- Joined
- May 21, 2016
- Messages
- 166
Hi there. My Hermann tortoise Charlie has been very sluggish the past few weeks. He wouldn't eat or come out of his hide spot every day. Some days he would come out and roam about but some days he would not leave at all. His appetite has not changed however, very hungry every time I offer food, eats and seems normal when eating. I soaked him every day, sometimes twice a day, made sure his temps were perfect and humidity as close to ideal as possible.
The last 5 days he didn't poop at all. I checked every day, skimming and making sure to be thorough but could not find any droppings. His pee had urates every day (very white, almost like whiteout spilled on the substrate). What could this mean? Dehydration?
Today after soaking him in warm water (~100 F - measured with my electric thermometer), I fed him. He ate 3 leaves of Belgian endives and some baby kale and then BAM! A massive poo. I decided to check it because it was very solid and odd looking, much bigger then what he's pooped out before. With a light and magnifying glass, I decided to check and he passed 5 big stones (big for his size - he is 10 cm shell length). Some were very sharp and jagged. I'm sure it must have hurt him a lot passing them. There was no blood (as far as I could tell) in the stool, however I don't know for sure. I also don't know if there are more stones in his stomach or intestines.
He seems MUCH perkier after the passing of these stones. Very active and burrowed really deep today at bedtime in his hide (he didn't burrow much before maybe because it was hurting him to do so?).
I looked at the rocks he passed and have NO IDEA where they came from. Throughout his entire life that I've had him (since Feb 14th of 2016), I have never put any rocks like that in his enclosure. He's always had pure coco coir for the past 10 months. Before that the first month he had organic soil. The plants I've put in his enclosure were clean and free of any rocks of that nature. Could it be possible these were in his stomach for a year?? Seems very unlikely but I don't know.
My questions are:
1) What should I do? Should I take him to the vet to get an X ray to see if there are more stones?
2) I'm worried some of the jagged rocks could have damaged his GI tract? Is there anything I could give him to see if more stones can pass easier?
3) Should I take him to the vet anyways for a yearly check up? What should I tell them to check etc...?
Thank you for any advice you might have regarding his situation. I am new to all this so perhaps someone who's seen this before could help me out.
The last 5 days he didn't poop at all. I checked every day, skimming and making sure to be thorough but could not find any droppings. His pee had urates every day (very white, almost like whiteout spilled on the substrate). What could this mean? Dehydration?
Today after soaking him in warm water (~100 F - measured with my electric thermometer), I fed him. He ate 3 leaves of Belgian endives and some baby kale and then BAM! A massive poo. I decided to check it because it was very solid and odd looking, much bigger then what he's pooped out before. With a light and magnifying glass, I decided to check and he passed 5 big stones (big for his size - he is 10 cm shell length). Some were very sharp and jagged. I'm sure it must have hurt him a lot passing them. There was no blood (as far as I could tell) in the stool, however I don't know for sure. I also don't know if there are more stones in his stomach or intestines.
He seems MUCH perkier after the passing of these stones. Very active and burrowed really deep today at bedtime in his hide (he didn't burrow much before maybe because it was hurting him to do so?).
I looked at the rocks he passed and have NO IDEA where they came from. Throughout his entire life that I've had him (since Feb 14th of 2016), I have never put any rocks like that in his enclosure. He's always had pure coco coir for the past 10 months. Before that the first month he had organic soil. The plants I've put in his enclosure were clean and free of any rocks of that nature. Could it be possible these were in his stomach for a year?? Seems very unlikely but I don't know.
My questions are:
1) What should I do? Should I take him to the vet to get an X ray to see if there are more stones?
2) I'm worried some of the jagged rocks could have damaged his GI tract? Is there anything I could give him to see if more stones can pass easier?
3) Should I take him to the vet anyways for a yearly check up? What should I tell them to check etc...?
Thank you for any advice you might have regarding his situation. I am new to all this so perhaps someone who's seen this before could help me out.
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