RT has a deep hole under his nostrils

[Clueless Tortoise]

My Russian tortoise recently overcame a URI. He has gotten so much better and is back to the little fun guy that I love. He got nasal ointment and shots from the exotic vet. About a week or two after, a small lump formed on his nose. The vet said not to worry about it, but of course I worried. The bump fell off and I thought it was going away. A couple days later, I looked closely and he had a hole under his nostrils. There were no fly eggs or pus in it, and I keep it clean. Its been 3 weeks now, and it is healing. Im keeping it clean and adding Neosporin only when necessary. His temperatures are correct and even a little above to make sure he stays warm and his URI doesn't come back. It doesn't seem to bother him but the problem is that he is getting ready to brumate and coco coir keeps getting in the hole and then the hole opens up again and the healing process starts all over again. Any advice on what to do, how to keep it clean, and/or how to help it heal?

 

[KarenSoCal]

Could you post some pictures of his face? That would be super helpful!

 

[Clueless Tortoise]

Could you post some pictures of his face? That would be super helpful!

Its now a little black dot but it is still very strange. Here are some pics.

 

[Clueless Tortoise]

Please let me know what I can do to help this little guy recover. Especially because he is burrowing for brumation.

 

[KarenSoCal]

Considering that he just had a URI, and now this weird thing, I would seriously consider keeping him up this winter.

I would be concerned about either condition flaring back up, and infection setting in.

I really have no idea what to do for his nose. I'll tag for some more help.

@Carol S
@zovick
Do you think she should not brumate this year? How would you treat the nose wound?

 

[zovick]

Considering that he just had a URI, and now this weird thing, I would seriously consider keeping him up this winter.

I would be concerned about either condition flaring back up, and infection setting in.

I really have no idea what to do for his nose. I'll tag for some more help.

@Carol S
@zovick
Do you think she should not brumate this year? How would you treat the nose wound?

I don't think I have ever seen anything like this hole below the nostrils. Hence I don't have any treatment ideas other than to take the tortoise back to see the exotics vet and get his/her opinion on exactly what it is and how to treat it. I'd also ask him/her about the wisdom of letting the tortoise hibernate vs. keeping it awake through the winter in view of the current state of the nose area.

 

[Clueless Tortoise]

I don't think I have ever seen anything like this hole below the nostrils. Hence I don't have any treatment ideas other than to take the tortoise back to see the exotics vet and get his/her opinion on exactly what it is and how to treat it. I'd also ask him/her about the wisdom of letting the tortoise hibernate vs. keeping it awake through the winter in view of the current state of the nose area.

Okay. Thank you. I've tried researching about this but nothing came up. I've never even heard about this before. It is healing, but substrate keeps getting in it, and I have to remove it with tweezers. I don't want it to get lodged in there and make it worse. It is healing but I rather be safe then sorry. I will continue to keep it clean and add Neosporin when necessary until his vet appointment.

 

[zovick]

Okay. Thank you. I've tried researching about this but nothing came up. I've never even heard about this before. It is healing, but substrate keeps getting in it, and I have to remove it with tweezers. I don't want it to get lodged in there and make it worse. It is healing but I rather be safe then sorry. I will continue to keep it clean and add Neosporin when necessary until his vet appointment.

You could switch the tortoise onto a substrate that would not get into the nose/hole such as newsprint, tightly woven carpeting, or paper towels till it heals completely, but then you are changing the environment of the tortoise which might throw it off its feed for a few days or so. I would still recommend that you mention this possibility and see what the vet says about that idea for keeping the area clean long enough so it can heal.

 

[Clueless Tortoise]

You could switch the tortoise onto a substrate that would not get into the nose/hole such as newsprint, tightly woven carpeting, or paper towels till it heals completely, but then you are changing the environment of the tortoise which might throw it off its feed for a few days or so. I would still recommend that you mention this possibility and see what the vet says about that idea for keeping the area clean long enough so it can heal.

Alright. I will definitely do that and switch his substrate. His vet appointment is this week so I will keep an eye on it until then, and see what the vet has to say. Thanks for the help.

 

[Yvonne G]

More than likely this was a mature abscess that expressed on its own. I would get some sterile saline and a syringe with no needle and flush out the cavity to be sure all the abscess is cleaned out. Then if you're sure it's clean you can put Neosporin over the hole to block debris getting in. It should heal and close.

 

[Clueless Tortoise]

More than likely this was a mature abscess that expressed on its own. I would get some sterile saline and a syringe with no needle and flush out the cavity to be sure all the abscess is cleaned out. Then if you're sure it's clean you can put Neosporin over the hole to block debris getting in. It should heal and close.

Thank you so much. I will definitely do this. How many times should I do the saline flush?

 

[Yvonne G]

Just the once. Any more and you run the risk of keeping it from healing.

 

[KarenSoCal]

If you take a flashlight and try to look into the hole, what's in it? Does the flesh look raw, bloody, sore? Or more normal? Any kind of growth in it?

 

[Clueless Tortoise]

If you take a flashlight and try to look into the hole, what's in it? Does the flesh look raw, bloody, sore? Or more normal? Any kind of growth in it?

It seems to be empty. Like there is nothing in it. Just a dark hole. Now it looks like there is new skin in there so I assume its healing but its very strange. he seems perfectly fine and doesn't even notice it. IDK, I'll try the saline solution and antibiotic ointment, as well as changing the substrate to paper towels for a couple weeks so coco coir doesn't get in the hole anymore.