for this application. The little pet store ones will not hold up well and could cause a fire. The home depot ones are cheaper too at around $13.

Heat lamps and CHEs are not a good way to heat larger tortoises. At 4 feet high, and if you monitor them carefully, these might be okay for your application but the fixtures are hanging down a bit, plus the length of the bulb itself, and this puts the bulb at about three feet. If your tortoise is standing, the top of his shell is probably about 12 inches from the floor. Now, in that scenario, there is only 24 inches between your tortoise's carapace and the potentially damaging heat coming from those bulbs. At 20 pounds, it is time for a new heating strategy. The mini radiant oil heaters from Walmart for about $50 work well to maintain a warm ambient temperature. They are both safe and electrically efficient when run on a thermostat and set up correctly. Then you need a way for the tortoise to safely warm up above ambient. Heat lamps will burn the top of the carapace. A Kane mat is always a good thing for a large tortoise enclosure that is on the floor.

If it is 81 degrees at human eye level in a room, you can expect it to be at least 10-15 degrees cooler at the floor, and depending on the floor and what is under the floor, I've seen drops of 20-25 degrees. Check this in your house any time. Set a digital thermometer on top of the fridge or a book shelf high in the room and leave it for a couple of hours. Then set it down on the floor out of the way somewhere and note the difference in temperature. So in a warm 80 degree room, the floor might only be 60-65 degrees and that is what your tortoise's plastron is resting on. It needs to be 80+ down on the floor, which would mean you'd need it to be 95-100 at eye level in a normal open topped enclosure. Using an insulated closed chamber is a game changer for this. If its well insulated and heated reasonably well, the temperature differential between the floor and the ceiling should be substantially less because the heat is contained.

Bottom line for you right now is: Know the temperature at tortoise level, and get things warmed up ASAP. I'd keep this guy at 85-95 24/7 for at least a couple of weeks. Cold causes RIs. Heat cures them. You have a species that comes from an area that is near 100 degrees every day all year long. They stay in burrows that are 80-85 degrees all day and all night, and they warm up daily at the mouth of their burrow in that hot African sun. They don't tolerate colder temperatures well. Soak daily to maintain good hydration with these warmer temps, and keep the water warm for the entire 30-40 minute soak.

I have a room thermometer that can keeps track of how hot the room is, but not how hot the box is. I'd imagine the box is hoter than the rest of the room that is where I'm getting my estimate. Thank you for your advice, he was a gift when I was young and I just started out on my

This can be an early sign of a respiratory infection. This is usually caused by conditions that are too cool, especially at night. What is the over night low temp on the floor of the enclosure? It should be 80 or higher on the floor.

The wrong lighting, like cfl type UV bulbs, and dry dusty substrate can also cause this sort of thing.

I have gotten a thermometer/ humidity Guage and the readings are, 90° and

My sulcata tortoise has a wheeze. He is 3 years old, a little longer than a foot long and probably around 20lbs. I've had him all his life, and suddenly he is sick. There is no vet who could see him in the area and the nearest one who could possibly take him is closed till Monday. He doesn't have nose bubbles, loss of appetite, lethargy or constipation. He's moving around still and seeking attention, he's just wheezing and I can hear the mucus inside him when he breathes. Please help with any information you can give. What is wrong with him? How can i help him until monday, or longer if they cant see him same day? What could they do for him? How much would it cost?

UPDATE: we saw the emergency vet an hour away and he's going to be alright, not in any kind of critical condition nothing to be to concerned about. He gets an antibiotic shot every 3 days, and I was sent home with some papers to ensure I have the correct information. His treatment was only 45$ for an antibiotic.

My sulcata tortoise has a wheeze. He is 3 years old, a little longer than a foot long and probably around 20lbs. I've had him all his life, and suddenly he is sick. There is no vet who could see him in the area and the nearest one who could possibly take him is closed till Monday. He doesn't have nose bubbles, loss of appetite, lethargy or constipation. He's moving around still and seeking attention, he's just wheezing and I can hear the mucus inside him when he breathes. Please help with any information you can give. What is wrong with him? How can i help him until monday, or longer if they cant see him same day? What could they do for him? How much would it cost?

 

[mojo_1]

How would those attach to a heat

I have a room thermometer that can keeps track of how hot the room is, but not how hot the box is. I'd imagine the box is hoter than the rest of the room that is where I'm getting my estimate. Thank you for your advice, he was a gift when I was young and I just started out on my

I have gotten a thermometer/ humidity Guage and the readings are, 90° and

UPDATE: we saw the emergency vet an hour away and he's going to be alright, not in any kind of critical condition nothing to be to concerned about. He gets an antibiotic shot every 3 days, and I was sent home with some papers to ensure I have the correct information. His treatment was only 45$ for an antibiotic.

You still need to improve his living quarters for correct temperatures and anything else I missed from above. You don't want to write off that the antibiotics is a affordable easy fix. It's not a good practice to play the F#$% around and find out game with the well being of reptiles. The oil filled heater that you have or need to get can be plugged into the thermostat control then the thermostat controller will plug into the wall outlet. Some people use add the thermostat controller to the setup for piece of mind if the oil filled heaters built in thermostat fails.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

1. Place temperature gauge and thermostat probes closer to floor, approximately where top of his shell is. Move the gauges and probes as far from heaters as you can - you need to control ambient temperatures. However, one-time check of hotspot temperature is important as well - to be sure you don't burn his shell under heater (place the gauge/probe for 1 hour under the heater).

2. The information your vet gave to you might be outdated. Better to stick with advice Tom gave you and care sheets for sulcatas on this forum.

