Tortoise Medicine

There are several things that can spoil the health of tortoises. Pet tortoise requires proper attention and care to survive. It is essential for people to take proper precautions to reduce the possibility of any disease in tortoise. There are several diseases from which your tortoise can suffer. Owner should treat their pet tortoise ailments as soon as it is noticed. At times, your tortoise requires medicines to cure certain diseases.

Some tortoise diseases require medicine to get it cured. Some common diseases and the medicine that are required by the tortoises to cure them are mentioned below:

1. Respiratory infections in tortoise: This is mostly caused due to low temperature of enclosure. It is important for one to detect this disease as soon as possible because in an advanced stage it is usually fatal. The common sign of respiratory infection is loss of appetite, drooping of the head, lack of the usual alertness of the eyes and discharge from the mouth and nose in the form of bubbles or liquid. It can be prevented by raising the temperature of the enclosure.
   Medicines such as sulphadiazine, sulphamezathine or aureomycin can be used for the treatment of this disease. It should be served to tortoise in liquid form; approximately 30mg per day for three to four days with a carapace length of 22.5 cm. Small dose should be served to small tortoises. If you find no improvement in your tortoise health then you should take your tortoise to vet.
2. Swollen eyes of tortoise: It is the swelling around the eyes which is mostly caused due to the unhygienic environment. It can be prevented by keeping the environment of your tortoise clean. This disease can also result after hibernation or sudden drop in temperature.
   Five percent solution of Protargol or Argyrol can be used to this treat this disease. The tortoise should be kept out of the water for at least four hours after applying these medicines.
3. Soft shells of tortoise: This is a very dangerous disease as this can lead to death of small tortoises. It occurs due to the deficiency of calcium and lack of sunlight. It is essential for one to supply adequate calcium to tortoise in its early stages of development. It can be treated by the addition of calcium lactate or simply a block of plaster-of-Paris to the water. Hatchlings should be offered only a natural diet. Small fish, water snails, mosquito larvae are good for hatchling to prevent them from this disease.
   Medicine such as aureomycin or terramycin can be added to the water in the aquarium to treat this disease.
4. Scratches and bites to tortoise: tortoise scratches, bounds and bites should be treated as soon as possible. One can treat it with an antibiotic cream or powder. It is advisable to keep your tortoise out of the water after applying this cream to it.

It is important for you to provide healthy environment to your pet tortoise in order to protect it from various diseases.