Respiratory infection

[TechnoCheese]

I think my tort is feeling a lot better, he was very active today and tried to bite my finger because he was hungry. I haven't seen him have trouble breathing, no opening mouth, no other signs of illness too. Just to make sure I'm going to still keep his enclosure warm for tomorrow and if he is alright tomorrow I'll return the temperatures to the right temp as Wellington said. I sprayed his enclosure's substrate with water to add more humidity. I have Eco earth which retains a lot of humidity and Repti bark. However, according to the Zoo med website it says that Reptibark does retain humidity which seems very odd to me because reptibark is bark. Can anyone help me out.

Bark soaks up water and releases it into the air as it dries, creating humidity.

 

[Mr. RussianTortoise]

I made a mistake, I messed up so bad I'm so disappointed in myself... So you see, this week was pretty busy. It was almost Halloween and my marking period was ending and I FORGOT TO BATHE MY TORTOISE FOR 1 WEEK! This is probably the first time this ever happen to me and now I think his RI came back. No bubbles coming out of nose, still eats, very strong. But opens mouth and sleeps a lot during the day. I'm going to have to give him warm bathes more often and give him an extra heat lamp.

 

[SuzanneZ]

I made a mistake, I messed up so bad I'm so disappointed in myself... So you see, this week was pretty busy. It was almost Halloween and my marking period was ending and I FORGOT TO BATHE MY TORTOISE FOR 1 WEEK! This is probably the first time this ever happen to me and now I think his RI came back. No bubbles coming out of nose, still eats, very strong. But opens mouth and sleeps a lot during the day. I'm going to have to give him warm bathes more often and give him an extra heat lamp.

Forgive yourself. One week without a bath won't kill him.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

I made a mistake, I messed up so bad I'm so disappointed in myself... So you see, this week was pretty busy. It was almost Halloween and my marking period was ending and I FORGOT TO BATHE MY TORTOISE FOR 1 WEEK! This is probably the first time this ever happen to me and now I think his RI came back. No bubbles coming out of nose, still eats, very strong. But opens mouth and sleeps a lot during the day. I'm going to have to give him warm bathes more often and give him an extra heat lamp.

Please, calm down, don't blame yourself and don't make impulsive buys and decisions.

As said, 1 week without soaking is not harmful for tortoise. Especially, when environment is properly set up (humidity, temperatures, lightning, diet, fresh water, clean substrate and such). Extra heat lamp might do more harm than good (overheating and low humidity).

Let's go back to the routines:
1. Fresh water daily (or more often if the water in the bowl is dirty). Yes/no
2. Temperature and humidity readings match recommended earlier (both basking spot and ambient). Yes/no
3. Substrate is cleaned of poo and food left-overs daily (as soon as needed is better). Yes/no
4. Ambient light and basking spot are provided more than 13-14 hours a day (I was wrong about 10-12 hours if we want to keep tortoise out of brumation). Yes/no
5. UVB lamp near basking spot 3-4 hours a day. Yes/no
6. Daily feeding of varied diet of greens, weeds and vegetables. Occasional supplements (calcium, Mazuri) - 1 or 2 times a week. Yes/no

Please make a quick check and if something needs adjustment we will try to help.

 

[sandwill]

Hello, My russian tortoise seems to have trouble breathing. I've sent out many worried posts if my tortoise had a Respiratory infection and this time I'm 100% sure he does. You see, I woke up today just to turn on the lights of the enclosure when I saw him in the corner in mid-digging, under his ceramic heat emitter. This was usually normal and I was about to get some dandelion greens and duckweed when he opened his mouth to breathe. That worried me a bit because that is a sign of Respiratory infection, But then it could be a yawn, because it is the morning. I tried to shrug it off, but then he did it again, I couldn't shrug that off. Just to make sure I waited a bit and saw him open his mouth again and this time his legs went inside the shell. He was obviously having trouble breathing. I immediately grabbed a mini halogen lamp from my gecko tank and placed it above the tortoise. He stopped digging and started moving and stopped under the lamp, and let out one final open mouth and went looking for food. (He found some pellets on the substrate) I thought he was hungry and placed in some greens and weeds, and he DASHED for it. Then he started eating hungrily eating as fast as he can, He used his legs to tear the Dandelion weed and this is the first time I've ever seen him eat the strongest. Is he sick? Because the only few symptoms is him opening his mouth and sleeping a lot in the day. He doesn't seem to have any bubbles from his nose and he is eating normally? What should I do? Should I take him to a vet?.

If you're that worried, Please visit the vet once.

 

[Mr. RussianTortoise]

If you're that worried, Please visit the vet once.

I am planning to, because yesterday was really bad and I will go to the vet if he doesn't get better this week

 

[Mr. RussianTortoise]

ok It's haven't been a week yet but I don't see him getting better, I think he is getting worse. I'm going to put him in a quarantine 10 gallon enclosure and keep an eye on him from there. I'll also boost up the heat too. I have a heat mat on that 10 gallon enclosure and wondering if I should use it. I decided to go to a vet but I'm worried about the vet cost. how much usually is it to get a vet check and get antidote for you guys?

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

From the other threads just a vet visit is around 50 bucks and up to 300 depending on what has been done (X-Ray, injections).

