sick sulcata?

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grooby

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hello, due to the recent storm sandy that impacted my area, i had to relocate my sully grooby over to my boyfriends house. Now that groobys back home with me ive noticed bubbles in one of he eyes and shes making a whistling noise whenever she breathes, ive notified my vet about the whistling noise that shes made in the past, and he says its nothing just to up the temp bulbs, which ive already done, please help im freaking out!!
 

Biff Malibu

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Did you take her to see the vet in person, or was this information discussed over the phone?

Pics of eye bubbles?
 

sibi

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If your vet told you this without seeing the tort, I'd insist on having him seen, because this sounds like an URI, which would be bad for your baby. He may need antibiotics. In the meantime, keep his temps at 100-105 basking, 95+ in the hide with humidity, 85+ at cool side. It's important that the baby stay warm and humid. When you soak him, soak 2-3 times a day! Keep us posted.
 

Dizisdalife

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That is good advice so far. You may have to keep those temps elevated until spring. Not sure where you live. Tort's don't heal very fast. So, even though you don't hear the whistle when he breathes, he may still have an URI.
 

Yvonne G

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Eye bubbles sometimes means too hot and too dry.
 

mainey34

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I would say your vet has given you the correct advice. It is not necessary at this point to take him in. Most of the time warm temps. And their immune system clear it up on its own. Adding harsh antibiotics sometimes can cause other issues. Bump your temps up at least 5 degrees..give it at lease 1-3 weeks. Make sure he is still eating..give warm soakes daily, the increased temps tend to dry them out. If he does stop eating you can add baby food to soakes. At this point i would contact the vet again. But most likely things will be fine. Basking temp of 105-110, warm 95, cool 85...
 

grooby

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I took her[/align] to the vet about a month ago when I first heard the slight whistling noise and he said it was common which i didnt agree with so the vet prescribed me an antibiotic fro grooby which i gave her for 10 days every other day mixed in with her food. But its been a couple of weeks since then and her whistling has only gotten worse! Im soaking her often and the temps are good Im just really worried, I even bought a 150 bulb in case its still too cold in my house!
 

Yvonne G

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Have you taken a close look in the nose (nares)? Maybe its as easy as cleaning out something stuck in there.

You can buy little squeeze bottles of sterile saline solution in the contact lens department of the pharmacy. Squirt a couple hard squirts into each nostril. That should clear out any obstruction.

Don't worry about getting it into his lungs, as the other end of the nares goes into the roof of the tortoise's mouth, not down his throat.
 

Dizisdalife

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Can you post a picture of his enclosure? What types of thermometers are you using to check/adjust the temps in the enclosure?
 

sibi

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Careful with that 150w bulb. If the temps in the enclosure are where they should be now, changing the bulb to a higher wattage can make it too hot. I hope you have a temp gun and are checking the temps that way. It's really the only way to get the proper readings. If your little one is still wheezing, I would visit the vet again. Some of us don't have the experience to treat our animals ourselves, and we shouldn't because that's how we can lose our precious babies. Unless you have had extensive experience in treating aliments in torts, I would recommend seeing a vet. And, while antibiotics should be a last resort, if your baby needs it to save it's life, then it can be a life saver. Only you can assess that because we don't have your baby in sight and we can't see the actual conditions of his aliment, you do. But, keep us posted. I hope this whole thing just goes away for your little one, but it may be just wishful thinking. Yvonne gave you a good piece of advise...squirt some saline solution in his nose just in case there is an obstruction.
 

grooby

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i have a bottle of opti-free solution , would that be safe? and just drop it into her nose?
 

Biff Malibu

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I would say no to that for the following reason.

Opti-Free is a multi-purpose disinfecting solution, also you probably have the bottle open, which could compromise its sterility for this type of use (which is the most important factor)

Saline solution is basically just sterile salt water. You would want to just pick up a new bottle at the drug store. You would also want to squeeze it with some pressure in an attempt to flush out the hypothetical object.

I have pretty high doubts that doing this will do anything though - Because of how long its been going on for.

