sulcata tortoise, wheezing

Question
I thank you for your time in helping me here. I have a sulcata tortoise who's started wheezing a few days ago, and sounds like there's fluid in his lungs. Looks like he has a hard time breathing. He is about 16 years old. He has in the past had a runny nose due to the environment in the winter (too wet & cold). Though lately he has been fine. The weather here on Maui has been very rainy lately and he spends a lot of time outside in the rain. We put him inside at night. He is set up in a fenced enclosure with a little hut that he and his sister sleep in at night. The temperature is probably about 50 degrees at its lowest and 85 at its highest. He has a pool (kid pool) that he soaks and drinks from. When it's rainy, though, (like it has been) he doesn't soak or drink water. He soaks and drinks on his own. On sunny days he goes in (usually) at least 1 time a day. I don't think he has soaked in several days because of the weather. He eats organic vegetables and fruits, mainly vegetables. Thank you so much for your help. I don't have a vet on the island who knows much about tortoises.

Answer
Hi Melani,

Wheezing is a symptom of a respiratory infection; other symptoms are runny/bubbling nose, gaping (yawning), stretching the neck out in order to breathe, lethargy, and loss of appetite.  It sounds like he will need a course of antibiotics--if there is no tortoise vet available, you'll have to work with a regular vet who can get in touch with a herp vet to get the correct dosage information.  Baytril is the usual antibiotic used for respiratory infections.    

If the night temperatures drop below 60 or 65--especially if it's wet--you need to provide supplemental heat in their house.  This is very important with sulcata.  For sulcata of their size, the best way would probably be to use pig mats/heat mats (google Kane heat mats) set with a thermostat.  You don't want the mats to get too hot, but just warm enough to keep their temperature up.  Overhead heating would also work (ceramic heat emitter), but might not be enough.  If they get too cold, a respiratory infection will be the likely result, as you've found out.

Sulcata are primarily grass eaters, so yours should be eating grasses and hay, with some leafy greens and weeds (dandelion, collards, kale, mustard, chicory, etc.) flowers (hibiscus are great), and prickly pear cactus.  Vegetables and particularly fruit aren't good for them and should be avoided.  I would work on switching yours to hay (orchard grass hay is great, but timothy or bermuda is also good; no alfalfa) as soon as possible because good nutrition affects overall health.

Here's the contact information for a HI tortoise vet.  If they're not on your island, you could still have another vet consult with them:

Jed Rogers, DVM
Dr. Hashimoto, DVM
Vca Kaneohe Animal Hospital
45-608 Kamehameha Hwy
Kaneohe, HI 96744
Tel: (808) 236-2414