So our local Petsmart had a greek tortoise in about a 5 gallon tank for awhile. Everytime I was in there he was just digging against the side of the glass....sad.... Anyway, yesterday I bought him. (I know, I know, but I couldn't take it anymore!) So now that he is home in a 55 gallon (with the sides covered) I noticed that he is blowing bubbles out his nose. I called and they said that when the humidity in the tank is too high, he does this. There is no way the humidity was too high since he was in there all of about 2 minutes when I noticed him doing it. Is this a respitory infection? I read their "warranty" info and if I think the animal is sick, they will take him to the vet within the first 14 days. I think I should probably just take them up on this offer, right? Thanks!
From being kept wrong without heat and so on..........yeah I would say he does have an RI by now. Get him to the vet ASAP!
Ok, I just called Petsmart and they said to bring him back up and they have to refund my money so he is legally in their care....get him treatments.....and then I will have to buy him back. Poor guy! He seemed so happy in his new bigger home too! I just set up his tank yesterday. Do I have to throw everything away now for when he comes back? Could the infection be on things such as his hubba hut, plants, large piece of grapevine, etc? What a waste of money!
Do you have to take him back? You might be out the extra money if you pay for a vet yourself, but I find their 'warranty' to be rather dubious. They couldn't even cover basic care to keep the animal healthy, couldn't recognize that it was sick and needed vet care before they sold it... so what's to say they'll even treat it (properly) now? Especially considering that it will need proper temps, humidity, and likely daily injections of antibiotics.
I really wouldn't trust the petsmart vet, i think you should keep him in your own care. It definately sounds like an RI problem. Get him to the vet within the next few days.
Ok...so this is what happened: At about 10:30 yesterday I took the tortoise back up to petsmart and they told me they would have him vetted and give me a call when he was better and I was able to come pick him up. Then I started reading everyone's comments, from this forum and another, and got really concerned that I had made a mistake. I called Petsmart and asked for details on what they were going to do with/to him and was told that he would be vetted by "their veterinary staff". I asked where they were located and a name and was told that the manager wasn't in...but he thought the vet clinic was at the Petsmart store about 45 minutes away from me. I told him to have the manager call me back and he said he would. Surprisingly....never got a phone call. **sarcasm** So, at 5:00 I called and asked for the manager. They gave me "Laura". I told her the situation....and when she also was unable to provide me with concrete answers....I told her I was coming to get the tort and would take care of his problem myself. I was told I was not able to do that, since once a pet was returned, they had to have it vetted. I said, look - this is what is going to happen: I'm coming to get him or I'm camping out in front of your store until I am able to get him back. Finally, she agreed...I went back up there....bought him back....and had to sign a bunch of paperwork saying that I was on my own with his vet care. I called our local vet and told him what was going on. I told him that the torts nose was runny (clear) and I saw a bubble come out, but that was within the first 5 minutes that I brought him home. Since then, I haven't seen any liquid at all. I was told that I was more than welcome to bring him in....but if he had been kept inproperly (not enough heat, too high humidity, etc.) that could cause his nose to run....but now that he is in correct temps, etc. he may be fine. (His eyes aren't swollen, he's eating, fluid was clear). Anyway, I am going to take him in for a fecal/exam next week. So that's where I'm at now! I'm glad he is back. He seems happy!
