If
your turtle appears to have trouble breathing this is a definite
sign of a respiratory disease. The turtle may appear be opening
its mouth wider than normal when it is breathing. This happens
because the turtle is having trouble getting a sufficient
intake of air. Swollen ears,
swollen eyes and a runny nose
are also all signs of a respiratory infection.
Ensuring a warm habitat can help
to avoid these situations occuring again in the future. If
the habitat is already warm enough your turtle should be taken
to a veterinarian to determine the cause and make suggestions
for recuperation.
Since respiratory dieseases
are highly contagious amongst turtles it is important to catch
signs of this disease early on to limit the spread of infection.
Respiratory diseases form from both viral and bacterial infections.
This disease causes particular
damage to Ornate Box Turtles but obviously can negatively
affect turtles of all kinds. No matter what type of turtle
you have you will want to have their respiratory issues taken
care of immediately. A trained veterinarian can assist you
in doing this and provide the appropriate medication if necessary.
Occasionally when the disease gets bad enough surgery is required
to save the turtle.
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