What kind of disease does a desert tortoise have?
Tortoises with Mycoplasma are often infected for life, and flare-ups during times of stress or immunocompromise are common. A desert tortoise presenting nasal discharge associated with an upper respiratory infection. Lower respiratory Infections are more significant and require more aggressive treatment.
Can a desert tortoise be kept as a pet in Nevada?
In Nevada, desert tortoises may be legally kept as pets if they were held in captivity prior to listing under the Endangered Species Act (August 4, 1989 (50 Code of Federal Regulations 17.4, Nevada Administrative Code (NAC) 503.093).
Can a desert tortoise be released into the wild?
The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD) is the primary “adoption agency” for captive desert tortoises that cannot be released into the wild, because “captive tortoises can transmit diseases that can decimate Arizona’s wild populations.”
What causes the death of a pet tortoise?
If this sad discussion can help save lives, we’ll do it! So, why do tortoises die? Tortoises can die for a number of reasons including insufficient food, poor quality diet, unsanitary conditions, stress, and untreated infections and injuries. All these can cause your pet tortoise to die.
Tortoises with Mycoplasma are often infected for life, and flare-ups during times of stress or immunocompromise are common. A desert tortoise presenting nasal discharge associated with an upper respiratory infection. Lower respiratory Infections are more significant and require more aggressive treatment.
Why does a desert tortoise have a depressed carapace?
Aquariums and enclosures often have very low humidity due to the dry air in our homes and the use of supplemental heat lamps. This desert tortoise is exhibiting both shell pyramiding and a depressed carapace resulting from weak, unhealthy carapace bones during development.
What are the symptoms of a tortoise respiratory infection?
Lower respiratory Infections are more significant and require more aggressive treatment. Symptoms include labored breathing (indicated by a tortoise extending its neck and moving its front legs in and out in order to breathe), weakness, lethargy, sunken eyes, and other signs.
How does stress affect the health of a tortoise?
Stress causes a number of biochemical changes in the animal, among them the production of steroids which in turn suppresses the immune system – such animals are more likely to succumb to an infection than a healthy non-stressed tortoise exposed to the same infectious agent.
Why is my tortoise not moving or drinking?
Why is my Tortoise Not Moving Enough? If your tortoise seems lethargic and sluggish (even for a tortoise!) it could be down to many of the same factors discussed with regards to them not eating properly, but a particularly likely candidate for the problem is an insufficiently high enough temperature in their enclosure.
How to take care of a sick or dehydrated tortoise?
If your tortoise’s condition is not severe, then hand-feeding is the ideal way to make sure they are eating something. All you have to do is encourage your sick or dehydrated tortoise to take food and you do this by gently opening their mouths and placing the chosen food inside.
What happens to a tortoise when there is no heat?
As we all know tortoises are cold blooded creatures and require heat from an external source to warm them up and get their metabolism moving . Without heat the tortoise goes into a semi-hibernative state to conserve energy.
How can you tell if a tortoise has a problem?
If your tortoise looks wet or moist, there could be a problem. But if his skin is overly dry and causing cracks and sores, it’s equally alarming, so don’t delay a vet trip. Try to examine close up photos of various tortoise breeds and see the difference in skin texture.
