Hello all! I am a new tortoise mom and rescued my Russian Tortoise Mia from horrible conditions. I have had her for 4 months and although I have done lots of research on Russian tortoises and what their needs are I still have questions. Although I am far from a vet, from what I've researched and read into, she is healthy now! But recently my tortoise has been breathing out a lot especially as she is trying to sleep and after a bit she stops but I was wondering if anyone knew if I should be concerned or not. Thank you in advance for ANY information shared!
Breathing out
- Thread starter amani_saa
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Hi, and welcome to the forum!
I'm not understanding 'breathing out'. In order to breath out she has to have breathed in.
Are you referring to the hissing sound when she draws her head and limbs into her shell? If you are, she is not really hissing. In order to withdraw into their shells, torts need to expel some of the air in their lungs, making a hiss.
That's the only 'breathing out' I can think of.
I'm not understanding 'breathing out'. In order to breath out she has to have breathed in.
Are you referring to the hissing sound when she draws her head and limbs into her shell? If you are, she is not really hissing. In order to withdraw into their shells, torts need to expel some of the air in their lungs, making a hiss.
That's the only 'breathing out' I can think of.
Hello! Thank you for your response! For more clarification, I guess I am asking more about her breathing, it sounds labored sometimes, and I am not sure if that is normal — the hissing sound is different, its something I’m familiar with from other parts of this forum
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Breathing sounds in tortoises are NOT normal. Your tortoise probably has a respiratory problem which is making it difficult for it to breathe without some effort. Have you noticed any discharge from the nostrils when it does the breathing out?
A visit to a good exotics vet who might want to take an X-ray to check the tortoise's lungs would probably be a good idea if you want to spend the $$. The vet could also give the tortoise ceftazidime injections to fight off the infection if he/she feels it is necessary.
Are you talking about the big whoosh sound a tortoise makes when you startle it or pick it up? That's perfectly normal. When they quickly pull in their head and legs it pushes the air out of their lungs, making that sound
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Hello! Thank you for your response! For more clarification, I guess I am asking more about her breathing, it sounds labored sometimes, and I am not sure if that is normal — the hissing sound is different, its something I’m familiar with from other parts of this forum
It does sound like an RI, and I agree with zovick.
In the meantime, raise her temps in her enclosure to 85°F ambient, and keep her humidity up. Soak her daily making sure the water stays warm for the entire soak.
Often an RI can be cured by just increasing temps. But only you can decide if you think she's sick enough for a vet. In any case, keep the increased temps until 2 weeks of no more symptoms have passed.
If you make a little video of the breathing that troubles you, upload it to YouTube and post a link here we can judge for ourselves if there’s a problemHello! Thank you for your response! For more clarification, I guess I am asking more about her breathing, it sounds labored sometimes, and I am not sure if that is normal — the hissing sound is different, its something I’m familiar with from other parts of this forum
