Small nasal bubble! *update in comments*

[beeclaire80]

Hi,

Me. Again

While Floyd was having a munch earlier I noticed a tiny bubble coming from one nostril. Not constantly. Checked him a little while longer and again saw a tiny bubble from the same nostril. It’s not constant though. There are no other noises and he’s tucked himself up in his cave (where he’s taken to sleeping!)

Hubby has told me not to worry but I am. I’m not sure I can do this
I feel like I’m constantly worrying about something! Between this and the Protozoa levels in his poo sample I feel like I must be doing something wrong!

[lin]

Hi Claire
I wouldnt say you are doing anything wrong and yes you are right to worry, he is your baby.

Again another recap on the temps. Hot end day, and temps where he sleeps at night. Maybe just upping it a degree would be good.

The thing is, and I am not holding back here but don't be alarmed. In my opinion if a tortoises start showing signs of illness it could mean whatever they might have, has been present for a while before showing itself. So its best to sort it out and put your mind at rest. The worse case senario is that it is nothing to worry about, and the best would be that IF a vet is needed then you are right up there at the front

I cant remember where you got Floyd from so could you remind me.

Something you can try is to hold your thumb under the jaw where the soft flesh underneath is and place your first finger on top of the head inline with your thumb underneath. Then squeeze, not really gentle but quite forceful and quick so that it can force any bubbles down the nose. You can do this a few times and listen for bubbles too. If there are any more there then you would be better to take him to the vet. If there isnt then do keep an eye on him and if he has not had a bath and shows more bubbles he should be seen, to be on the safe side.
Let us know how he goes tomorrow.
Lin

[beeclaire80]

Hi Lin,

Temps are 30.4 ish warm end and hover around 20 at the cool end.

Temp at night drops to around 17. The cave he has taken to sleeping in feels damp inside so I need to figure out what to do about this (I don’t want to cause stress by removing it but equally don’t want to leave it if it’s cold and damp!)

I got him from a reptile shop (with a good reputation for lizards and so on, they breed a lot themselves, I foolishly thought they would breed the torts as well, and didn’t ask, my mistake) but his A10 certificate stated Zoological International (which I’ve been berated for on a Facebook Group!)

He’s been with us since 19th September.

I’ll try and squeeze him today and see what that brings. I did lift him up and listen but can’t hear any wheeze/rattle/chest noise.

Without wanting to bring money into it too much (cause it’s not an issue, I know having a pet of any kind comes with the possibility of finacial outlay) but do you know roughly what sort of cost consultations and, if needed, medication cost will be. (I appreciate it varies widely!)

Thanks.

[lin]

Hi Claire.
If it was me I would remove the bedding area. If its feels cool and damp that is not good. Block the door area where he enters and just leave him with the pot. Do you know what the temps are in the sleeping part?

As for costs. It does differ a lot depending on area. Its a case of if you have a specalist pet you pay fpr specalist treatment! If you have a few around you ring them and see if there is much difference in the consultation fees. Hopefully removing the lid and blocking the entrance to the sleep area might be all that is needed. Keep a close eye on him and let us know if your squeezes result in any noise or bubbles.
Fingers crossed.

Lin

[beeclaire80]

Hi Lin,

The cave where he has taken to sleeping is at the edge of his basking area. He doesn’t venture to the actual dark area at all at night. He might have a little stomp there in the day time.

I have lifted the cave out (is made of rock) and allowed the soil to warm up that was under it. He’s been snoozing in his plant pot this morning.

I’ve only noticed a tiny bubble today (about 5 minutes ago!) and it was while he was eating. He’s not making any noises. I did try to squeeze but he wasn’t having any of it and for such a little guy he’s fairly strong!

I’ve been in touch with one vet already re his Protozoa results so I’ll drop them an email. Although they don’t have a specialist.
However, I have come across 608 vets in Solihull which is fairly close so I’ll ask them their costs as well as they have Mr Bone who is a tortoise specialist.

Thanks.

[lin]

Had Floyd been bathed today Claire?

Lin

[beeclaire80]

Not fully bathed but he had been in his water.

[lin]

Was it just before you see the bubble?

Lin

[beeclaire80]

10-15 minutes.

We are off to the vet tomorrow to get his Protozoa sorted (as I’m not happy to wait with this other issue now!).

Have printed out Nina’s advice/guidance re the medication to take with me.

There have been no more bubbles that I’ve seen, although I’ve tried to leave him alone today!

He’s had a munch, and has spent most of the day sleeping

[beeclaire80]

Hi,

So the visit to the vet went ok!

When we got there the vet asked how long I’d had him as he was concerned about some potential metabolic bone disease
He said the bottom of his shell/scutes looked flatter than the front which worried him. When I said he’s only been with me for 6 weeks he said it was nothing I’d done and was done at breeder level.

He wasn’t overly concerned about the balantidium protozoa level just now.
There were no signs of nasal bubbles while there (although I did see a small one first thing this morning!) he gave him a squeeze which produced nothing and there was no noise upon listening to him.

He gave him an injection of calcium and has given us oral calcium (0.05ml drop on a piece of food daily for a week).
He asked about husbandry and was impressed with his diet (so thank you to The Tortoise Table for that!), he said ensure his temps are a degree higher (we are maintaining 30-31° at the minute) as we head into winter. He did recommend a bigger table and switching to separate heat and UV but appreciated that it can’t happen overnight.
He said that a battery of tests could be run to check the level of MBD (xrays and bloods) but said that the management is the same regardless so doesn’t see the point of this just now as it comes with costs obviously.
He recommended daily baths (any ideas on how to keep the water warm, it cools so quickly!)
He wants to see him next week just to check for respiratory issues especially as I’ve seen the nasal bubbles sporadically.

He owns a marginated tortoise himself and originates from Spain so has an interest in tortoises, he did say he wasn’t a specialist but hopes to specialise as time goes on (he was late 20s so I guess it’s a bit like human medics and takes time to specialise!?!)

Floyd is now in a grump with me and has been like this since we came home

[Teddy28]

Hi there, just reading your post and about how to keep water warm when bathing tortoise. I fill the sink first with hottish water, only an inch or two deep then I fill his washing up bowl with warm water and put this in the sink. Because his bowl is surrounded by hot water the water in his bowl stays warm longer but be careful it doesn't warm his bowl up too much.
Hope this helps

[beeclaire80]

What a fantastic idea!! Thank you, will definitely try this tomorrow!!


[quote=Teddy28 post_id=6602 time=1603990131 user_id=478]
Hi there, just reading your post and about how to keep water warm when bathing tortoise. I fill the sink first with hottish water, only an inch or two deep then I fill his washing up bowl with warm water and put this in the sink. Because his bowl is surrounded by hot water the water in his bowl stays warm longer but be careful it doesn't warm his bowl up too much.
Hope this helps
[/quote]

[Kimberley]

I put Timmie in warm water under his lamp. He hates bathes but this way he loves it. The water stays nice and warm.