newbie help

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ty'stort

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Hi!
I was in the pet store a few weeks ago and saw a cute greek tortoise trying so hard to climb out of it's tank i knew it was the one for us. I had been thinking for a while about getting a tortoise for my hubby since he grew up with two redfoots at home and loves them. I thought i had done my research and called my mother inlaw for advice, searched online, talked to a vet, and spoke to the pet store employees and we brought Cleopatra home.
We have a 2x4 x6" high container with coconut substrate, and a heat lamp, and hiding log. Temps at cool end are 75 degrees and under basking lamp are 90-95 degrees.
(I don't have a uvb/UVA BULB yet as the vet said as long as i take her outside eachday for 30 min she would be fine...fixing that though as you will see)

So here are my newbie issues i never even thought of :(

1 . The morning after i brought her home she had a runny nose. I called the vet who said she was stressed and to give her a few days.
2. She didn't eat for a couple of days but slowly got used to us and started eating her spring mix salad and squash.
3. She did much better as she got out of her log and got warmed up but atfer a weeks we noticed her nose got congested and started oozing green goo. She also started walking slower and staying in her log a lot more.
4. I made a vet appointment for that day (yes he "treats" reptiles?)
Cleopatra pooped just before we went and I noticed small white worms in her poop - a lot of them! So I put it in a baggy cleaned the area and we went to the vet.
5. The Vet checked her poop and said she had pin worms, but not to worry about it because worms are a normal part of a toroise's digestive system. and he decided not to treat her despite me asking him to. I have three kids including one with a feeding tube. worms in my house are NOt a good idea. Then he gave her an antibiotiv shot (bactrin) and told me to give her a shot at home near her front legs each day for 5 days and then every other day for 3 weeks.
6. I wasn't happy with the treatment plan, but I had only had the tortoise for two weeks and am still learning. While we were still at the vet Cleopatra then vomited twice. I grabbed a nurse who told the doctor and was told that she was just stressed. went home with a bottle of bactrin and 15 syringes
7. SHot on day one was hard, but got easier only because she stopped moving so much. She hides in her log all day and didn't eat for three days. I give her a soak after the shot each day, but I don't see her drinking anything. Finally yeesterday I offered a mix of romaine (her so far favorite treat) radichio and pumpkin and she ate, but when I watched her walk around she couldn't even hold herself up and her shell kept dropping, she just kind of scoots along. :( then lays there with her legs splayed out.
8. I called my in laws who say they think it it the worms getting worse, so I called another vet in the area who told me to go get panacure from the pet store (in a bottle made for goats , but the same medicine) and to give her .25 ml. I tried yesterday but she would not open her mouth and when I tried to get her to, her head and arm started to spasm.

I am very worried about our little cleo. :( WHat would you do? I am not giving her the shot today, and will out the panacure on her food in the hopes that she will eat. keep her warm and such, but I can't get a UVZ/UVB bulb until Friday on Pay day. Thoughts? Advice?
Thanks :)
 

Utah Lynn

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Welcome to TFO. I can't help you but I'll give this a bump so someone will see it and hopefully have the good advice for you.
Good Luck.
 

ascott

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Okay, welcome to the Forum :D

I would be careful on giving injections, if you inject in the back legs you can cause permanent damage and a tort can be splayed and not walk...not that this is what has occurred but please keep in mind...

Are you referring to Baytril or am I misunderstanding? I would give injections in the front of the tort (between the heat and leg--in that soft not so scaled aread--as the needle will go in find and not need to be injected into a muscle but rather under the skin and will avoid damage form needle into the wrong place/muscle...my opinion and my experience)

You will eventually need to treat for the parasite load, however--if your tort has green ook coming from its nostrils then that is the evil to deal with first....

the worming meds have an ill affect on appetite ...so to me it is more important to deal/treat the green ook then wrangle the worms...

I would offer this tort long warm water soaks (feels good and appear to do the spirit well as well as promotes poo'ng and hydration--lots of good from a single act, you know?)

Also, know that once you do begin treatment for the parasites, the panacur is a toxic poison that kills the parasites..so you will likely experience a tort that has little to no appetite and also, you will want to schedule repeated substrate changes during this entire process...
 

ty'stort

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wellington said:
Hello and Welcome:)

Thank you!
yes, the med is baytril. sorry for the mix up. I have been giving her the shots in the front leg in the soft spot. but that is usually when she starts to spasm. I skipped the shot yesterday and will give her one today per instructions.
a good long soak is a good idea! Thanks for the info on her appetite too, that makes sense. but if she has a poor appetite and still hasn't taken any of the panacure yet.. could it be the baytril giving her a bad appetite and how long is it okay to go without eating?
 

Spn785

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Welcome to the Forum!

Unfortunately some pet shops know little to nothing about turtles and tortoises (when I was 12 I was sold a red eared slider and was told it was a box turtle, and that was from a Reptile shop), so for the most part take what the pet store says with a grain of salt. Also I agree with ascott, take care of the green goo first, but the worms are a little worrisome as well.
 

shellysmom

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I think the vet might have been a bit dismissive of all your valid concerns. If she seems to be getting worse, which it sort of sounds like she is, I'd seek a second opinion form another vet, if there is one in your area that deals with reptiles. She can go a little while without eating, but eventually she'll get to the point of no return. Call the pet store and see what food she's used to. Sometimes if they're not eating well, feeding them something familiar helps. If you're feeding her greens now, that's fantastic, but if all was used to eating at the pet store was commercial tortoise food, you might want to offer that while she's sick. Also, do a forum search of "baby food soaks." There's a member here named Yvonne who recommends this for torts who are not eating. I'm not sure of the details on how to do it, though. Keep her warm and hydrated in the meantime. Good luck.
 

ty'stort

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Thanks for your help everybody :)
My cleoptra perked up a bit today after a good long babyfood soak yesterday. Still sleeping a lot, but any improvement is good.
I haven't seen her eat any solid food yet , but after a few good long soakings she finally passed a small very hard poop today, but peed quite a bit with a LOt of urates (is that what the white cheesy stuff is called?) Will keep up the soakings.
Oh and I noticed she is getting bruised in her arms where she is getting the shots. I have been switching sides, but I can tell she is pretty sore. :(
 
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