Mycoplasma, night time heat and adoption

HinoaSan

Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2021
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Portland, OR
Hi all! I have a question about mycoplasma, night time heat and adoption. I have been fostering a male Hermann’s tortoise who was diagnosed with mycoplasma by a vet soon after I got him. He got a round of antibiotic shots and the vet said he was doing well in a follow up appointment. However, I know that mycoplasma is a lifelong thing and I need to keep him from being stressed.

I told the vet that I was worried about him getting cold at night and getting sick again because he only slept under his heat lamps. (68-70 in the cool side of his enclosure, 85-95 under the heat lamps, read with a temp gun.) So the vet said I could keep his heat lamps on 24/7. However, now I’m learning that is bad because it messes up their circadian rhythm. So I ordered a radiant heat panel to make sure he at least has a warm spot at night. I’m so scared to just turn off the lights at night since he still sleeps on the warm side most of the time. Do you think he'll adjust ok?

Also, I’d like to find him a permanent home at some point and was thinking I’d contact a rescue since I'm not sure how to best vet a potential adopter myself. But will rescues work with a tortoise that has mycoplasma? I’m not in a rush to get him adopted and want him to have a great home with lots of room to roam because he is so active.

Any thoughts or insights you have would be much appreciated! Thanks! :)

IMG_3132 copy.jpg
 

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
Personally I would hook him up with a CHE on a rheostat, or maybe a RHP put on the side, not under. Mycoplasma presents with a respiratory infection, for that reason his temperatures should never go below 75. I'd keep low at 80. Just because he's had antibiotics and may be better right now, a low temp, would bring on a cough and a snotty nose. Using the word mycoplasma...it's a bacterium without walls, a cell without walls is resistant to antibiotics. So he's ok now, but somehow he gets sick again, more antibiotics, ok now, sick again, antibiotics ad infinitum. It's something like, a beautiful sunny day, he's outside in his pen, he spends all day cool under a bush, yellow snot gushing from his nose. And that is how it goes for years. Our experts here will give you the textbook biological version, I gave you my personal experience. I think that vet has his head up you know where. Every freakin body knows one is NEVER over mycoplasma. It's crappy to deal with year after year, but on the other hand, you get really good at handling the disease yourself. He needs care to make sure his nares are not plugged crusty. Most tortoise keepers won't want a tortoise with that disease as it spreads easily thru droplets and that animal has to be kept in quarantine forever.
It is mycoplasma that decimated the Gopherus agassizii in the Mojave Desert.
 

method89

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
May 15, 2019
Messages
1,384
Location (City and/or State)
Malverne, NY
Your Temps are all off... 95-100 basking. 80-85 ambient. If your enclosure stays at 70 or above you don't need night heat




 

Jan A

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2021
Messages
1,808
Location (City and/or State)
Boulder, CO
Your Temps are all off... 95-100 basking. 80-85 ambient. If your enclosure stays at 70 or above you don't need night heat




So Method89, are you telling the foster caregiver to not keep the ambient temperature 75 or higher at night, that 70 is ok for the sick tort? Your instructions are confusing to me.
 

method89

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
May 15, 2019
Messages
1,384
Location (City and/or State)
Malverne, NY
If the enclosure stays at 70 or above(without any added heat) at night then additional heat is not required. Raising the daytime temperature to the appropriate Temps should be done immediately.
The daytime enclosure Temps are all too cold, sick tort or not.
 

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
Your Temps are all off... 95-100 basking. 80-85 ambient. If your enclosure stays at 70 or above you don't need night heat




Sorry, you are wrong about nighttime heat. We are talking about an animal who could sicken and die without nighttime heat. I have many years of experience keeping tortoises with mycoplasma, and they simply cannot live and will die without heat at night, it is serious with them, they should not ever go below 80 degrees
 

ZenHerper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
2,078
Location (City and/or State)
New Jersey
...

It can be cured.

If you can find a practitioner competent and experienced enough to undertake that treatment protocol.

This is Dr. Boyer's web page for anyone in reach of San Diego, CA. Or who's local vet wants to ask for a consult:
 

method89

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
May 15, 2019
Messages
1,384
Location (City and/or State)
Malverne, NY
Sorry, you are wrong about nighttime heat. We are talking about an animal who could sicken and die without nighttime heat. I have many years of experience keeping tortoises with mycoplasma, and they simply cannot live and will die without heat at night, it is serious with them, they should not ever go below 80 degrees
@maggie3fan I would never argue against your experience. You have forgotten more about torts than I could even hope to learn. I will still stand by my statement that the OP's temps are still off and that the daytime temps all need to be raised.
 

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
@maggie3fan I would never argue against your experience. You have forgotten more about torts than I could even hope to learn. I will still stand by my statement that the OP's temps are still off and that the daytime temps all need to be raised.
Thanks, my only disagreement was the night temps.
 

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest

It can be cured.
Since when? Please tell me how as I currently have a tortoise that has been positive for mycoplasma for 20 years or so.
If you can find a practitioner competent and experienced enough to undertake that treatment protocol.

