With the winter temperature drops here in Central Florida, we have had many of the animals housed in the heated barn. Because of this change, Harry The Texas Gopher Tortoise here at Crazy Critters has gotten a respiratory infection.
We know that the most common reason a turtle or tortoise gets a respiratory infection is due to its environment being too cold.
Cold temperatures in a turtle enclosure are often due to:
- A burned-out heat bulb or pad
- A drafty window or door
- A fan blowing on the enclosure
- An unusually cold evening or drastic change in temperature
Transporting your turtle when it’s cold outside can also cause it to get a chill and fall ill.
Any sick turtle should always be kept in quarantine to avoid spreading germs.
The most obvious signs of respiratory infection in a turtle or tortoise are difficulty breathing, a decrease in energy, a lack of appetite, swimming lopsided, unable to dive, open mouth breathing, whistling while breathing, and drainage or bubbles coming from the mouth, eyes, or nostrils.
A cold or respiratory infection can turn into pneumonia and be life-threatening to your turtle. If your turtle goes for more than a few days without being interested in food and/or is showing any signs of having a cold, it should not be ignored.
Click to read more about a past experience…
That was a Redfoot Tortoise who made a full recovery and it was a similar situation as right now…
We noticed Harry not eating on Saturday and immediately brought her inside by Sunday, there was visual signs she was not feeling well.
With Harry, she had dug a huge tunnel! And this was just fine for much of the season. Then Florida experienced some of the coldest weather on record and we got concerned about her tunnel being too cold.
Check out how large she made her hole in this video!
We shared in a Facebook post…
How Is Harry?
Harry will be fine and she will make a full recovery, however, she will need some medical treatment and antibiotics just like a human would.
We have been a little slow at the plant nursery due to the cold weather so we are launching an on-line fundraiser to help us with the cost. Please consider helping us raise the funds by make a contribution and or sharing our fundraiser.
You can donate using Paypal…
Or click here to donate using GoFundMe.
