Is my tortoise sick?

jessstapley

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hi I have just recently got a hermanns tortoise called Toulouse. She is around 2 years old. I have noticed today that she was blowing some clear bubbles out her nose I know this can be a sign of uri or maybe just stress. Other then the bubbles she has been settling in great, she’s very active and eats like a champ. She has done a poo every day. The substrate that she’s on is echo earth. I use a mercury vapour bulb that has a hotspot of around 95 degrees Celsius and her cool side is around 75 degrees Celsius. I also take her outside in the sun for at least an hour a day so she can graze on my lawn and give her daily soaks. I did notice that the substrate was quite dry by the heat lamp so could this have irritated her and caused the bubbles? I have since dampened it and I will make sure I’m spraying it more regularly then before. Should I keep an eye on her to see if she does it again or just take her to the vets ASAP?

Bellow I have attached some photos of her that I took.
97BCD676-FC93-4794-8A80-4032408CED0B.jpeg 264995E4-8B52-4D91-BC09-D177CB0B6463.jpeg 8FBA2892-C756-4DE4-AC1F-44292A48146B.jpeg 49256FAF-389A-4437-87E1-59A7B56F21E6.jpeg
 

TechnoCheese

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Your care sounds pretty good and I don’t really see anything that would be an indication of RI other than the bubbles, so I would just watch her. As long as she’s eating and active, she should be fine :)
 

jessstapley

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Your care sounds pretty good and I don’t really see anything that would be an indication of RI other than the bubbles, so I would just watch her. As long as she’s eating and active, she should be fine :)

Okay thank you I’m quite a worrier so I just wanted to be safe. I’ll make sure to keep a close eye on her this week which won’t be a problem as I’m off for the summer. I’ll make sure to post on this thread if I have an updates.
 

Tom

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I would increase temps 5-10 degrees all around until 2 weeks after symptoms disappear. Just to be safe. Soak daily during this time to make sure she stays well hydrated during this time of higher heat and dryness. Also make sure the soak water stays warm.
 

jessstapley

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I would increase temps 5-10 degrees all around until 2 weeks after symptoms disappear. Just to be safe. Soak daily during this time to make sure she stays well hydrated during this time of higher heat and dryness. Also make sure the soak water stays warm.

Thank you for the advice, so should I increase the temp of the basking spot to like 100-105? I’ve been soaking daily for about 15-20 minutes with water changes so it stays warm, should I increase this for longer while the symptoms are around? I soak before feeding in the morning but I could also do an afternoon soak while I have her in the garden if that would be best. I thought I should also note that the only time I’ve noticed the bubbles is when she wakes up from a nap in the day. Thanks for your help :)
 

Tom

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Thank you for the advice, so should I increase the temp of the basking spot to like 100-105? I’ve been soaking daily for about 15-20 minutes with water changes so it stays warm, should I increase this for longer while the symptoms are around? I soak before feeding in the morning but I could also do an afternoon soak while I have her in the garden if that would be best. I thought I should also note that the only time I’ve noticed the bubbles is when she wakes up from a nap in the day. Thanks for your help :)
Yes and yes. I prefer to soak later in the day, but it is fine to do it in the morning too.
 

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