Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My 3 year old sulcata Elvis keeps getting runny eyes and sneezing. This is the third time hes been sick in his life, but the last 2 times hes gotten colds have been within this last month.

I live in Canada and lately the weather has been nice during the day, (about 29-30 C and sunny) so I put Elvis outside for most the day in a pen so he can graze, then in the evening around 4pm I put him in his pen indoors that is lined with grass hay, and I have a 100 watt light that shines down so he can bask, and when it gets dark I turn on the 60 watt red light (thats the highest watt of a red light bulb that I can find) and it shines down on him for the night.

Also one thing I do sometimes is let him walk around inside the house with me, but only when its a hot day and the house is really warm... so I'm not sure why he is getting sick? Could it be from me letting him walk around in the house, or from the 60 watt light bulb not being warm enough at night?
He got really runny eyes a couple weeks ago and sneezed alot, so I got him some batril and gave that to him for a week or so until he got better, and now a couple weeks later I see his eyes are runny again. Hes otherwise healthy and has a good appetite, I give him vitamin/calcium suppliments once a week, and his droppings are normal.. I dont understand what is making him sick.

Any suggestions appreciated, thank you.

Hay can get moldy overtime...what's the temp at night with that 60w? is it drafty in that night enclosure?

I try change the hay pretty often so it doesnt get moldy, its the best bedding I could find for him...

His enclosure isnt really too drafty at all.. I havent tested what the temperature is with the 60 watt red light on, but when I stick my hand in it feels warm.. maybe not warm enough for him though, I'll find out what the temp is.

Thanks for replying

Despite your good intention, there is also one other thing to consider. You may not have 'cured' the tortoise in your past treatments. These animals are notorious for repeat sickness once they have been exposed to certain viral or bacteria strains. You may want to inquire with your vet on the treatment plan. If the treatment was too short, the animal shows signs of improvement but may still carry a load high enough to have a repeat occurance. The only way to tell is to bring them back to the vet post treatment and have a fecal or bloodwork done. Know also that ELIMINATING the source microbe is not always the goal (and may be impossible without doing harm to the animal); the goal is controlling the microbe and finding the right balance in husbandry.

Some animals, once exposed to one microbe or another, often incurr repeat illness. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why and I too have seen repeat illness even when husbandry is good. This is usually why you see warnings about torts being "not for beginners". An experienced herp vet should be able to help you find the right balance here.

Also know that some microbes are pretty resistant to Baytril. If you didn't have your tort officially tested, you should. A different med may be in order.

Good luck!

Paul

np
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Sohni

0.1 Baja de L.A. Rosy Boa
0.1 Okeetee Corn Snake
1.1 Rubber Boas
1.0 Leopard Gecko
0.0.1 Hermann's Tortoise
0.0.1 Marginated Tortoise
1.0 3 Toed Box Turtle (rescued)
plus my kids' herps:
0.1 California King Snake
1.0 Mexican Rosy Boa
0.1 Leopard Gecko

He looks better today, but I want to make sure he is 100% better and not still sick, or going to get sick again, so I'm going to bring him to the vet and I'll ask her about using something other then baytril.. shes a good vet and knows quite a bit about torts so I'm sure she will find something to help him.

~Thanks so much for all the info~