Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I posted on the U.S. site little while back about my leopard tort. He is approx. 7 months old. He had a respiratory infection and we went to the vet for his antibiotics. He seemed to be doing great afterwards. I have the temps at 90 on the warm side. The middle of the tank ranges from about 80-85. The cooler end is 70-75 degrees. He was being very active and has been getting use out of the whole tank up until yesterday. He seemed to sleep a lot yesterday but when he was awake, he was eating. That is one thing, he eats a lot and at all hours... Is that common? Today I picked him up for his morning soak and I saw a bubble come from his nose again. His eyes were a little teary so I know that he is not feeling well again. I am getting frustrated because I don't know what else to do to stop him from catching cold. I thought I had the temps correct. He is only in a 2 foot cubed tank right now. He is my first tort and I don't know if there is anyone who can give me advice and let me know what I am doing wrong. He ate today but not too much. I know he's not feeling well because he is sleeping a lot today. Advice anyone? I live in NY. I'd like to hear from someone that lives in a colder climate and owns a leopard. Please tell me what I am doing wrong.

I am not a vet but it sounds like you are doing the right thing by maintaining the high temperature. Are you maintaining a high UV level in the tank? Normal heat lamps and standard flourescents lights do not provide the needed UV.

My red-footed tortoise has been a "snorter" since the 1980's when I went through the same sort of thing you are going through; many trips to the vet and high vet bills but no real solutions. He is doing great now but does snort alot.

All I can say is keep him warm (no drafts) and try to maximize his UV exposure. The other thing you may consider is the health of the substrate; perhaps if it is a "flu-bug" the substrate and cage needs to be cleaned to eliminate the microbes.

Hope this helps.

Pete

I think your temps might be a bit low for a Leo. 100 on the hot side and 80 on the lowside is better. Leo's are stereotypically less hardy than other torts. High temps are very important for Leo's... Oftentimes, simply raising the temps will aid a tort is naturally fighting an infection (like an upper respratory problem or RNS)

-Ian