Voldetort92
New Member
Hello,
I am new here so sorry if I am posting in the wrong place.
I have had my hermanns tortoise for about 12 years, since he was 7 years old.
I didn’t keep him very well for a long time, partly due to where I was living but also my mental health has always been poor and I have struggled to meet his needs.
Eventually he got both a fungal and bacterial respiratory infection, he was taken to a specialist vet and had treatment. I moved home but into a flat where he was kept in a tortoise table for a year and he seemed the happiest and healthiest he’d ever been. And I was in a much better place also.
I purchased my own home this year and was excited to finally be able to give him an even better set up after letting him down for so long.
All fine to start with with very warm UK weather when we moved, he had the run of the garden with a house to retreat to overnight. However as got colder I noticed he began to whistle again like before.
I took him to another specialist vet who did an X-ray as we couldn’t afford a CT and he saw something at the top of the lungs which he felt at this stage would likely be scarring from the previous infection that was being irritated by the cold, and advised we keep him warmer and raise humidity. There is no discharge from nose or mouth and his attitude hasn’t changed.
I am worried as, what if it isn’t scarring but another infection? I am not hibernating this year because of this doubt. Also should I ever hibernate if he has scarring if this makes him more vulnerable?
also as I work full time neither myself or my partner feel happy to keep heat lamps on all day when we aren’t home, if we had a fire our two cats may die and we would lose our home. I had the idea to simulate his days whilst we are home asleep and then simulate his night time when we are at work but he bangs in his table a lot of nights and we cannot sleep.
the only place we can keep him at the moment that is warm enough is a spare room upstairs
I do not know what to do anymore, I wonder if it is best to rehome to someone more experienced. I did contact the TPG but they haven’t got back to me after an initial response and a local tortoise society isn’t responding either.
does anyone have any advice, please
I am new here so sorry if I am posting in the wrong place.
I have had my hermanns tortoise for about 12 years, since he was 7 years old.
I didn’t keep him very well for a long time, partly due to where I was living but also my mental health has always been poor and I have struggled to meet his needs.
Eventually he got both a fungal and bacterial respiratory infection, he was taken to a specialist vet and had treatment. I moved home but into a flat where he was kept in a tortoise table for a year and he seemed the happiest and healthiest he’d ever been. And I was in a much better place also.
I purchased my own home this year and was excited to finally be able to give him an even better set up after letting him down for so long.
All fine to start with with very warm UK weather when we moved, he had the run of the garden with a house to retreat to overnight. However as got colder I noticed he began to whistle again like before.
I took him to another specialist vet who did an X-ray as we couldn’t afford a CT and he saw something at the top of the lungs which he felt at this stage would likely be scarring from the previous infection that was being irritated by the cold, and advised we keep him warmer and raise humidity. There is no discharge from nose or mouth and his attitude hasn’t changed.
I am worried as, what if it isn’t scarring but another infection? I am not hibernating this year because of this doubt. Also should I ever hibernate if he has scarring if this makes him more vulnerable?
also as I work full time neither myself or my partner feel happy to keep heat lamps on all day when we aren’t home, if we had a fire our two cats may die and we would lose our home. I had the idea to simulate his days whilst we are home asleep and then simulate his night time when we are at work but he bangs in his table a lot of nights and we cannot sleep.
the only place we can keep him at the moment that is warm enough is a spare room upstairs
I do not know what to do anymore, I wonder if it is best to rehome to someone more experienced. I did contact the TPG but they haven’t got back to me after an initial response and a local tortoise society isn’t responding either.
does anyone have any advice, please