Leopard tortoise with a "cough" ?

[munmaping]

Hello my leopard tortoise has got a bit of a cough like noise going on. He has also got runny eyes and a bit of a bubbly nose....all of this indicates to me a trip to the vets but I just thought I would see what others though before I panic too much. He doesn't have an enclosure as he has free reign of the house and has a box with a basking/uv lamp over it plus he loves a hot water bottle and wheat bag for snuggles. He spends all summer in the garden doing his thing whilst being brought inside at night and over the winter he roams the kitchen. He is doing so right now so when he is awake he seems happy enough, just a bit worried about the noise and snot issue. He's a picky eater so it's hard to feed him in winter at the best of times but his appetite is lower...maybe due to the cold. So any advice on diet would be appreciated also. He's just had an hour long romp in the bath so currently he is on top form trying to eat my shoes in the kitchen! He is definitely spending more time asleep than awake now that it is colder, am I just worrying over nothing and just need to try and keep his fluids up?
I'm not interested in being told off for not having a "house" for him as he used to be in one and would spend all his time trying to climb out and was much happier when left to roam the house. Just need some advice on what to do about the eyes nose and cough that quite frankly sounds like a duck
Pictures are of tyrion displaying snot bubble, watery eyes and snoozing on a wheatbag and hot water bottle.

 

[Taylor T.]

Sounds like he has an RI.

"I'm not interested in being told off for not having a "house" for him"

Well, I'm not going to get into all the bad things about being on the floor, but I do believe that it is the culprit of this RI. At his age, unless you keep your floor heated, it is much too cold for him and could cause an RI.

He does need to be taken to a reptile vet to get antibiotics. If you do not change your husbandry (large heated enclosure!), it will just happen again and again.

Likely the reason his appetite is low, is because he is too cold on the floor and cannot digest his food properly.

He also has an overgrown beak that should be trimmed.

 

[JoesMum]

This tortoise needs to be kept warm - minimum 80F /27C ambient temperature. They are designed to take heat from above not below. A hot water bottle won't be much help as it's not hot enough and the heat is coming from the wrong direction.

It also needs to see a herp vet quickly for anitbiotics.

URI invariably sets in when temperatures are not correct. This tort must be able to bask at 95-100F/35-37C ... Warm humidity is optimum. Cold and damp results in URI


If you would like us to check this tort's encl and lighting over then please post photos

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm not going to "tell you off" but I will say that until you have this tortoise set up in an enclosure, where the temperature is 80F all over the enclosure, he's not going to be able to shake off the R.I. Take off your clothes and lay on the kitchen floor. You may think it's warm enough for the tortoise, but it's pretty cold.

 

[munmaping]

Hello thankyou for your replies. I've got him booked in at the vets tomorrow for a check up and whatever he needs. I should clarify that he has a basking lamp, which is directly above a heat reflecting blanket which heats up according to the heat of whatever is touching it. These keep him lovely and warm to the touch and he has just been keeping me company in the living room...as soon as he snuggles down to sleep I put him back under the lamp which keeps his bed at about 90f during the day, and because of this the blanket stays warm all night especially with the hot water bottles. The house is kept warm and when I spoke to the vet over the phone he said so long as he is eating and drinking, peeing and pooping and is walking rather than dragging himself there is no problem with him how he is being kept (he is doing all of these just not as much as he does in summer). Daily baths keep him hydrated and when he isn't asleep he is following me around. So it's just the nose and eyes that worry me. When he was in a purpose built house (which he was in for three years until July this year) he was forever coughing as we were told a compost/sand substrate was best for him but he just couldn't deal with it and was much happier roaming around. he's an outdoor boy and doesn't like being stuck inside but it's just too cold outside now. I read pumpkin is good for them....is that right?

 

[JoesMum]

I recommend you read the TFO care guides if you haven't already

They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

How to raise a healthy Leopard Tortoise
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

And this has a useful diet sheet
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

This tortoise will require special care to see it through a UK winter. They cannot hibernate.

 

[munmaping]

Oh also I'm going to borrow my friends tortoise nebulizer this evening. See if that helps at all

 

[munmaping]

I recommend you read the TFO care guides if you haven't already

They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

How to raise a healthy Leopard Tortoise
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

And this has a useful diet sheet
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

This tortoise will require special care to see it through a UK winter. They cannot hibernate.

Thankyou for these I will have a read up. I've read so many different opinions over the years of having him I just get so confused and usually end up going with what he seems the most happy with! I know they don't hibernate which is why I've not tried it in the time I've had him.

 

[JoesMum]

Pumpkin may be fed sparingly. See: http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/?plant=229&c=8#.We4LpDPTWEc

You can look foods up for suitability to feed on The Tortoise Table Plant Database
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/

This tortoise will rapidly outgrow the house and needs properly heated outdoor accommodation - take a look at the night boxes used for Sulcatas and Leopards in our Enclosures forum.

Tortoises should not be roaming the house floor. They are away from the heat and UVB they need to be healthy. They are also exposed to hair and dust bunnies that can block the gut.

I and others on this forum have many years of tortoise-keeping experience. Our experience is that not many vets do. Whatever happens do not let your vet give a vitamin injection. It can do more harm than good. Excess vitamin A in particular can cause horrendous skin problems.

 

[munmaping]

Pumpkin may be fed sparingly. See: http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/plant-database/viewplants/?plant=229&c=8#.We4LpDPTWEc

You can look foods up for suitability to feed on The Tortoise Table Plant Database
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/

This tortoise will rapidly outgrow the house and needs properly heated outdoor accommodation - take a look at the night boxes used for Sulcatas and Leopards in our Enclosures forum.

Tortoises should not be roaming the house floor. They are away from the heat and UVB they need to be healthy. They are also exposed to hair and dust bunnies that can block the gut.

I and others on this forum have many years of tortoise-keeping experience. Our experience is that not many vets do. Whatever happens do not let your vet give a vitamin injection. It can do more harm than good. Excess vitamin A in particular can cause horrendous skin problems.

I will take it all into account Thank you

 

[munmaping]

Just a quick update. Took tyrion to the vet and they prescribed antibiotics and eye drops for him. Unfortunately he had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics and I honestly thought we were going to lose him as he looked as if he was at deaths door. So after a few days of trying and hoping he would improve with no such luck, I stopped giving him the antibiotics (saturday) with the idea of starting again on Monday with another type, giving him a day to just rest with no interference apart from his daily soak, eye drops and nebulizer. Come Monday bath time, he is brighter, and afterwards tucked into a plate full of greens and Timothy hay. Today is Wednesday and he has had his soak, his eye drops and 5mins in the nebulizer, and has well and truly emptied his bowels for me! These pictures are today, a very happy and healthy tort. He appears to be making a full recovery by doing what we are doing.

 

[JoesMum]

Fantastic news Well done!