Heavy breathing

[ShreksMom]

Hi everyone. I was wondering if timothy hay could be causing Shreks heavy breathing at rest. I know it is not the best substrate and in a week he will be in FL in much better conditions. I have a vet appt for him on Tuesday just to get him checked before the drive down. Any in put about the dusty timothy hay? He has a killer appetite, no snotty nose and lots of energy. Also I am concerned he isn't drinking enough water because there seems to be quite a bit of uric acid in his urine. Anyway to get him to drink more? Thanks!!

 

[Yvonne G]

You'll just have to experiment. Personally, I won't use any kind of grass hay, or hay at all because I like to moisten all my enclosures. So that lets hay out, because it will mold. It is very dusty. In the wild, tortoises don't have hay in their sleeping places/burrows, it is usually just dirt. So taking away the hay would be the natural thing to do. Why don't you toss the hay and add some shovelsfull of clean dirt from the yard. See if that doesn't help the breathing.

What gives the impression of "heavy breathing?"

When tortoises are young, they move their front legs in and out sort of like a bellows. This helps them to breathe. It is more noticeable in babies. This is perfectly normal.

 

[alysciaingram]

Where in Florida are you relocating? I have an amazing exotics vet here in central fl. If you are local I could send you in his direction.

I also agree with ditching the hay, but I'm not sure if it is causing his heavy breathing. Hopefully you get it sorted out. Best wishes.

 

[ShreksMom]

When I took him up to the vet to get weighed the windows were closed and I could hear him wheeze when he would breath. Then we brought him in the other night due to low temps and I was listening to him while he slept and it sounded like he was breathing heavy. He is 16yo and weighs 37lbs.
I will ditch the timothy hay. Since we are leaving at 3am Saturday morning does he need the dirt? His bedroom has a plywood floor. Again this was a quick temp enclosure I put together for the 2 1/2 weeks before we headed to FL.

We are finally heading back to our home in Orlando after a 2 week that turned into 4 year visit due to my parents health issues and other family issues. Where in central FL is this vet located?

Thank you both for your replies. We really want to do right by him.