Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a yellow foot tortoise who has the "sniffles." Her eyes are also shut due to secretions. I have been using antibiotic eye ointment given to me by the vet and soaked her. She gets plenty of sunshine and fresh air, I think the infection is leftover shipping stress. I do not want to use an injection of baytril, since my other tortoise was killed by the vet when she gave it an injection. Any suggestions?

Hmmmm. Hate to say it but if your tortoise is lethargic, has puffy eyes and bubbles, it sounds like Baytril is what it needs.

Not sure about the Baytril death you reference but I've not heard of this being common.

If you vet is qualified, he should be able to do a fecal and some bloodwork to determine what ails your tortoise AND he should be able to administer a safe dosage of Baytril. I've given hundreds of Baytril injections myself with no affects other than the turtle or tortoise recovering.

Don't hold out too long. There are no home remedies for a sick reptile, especially if the condition is mid to late stage.

If you value the life of your tortoise, have a qualified vet evaluate and treat him.

Paul

The tortoise isn't really lethargic, just her eyes stay closed more often than not. Also she sneezes ocassionally. I think if I do baytril again, I will let my husband give the shot at a half dose. The vets where I live (Kentucky) don't seem to know what to do with reptiles. The last time I took a tortoise to the vet (one I had often used for my other pets) I had to tell her what to use and then she had to look up the dosage on the internet. Then she killed my tortoise. (See previous posting.)

These are from the ARAV site. Any near you?

Paul

Dr M.J. Wixsom
Gaurdian Animal Hosp
4823 Daniels Fork Rd
Ashland, KY 41102-9413

Stanley Hastings
Erlanger Veterinary Hospital
14 Graves Ave
Erlanger, KY 41018

Dr Craig J Blair, Jr
Clays Mill Vet Clinic
625 Delzan Plz
Lexington, KY 40503-3503

Dr. Bianca Zaffarano
Pennyroyal Small & Exotic
Animal Hospital
247 Regency Circle
Lexington, KY 40503

John F Roberts
1261 Kastle Rd
Lexington, KY 40502-2256

Dr Teresa Gregory
Jefferson Animal Hospital East
5400 Del Maria Way
Louisville, KY 40291

Zoltan S. Gyimesi
1513 Herr Ln
Louisville, KY 40222-6541

Missy Jewell
13815 Forest Bend Circle
Louisville, KY 40245-8409

Dr. Roy B. Burns, III
Louisville Zoo
1003 Parkway Drive
Louisville, KY 40217
http://www.arav.org/USMembers.htm

I think I'll try Dr. Zaffarano, she was the vet that my vet called when my tortoise reacted to the baytril. It is a hike, but worth it I guess.

Couple of thoughts.

1) Fresh air and sunshine are good, just remember that Yellowfoots are tropical forest torts that don't spend much time in the sun. How warm and humid is it where you live in Kentucky? If you can keep it in an area with daytime temps of 82-88 with 70-90% humidity and 70-75 at night with the same humidity you'll be simulating a Yellowfoot's natural environment and reducing its stress.

2) Send a message to Darrell Senneke at rednine@earthlink.com
Mention your issue and that you're in need of a knowledgable herp vet in Kentucky. Darrell is the director of the World Chelonia Trust. He will send you info on a good herp vet you can contact.

Good luck.

She isn't outside all of the time, just when the temps are right. She has plenty of shade as well and I spray her while she is outside to simulate rain. During the summer it is usually warm and humid, so it works out all right, but she has an indoor pen with heat lights and uv lighting for when she can't go outside.

Here's a list of Kentucky Herp Vets.

http://www.anapsid.org/vets/kentucky.html