Its really hard to determine what's going on. Most people describe a URI with "wheezing", A whistling sound could be benign if its attributed to your torts unique anatomy (Human equivalent of a deviated septum), or it could be part of a URI where its causing some swelling of nasal passages.

I would say the main thing about your vets diagnosis is saying that "it's common" - You're on a board of people with sulcatas, I think someone would speak up if this is a common thing.

Is anything else going on other than the whistling?
 

sibi

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I'm sorry, but the vet is wrong on this one. Wheezing is not a "common" thing with sulcatas unless all the sulcatas he sees have a URI. It's not like sulcatas commonly have this problem or that it's a genetic thing with sulcatas. All URI in torts can be potentially deadly especially if they are young. You'll need the squeeze bottle so that the saline solution is pushed up the nasal area. Btw, if you do this, you better aim right and quick because he may not give you another opportunity to do it again. If all else fails, see your vet.
 

Cowboy_Ken

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I recommend finding a new vet. I've somehow acquired 10 tortoises, and if I heard any wheezing/whistling coming from any one of them, it would be a huge red light of warning. First I would check his/her nares for obstruction, if I couldn't find any, off to the vet they would go. Check veterinarian lists here and other reptile sites for real vets schooled in reptiles. When I told my wife who is a certified veterinarian tech what yours said she said, “in other words the vet didn't want to say they didn't know?" Keep us updated on how your little one is doing and what path you choose to take.
 

grooby

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Biff Malibu said:
I would say no to that for the following reason.

Opti-Free is a multi-purpose disinfecting solution, also you probably have the bottle open, which could compromise its sterility for this type of use (which is the most important factor)

Saline solution is basically just sterile salt water. You would want to just pick up a new bottle at the drug store. You would also want to squeeze it with some pressure in an attempt to flush out the hypothetical object.

I have pretty high doubts that doing this will do anything though - Because of how long its been going on for.

Its really hard to determine what's going on. Most people describe a URI with "wheezing", A whistling sound could be benign if its attributed to your torts unique anatomy (Human equivalent of a deviated septum), or it could be part of a URI where its causing some swelling of nasal passages.

I would say the main thing about your vets diagnosis is saying that "it's common" - You're on a board of people with sulcatas, I think someone would speak up if this is a common thing.

Is anything else going on other than the whistling?


I bought a new bottle yesterday and tried, shes still whistling today :( She's eating fine i gave her some grass and veggies and she drinks her water but likes to stay under the basking light at 100. If she wasnt awake, I would think shes snoring! Ive been soaking her everyday


Cowboy_Ken said:
I recommend finding a new vet. I've somehow acquired 10 tortoises, and if I heard any wheezing/whistling coming from any one of them, it would be a huge red light of warning. First I would check his/her nares for obstruction, if I couldn't find any, off to the vet they would go. Check veterinarian lists here and other reptile sites for real vets schooled in reptiles. When I told my wife who is a certified veterinarian tech what yours said she said, “in other words the vet didn't want to say they didn't know?" Keep us updated on how your little one is doing and what path you choose to take.

I found the vet here http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-29698.html, should i even bother taking her back there? im assuming he cant help me much


Cowboy_Ken said:
I recommend finding a new vet. I've somehow acquired 10 tortoises, and if I heard any wheezing/whistling coming from any one of them, it would be a huge red light of warning. First I would check his/her nares for obstruction, if I couldn't find any, off to the vet they would go. Check veterinarian lists here and other reptile sites for real vets schooled in reptiles. When I told my wife who is a certified veterinarian tech what yours said she said, “in other words the vet didn't want to say they didn't know?" Keep us updated on how your little one is doing and what path you choose to take.

I found the vet here http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread-29698.html, should i even bother taking her back there? im assuming he cant help me much
 

Biff Malibu

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Different vet. Preferably someone with a reputation for reptile knowledge. Keep in mind that even human doctors often misdiagnose/underdiagnose quite often.

I can throw out all different types of hypotheses, although nothing is going to beat a first hand examination by a professional. The good news is that she's eating and drinking regularly, I think she'll be fine if you keep an eye on her temps, diet and habits. Luckily she's past the hatchling / baby stage ... Tortoises are pretty tough!
 
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