Recovering from Respiratory Infection: Humidity?

boris_tortoise

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Joined
May 16, 2014
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12
Hello everyone!

Our beautiful Borislava is in much higher spirits than when we found her a few weeks ago. However, she is still recovering from a respiratory infection, and likely will be for a very long time. She has seen a vet, and recently finished her Baytril regimen. She is still getting nasal fluids daily, and will be for the foreseeable future.

My question- What sort of humidity should I be aiming at in her habitat? I've generally read to keep the substrate damp: not soaked, and never bone dry. Being that she's recovering from an infection, should this change? Should I keep it more dry than I would ordinarily?

She does like to partially burrow at night (she has room to do it, and essentially buries herself in her hide box). She will also do this when it is too hot out during the day (over 90F, for example). That being the case, I think she'd prefer having some dampness/humidity in the substrate as it keeps temperatures in her burrow cooler, but will humidity slow down her recovery? Should I bathe her less for the same reason?

In sum, should I keep her habitat more dry, or more humid? I feel like I've read arguments for both, but none that were specific to a tortoise recovering from an RI.

Thank you everyone!
 

ascott

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If the tortoise is in a temp controlled enclosure...I would say to be sure to keep the temps no less ever than 80 degrees, day and night. I also would decrease the humidity during the treatment and thereafter until all symptoms have disappeared for a few months....if the tort is a baby, then you will want to offer a couple of daily soaks...if the tort is not a baby then offer a daily soak (antibiotics are crazy hard on the kidneys of a tort...so a long daily soak is imperative regardless of the age, but if the tort is a baby I would do a couple of soaks per day during the entire treatment process and month or so after treatments end)
 
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