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to move sick tortoise from familiar environment into new enclosure. It's a stressful situation, especially with a 10 gallon tank. If you have correct lightning and temperatures in the old enclosure - I see no need for a change. Quarantine is used to isolate a sick tortoise from a healthy group it's not the case here.

Heat mat is not the best way to heat your tortoise. Only if it's on a thermostat, used together with heating from above and with an adult tortoise (at least, what wellington said in one of the recent threads).

What symptoms do you observe, besides opening mouth from time to time? Is your tortoise is less active and lost its appetite?

 

[TammyJ]

My opinion is that your tortoise is quite ok, and you are not, because you are stressing yourself for what is probably nothing at all, and at the same time, stressing your tortoise, which may very well make him sick when he is NOT. Please calm down, make sure you have the correct conditions of his enclosure and care, and stop worrying! And please, don't take him to a vet when it's probably totally unnecessary and may actually cause him to get sick or die! That has happened to me so I know. Have some confidence in yourself, that you are capable, and are becoming more capable as you learn from all the great advice right here on this forum.

 

[Mr. RussianTortoise]

From the other threads just a vet visit is around 50 bucks and up to 300 depending on what has been done (X-Ray, injections).

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to move sick tortoise from familiar environment into new enclosure. It's a stressful situation, especially with a 10 gallon tank. If you have correct lightning and temperatures in the old enclosure - I see no need for a change. Quarantine is used to isolate a sick tortoise from a healthy group it's not the case here.

Heat mat is not the best way to heat your tortoise. Only if it's on a thermostat, used together with heating from above and with an adult tortoise (at least, what wellington said in one of the recent threads).

What symptoms do you observe, besides opening mouth from time to time? Is your tortoise is less active and lost its appetite?

My tortoise hasen't lost his appetite, but still opens his mouth a lot, and he isn't very active but it's winter so he is probably trying to brumate.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

My tortoise hasen't lost his appetite, but still opens his mouth a lot, and he isn't very active but it's winter so he is probably trying to brumate.

Can you estimate how often it opens its mouth? Times per hour or per minute? (I'm not joking, maybe it's really abnormal). While I tend to think, that your tortoise is fine, I don't want to overlook something serious.

About activity: he might really think about brumating despite all your efforts with lightning and temperatures.

Can you post a photo of how its enclosure looks like now?

 

[Mr. RussianTortoise]

My opinion is that your tortoise is quite ok, and you are not, because you are stressing yourself for what is probably nothing at all, and at the same time, stressing your tortoise, which may very well make him sick when he is NOT. Please calm down, make sure you have the correct conditions of his enclosure and care, and stop worrying! And please, don't take him to a vet when it's probably totally unnecessary and may actually cause him to get sick or die! That has happened to me so I know. Have some confidence in yourself, that you are capable, and are becoming more capable as you learn from all the great advice right here on this forum.

I'm just worried because he seemed to be in pain when he opens his mouth to breathe. His front legs fail him when he tries to breathe through his mouth. There are no other symptoms such as bubbles coming out of nose. I changes his basking to 100 degrees, cool side 80 degrees and the normal side about 80-90 degrees. his humidity is 80% on he cool side and 50% on the basking.

 

[Mr. RussianTortoise]

Can you estimate how often it opens its mouth? Times per hour or per minute? (I'm not joking, maybe it's really abnormal). While I tend to think, that your tortoise is fine, I don't want to overlook something serious.

About activity: he might really think about brumating despite all your efforts with lightning and temperatures.

Can you post a photo of how its enclosure looks like now?

Right now I'm at school having a free period so I can't take a picture of the enclosure but it's not the right size for the tortoise and I am currently trying to build a bigger enclosure (indoor and outdoor). He usually opens his mouth a lot in the morning like two times and during the evening I might catch him opening his mouth one time. But his throat goes up and down really fast

 

[SuzanneZ]

Sometimes it's hard to listen. You seem to be in one of those times. Show a video, if you will and can, of his episodes of breathing through his mouth and his legs failing him.

 

[SuzanneZ]

Right now I'm at school having a free period so I can't take a picture of the enclosure but it's not the right size for the tortoise and I am currently trying to build a bigger enclosure (indoor and outdoor). He usually opens his mouth a lot in the morning like two times and during the evening I might catch him opening his mouth one time. But his throat goes up and down really fast

That's not so much mouth-opening.

 

[Mr. RussianTortoise]

That's not a lot? Oh, After I get beck home I'll try to record him, but how do I post a video in the forum?

 

[SuzanneZ]

That's not a lot? Oh, After I get beck home I'll try to record him, but how do I post a video in the forum?

See where it says Attach files? Right there.

 

[Mr. RussianTortoise]

I don’t have an option to send the video

 

[SuzanneZ]

Ok. I don't know what to tell you to do about that.

 

[Alex and the Redfoot]

You can convert a video to GIF animation and attach it. Or upload the video to YouTube and post a link, for example.

A couple of times a day doesn't look like a problem. Yet I understand what you are worried about: all the patterns you mention look like signs of the respiratory infection if we omit some context and degree of the symptoms. To see a video would be helpful.

I would lower basking spot temps a bit, 90-95F should be enough. And ambient temperatures should be around 75F. When temperatures are too high, you can provoke behavior opposite to what you expect (tortoise won't run around like crazy, but will seek a cool place to thermoregulate and stay there). Same for the people - in a hot summer noon you prefer to stay in shade with a bowl of ice cream rather than running a marathon uphill.