This is Dr. Boyer's web page for anyone in reach of San Diego, CA. Or who's local vet wants to ask for a consult:
So that site brags about the Vet, but I couldn't find anything to do with mycoplasma.
 

ZenHerper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
2,078
Location (City and/or State)
New Jersey
Since when? Please tell me how as I currently have a tortoise that has been positive for mycoplasma for 20 years or so.

So that site brags about the Vet, but I couldn't find anything to do with mycoplasma.

The article in the post Kap linked details the treatment this vet has designed.

In brief, it involves sedating the tort; placing it on its back; blocking the airways in the throat; using saline to flush pus and gunk from the nasal sinuses out through the mouth; filling the sinuses (from inside) with medicated fluids (third generation antibiotic + steroid); manually expressing the medicated sinus contents out through the nostrils; then repeating the sinus lavage until the fluid coming out the nose runs clear (no visible pus). The entire treatment is repeated 2-4 more times (Dr. Boyer uses no sedation after the first treatment), depending on whether symptoms return.

I'm guessing its expensive.
 

HinoaSan

Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2021
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Portland, OR
Thank you everyone so much for all of the good advice! I will increase the temps in his enclosure today and will side mount the RHP when it arrives. :)

And thank you for the articles by Dr. Boyer. I’m still working my way through the first one, but the various tests that he describes in the article got me thinking- I’m not actually sure if my vet’s office tested my Hermann’s for mycoplasma. I wasn’t there for the exam (they took him in the back) and when they came out they told me he had mycoplasma and gave me danofloxacin injections. Looking at the invoice now I don’t see a charge for any tests and the only symptom he had when I took him in was sneezing. He never had any nasal discharge.

I’ll still assume he has mycoplasma and take care of him accordingly, but now I’m wondering if I should contact the vet or look into the ELISA test mentioned in the first article. I like my vet and don’t think he was trying to dupe me or anything. Maybe he was just being extra cautious in his mycoplasma diagnosis or maybe they did a test I’m unaware of? I should probably call them.

Thanks everyone! I've never taken care of a tortoise or any kind of reptile before, so this has been quite the learning curve for me and my wallet! ?
 

ZenHerper

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2020
Messages
2,078
Location (City and/or State)
New Jersey
The second version of Dr. Boyer's work is more streamlined. It contains a lot of information about what other types of chronic illness in torts can cause these symptoms. Herpes being a common one. Print or send that pdf to your vet's office for their review.

If they feel they are over their head, that should come across.
 

Sue Ann

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2019
Messages
436
Location (City and/or State)
chapin , South Carolina
Hi all! I have a question about mycoplasma, night time heat and adoption. I have been fostering a male Hermann’s tortoise who was diagnosed with mycoplasma by a vet soon after I got him. He got a round of antibiotic shots and the vet said he was doing well in a follow up appointment. However, I know that mycoplasma is a lifelong thing and I need to keep him from being stressed.

I told the vet that I was worried about him getting cold at night and getting sick again because he only slept under his heat lamps. (68-70 in the cool side of his enclosure, 85-95 under the heat lamps, read with a temp gun.) So the vet said I could keep his heat lamps on 24/7. However, now I’m learning that is bad because it messes up their circadian rhythm. So I ordered a radiant heat panel to make sure he at least has a warm spot at night. I’m so scared to just turn off the lights at night since he still sleeps on the warm side most of the time. Do you think he'll adjust ok?

Also, I’d like to find him a permanent home at some point and was thinking I’d contact a rescue since I'm not sure how to best vet a potential adopter myself. But will rescues work with a tortoise that has mycoplasma? I’m not in a rush to get him adopted and want him to have a great home with lots of room to roam because he is so active.

Any thoughts or insights you have would be much appreciated! Thanks! :)

View attachment 319006
Beautiful tortoise
 

HinoaSan

Member
Joined
Feb 14, 2021
Messages
12
Location (City and/or State)
Portland, OR
The second version of Dr. Boyer's work is more streamlined. It contains a lot of information about what other types of chronic illness in torts can cause these symptoms. Herpes being a common one. Print or send that pdf to your vet's office for their review.

If they feel they are over their head, that should come across.
Good idea, thanks!
 

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
This seems to be an updated/revised version of Dr. Boyer's treatment from the 2013 Proceedings of the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians:


Combines a single session of in-clinic lavage (minus steroid) under anesthesia with at-home treatments.
Well, I read all that and the funny thing is...That is EXACTLY how I have been treating this tortoise for years. His name is and has been "Abcess Nose" for about 20 years. Daily for years I did a nasal flushing, un-plugging his nares, soaking in antibiotics and injecting antibiotics for freakin years, and to see some fancyass Vet comes onto the scene and describes my care to this tortoise for over 20 years. Guess I shoulda been a Vet...
 

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
Well, I read all that and the funny thing is...That is EXACTLY how I have been treating this tortoise for years. His name is and has been "Abcess Nose" for about 20 years. Daily for years I did a nasal flushing, un-plugging his nares, soaking in antibiotics and injecting antibiotics for freakin years, and to see some fancyass Vet comes onto the scene and describes my care to this tortoise for over 20 years. Guess I shoulda been a Vet...
Hey Y, did you read this?
 

New Posts

Top