3. Please check UVB lights height (I mentioned it before). If you sully won't get outside for weeks under the sun, proper UVB lamps and their placement height are very important.

I understand, that there are many improvements to be done and that might be overwhelming but don't give up. Step by step you'll sort out anything. Just don't get off the radars, post updates and ask questions.

 

[AshleeSparling]

You still need to improve his living quarters for correct temperatures and anything else I missed from above. You don't want to write off that the antibiotics is a affordable easy fix. It's not a good practice to play the F#$% around and find out game with the well being of reptiles. The oil filled heater that you have or need to get can be plugged into the thermostat control then the thermostat controller will plug into the wall outlet. Some people use add the thermostat controller to the setup for piece of mind if the oil filled heaters built in thermostat fails.

I got him a thermometer and a humidifier, and I've been keeping the temperature up. He's been at 95° at the hottest on the hot side and 84° on the cooler side. I'd appreciate it if you could send me the links to the products I need to purchase.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I got him a thermometer and a humidifier, and I've been keeping the temperature up. He's been at 95° at the hottest on the hot side and 84° on the cooler side. I'd appreciate it if you could send me the links to the products I need to purchase.

Hello!
1. How is doing, first of all? Is he getting better?
2. What products are we talking about? There was a lot of things mentioned in this thread

 

[Maggie3fan]

You still need to improve his living quarters for correct temperatures and anything else I missed from above. You don't want to write off that the antibiotics is a affordable easy fix. It's not a good practice to play the F#$% around and find out game with the well being of reptiles. The oil filled heater that you have or need to get can be plugged into the thermostat control then the thermostat controller will plug into the wall outlet. Some people use add the thermostat controller to the setup for piece of mind if the oil filled heaters built in thermostat fails.

I have had an oil filled radiator in my tort shed for about 20 years and it has kept the shed a steady 85 degrees. It's on a controller and works just fine all these years...

 

[AshleeSparling]

Hello!
1. How is doing, first of all? Is he getting better?
2. What products are we talking about? There was a lot of things mentioned in this thread

He was getting better, we messed up his last shot last time and only about half went in and he's not feeling too good today. He gets his next one today, so we are hopeful it will put him back on track. Today he is wheezing hard, and lethargic. Better than he was before we took him, but not as good as he was 5 days ago. He is receiving 4.5ml tuberculin

The products I'm asking for links to are anything that is crucial to his health. Any lights he absolutely needs, heat bulbs and fixtures anything he needs to stay healthy

 

[AshleeSparling]

I have had an oil filled radiator in my tort shed for about 20 years and it has kept the shed a steady 85 degrees. It's on a controller and works just fine all these years...

One ifthese?

 

[mojo_1]

One ifthese?

Yes that is the correct style heater.

 

[AshleeSparling]

Yes that is the correct style heater.

Ok, so I just put it in the same room as him? Would the heat transfer into his box well? It's made of wood

 

[mojo_1]

Ok, so I just put it in the same room as him? Would the heat transfer into his box well? It's made of wood

It should be in his enclosure with him but it needs a barrier wall between the heater and the tort so he doesn't get burnt or knock it over.

 

[mojo_1]

Also look for one of these thermostat controllers that can handle the same watts as the heater you go with. Link is example only.

Digital Heat Mat Thermostat Controller 40-108°F BN-LINK - BN-LINK

BN-LINK Digital Heat Mat Thermostat Controller For Seed Germination Reptiles And Brewing 40-108 F

www.bn-link.com

 

[AshleeSparling]

You still need to improve his living quarters for correct temperatures and anything else I missed from above. You don't want to write off that the antibiotics is a affordable easy fix. It's not a good practice to play the F#$% around and find out game with the well being of reptiles. The oil filled heater that you have or need to get can be plugged into the thermostat control then the thermostat controller will plug into the wall outlet. Some people use add the thermostat controller to the setup for piece of mind if the oil filled heaters built in thermostat fails.

I have purchased an oil filled radiator, is it safe to leave on when unattended? If not, how do you recommend heating him when no one is home (around 6 hours a day he is alone)

 

[mojo_1]

I have purchased an oil filled radiator, is it safe to leave on when unattended? If not, how do you recommend heating him when no one is home (around 6 hours a day he is alone)

Yes get one of these to control it and set the thermostat a little higher (a degree or 2)on the heater.
Inkbird Temperature Controller ITC-306T WiFi Heat Lamp Thermostat Reptile Temperature Controlled Outlet for Heat Mat Fermentation,1200W,10A. https://a.co/d/dGFyXQ1

 

[AshleeSparling]

Yes get one of these to control it and set the thermostat a little higher (a degree or 2)on the heater.
Inkbird Temperature Controller ITC-306T WiFi Heat Lamp Thermostat Reptile Temperature Controlled Outlet for Heat Mat Fermentation,1200W,10A. https://a.co/d/dGFyXQ1

I purchased this, is it sufficient?

 

[mojo_1]

I have purchased an oil filled radiator, is it safe to leave on when unattended? If not, how do you recommend heating him when no one is home (around 6 hours a day he is alone)

It's also good to regularly check and test the heaters to make sure the thermostats are operating properly. Also check temps with a handheld temp gun to insure temps are correct. Having a backup oil radiator heater is a good idea because if the one you have failed it would be at a time when a replacement won't be available.

 

[mojo_1]

I purchased this, is it sufficient?

Yes as long as you're heater isn't over 1200w. I forgot to ask that before posting the link to the thermostat controller.