Hey all, I'm brand new to the site, so please forgive me if I'm jumping the gun by jumping right into a post in possibly the wrong place, but I'm looking for some possible advice from experienced keepers. I've had my first Russian Tortoise, Ceaser, now just about a month. Got her from Petco. She was doing well for the first two weeks almost, eating fine, active, couldn't have acted healthier. Then she started having trouble with her left eye, she was keeping it closed and rubbing at it. I thought of maybe dehydration, so I started giving her daily soaks, but a few days later she started not eating. So off to the vet it was, I didn't want to take any chances.
The vet didn't seem to like the looks of her a whole lot. They pried her poor mouth open, obv with some difficulty, and I felt so bad for her. A part (layer?) of her jaw actually fell off, the vet said due to a bad calcium deficiency. Due to the color of her tongue I guess the vet also said there was a good chance she had reptile herpes. The vet sent me home with the following instructions/meds: an injection of ceftazidime (an anitbiotic) once every three days, 0.5 mL of acyclovir (an antiviral) once a day by mouth, 0.3 mL of calcium gluconate suspension once a day (for a week, then cut back to twice weekly) by mouth, have to start force feeding if she doesn't eat, up the temps in her enclosure, keep up the daily soakings, flush her eyes with saline, and get cod liver oil in her twice a week for the vitamin A. I have been doing the best I can. Obviously, it's very challenging to pry her poor sore mouth open every day, very stressful to both of us but I will do what has to be done if it helps.
She is currently in about a 30 gallon tank, I know tanks are not recommended but I need something to keep cats out and I figured it would be ok to at least start her out in. I am looking at other options, like building something, but I want to make sure I get the dimensions right before I put the work into it.
I was using only the coconut coir substrate, but after doing some reading, figured that might be too dry by itself and contributing to the eye issue, so I changed the entire tank last night and mixed 50% sand into the fresh coir to try to help keep it moist. The humidity is currently about 65.
Temps: I did originally only have a 75 watt basking bulb and was attaining temps of about 75 on the warm end and 60 on the low end. Since the vet visit, I shot up to a 150 watt daytime bulb and have been getting warm temps of about 90 and low temps of about 70. Also got a red 100 watt nighttime bulb, which keep the temps about what they were on the original 75 watt.
UV: I have a hood style flourescent bulb, ReptiSun 5.0. After some more reading, I think I have to get a 10.0, but I know not to get the compact style due to possible eye damage.
Anybody that has read this far and can give me any advice, I highly appreciate it. I'm nervous about forcing liquid into her, we have both made it almost a week now of doing it every day (vet was last Tuesday) but obv it's tough on both of us. And no signs of wanting to eat. I don't know at this point if I should concentrate on changing her environment totally, or just try to implement smaller changes, like the UV bulb (I am also working on very limited funds for right now). I'm worried about her...
The vet didn't seem to like the looks of her a whole lot. They pried her poor mouth open, obv with some difficulty, and I felt so bad for her. A part (layer?) of her jaw actually fell off, the vet said due to a bad calcium deficiency. Due to the color of her tongue I guess the vet also said there was a good chance she had reptile herpes. The vet sent me home with the following instructions/meds: an injection of ceftazidime (an anitbiotic) once every three days, 0.5 mL of acyclovir (an antiviral) once a day by mouth, 0.3 mL of calcium gluconate suspension once a day (for a week, then cut back to twice weekly) by mouth, have to start force feeding if she doesn't eat, up the temps in her enclosure, keep up the daily soakings, flush her eyes with saline, and get cod liver oil in her twice a week for the vitamin A. I have been doing the best I can. Obviously, it's very challenging to pry her poor sore mouth open every day, very stressful to both of us but I will do what has to be done if it helps.
She is currently in about a 30 gallon tank, I know tanks are not recommended but I need something to keep cats out and I figured it would be ok to at least start her out in. I am looking at other options, like building something, but I want to make sure I get the dimensions right before I put the work into it.
I was using only the coconut coir substrate, but after doing some reading, figured that might be too dry by itself and contributing to the eye issue, so I changed the entire tank last night and mixed 50% sand into the fresh coir to try to help keep it moist. The humidity is currently about 65.
Temps: I did originally only have a 75 watt basking bulb and was attaining temps of about 75 on the warm end and 60 on the low end. Since the vet visit, I shot up to a 150 watt daytime bulb and have been getting warm temps of about 90 and low temps of about 70. Also got a red 100 watt nighttime bulb, which keep the temps about what they were on the original 75 watt.
UV: I have a hood style flourescent bulb, ReptiSun 5.0. After some more reading, I think I have to get a 10.0, but I know not to get the compact style due to possible eye damage.
Anybody that has read this far and can give me any advice, I highly appreciate it. I'm nervous about forcing liquid into her, we have both made it almost a week now of doing it every day (vet was last Tuesday) but obv it's tough on both of us. And no signs of wanting to eat. I don't know at this point if I should concentrate on changing her environment totally, or just try to implement smaller changes, like the UV bulb (I am also working on very limited funds for right now). I'm worried about her...
