BorisBertheas
New Member
Tortoise isnt pooping or passing urates...what should I do? And does anyone e know why?
My tortoise isnt pooping or passing urates in his soaking water like he used to. Nothing for the last month,maybe longer...extremely worried. Hes eati
- Thread starter BorisBertheas
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My Russian doesn't pass them all the time.
What are you feeding?
What are you feeding?
BorisBertheas
New Member
Romaine and sweet potato is all he will eat..been like that for years- sometimes cactus. But he always goes potty when he soaks. Not the last month and a 1/2. Nothing. Extremely worried. Hes eating tho,and active remodeling his enclosure. Trying to move his hide,etc.
BorisBertheas
New Member
Appreciate your help,so thank you in advance
That is a very poor diet. It's your responsibility to get him to eat a better diet! If he will eat cactus feed much more of that. Romaine is basically water.
Need to add natural weeds when possible. Other grocery greens to feed that are better is arugula, endive, water cress, ridicchio, escarole dandelion.
Chop up the better foods finely and mix it with finely chopped cactus or sweet potato, spritz with water. As he learns to eat this, slowly eliminate the sweet potato or cactus in the mix. When he has started to eat the better stuff without having to be mixed, then start feeding cactus again but not sweet potatoes.
Is he not passing urates or not pooping? Not passing urates every time is pretty normal but not pooping could be the poor diet catching up. They do everything slow. A poor diet won't affect him right away, but eventually it will catch up with him and you/he will start having problems.
Get the diet improved ASAP.
If you are soaking regularly, and the tortoises is hydrated, it is normal to not pass urates.
I agree that you need to get the tortoise eating much better. You can use the current foods to get him eating better foods by mixing in very tiny amounts of the new stuff little by little. The process can take weeks or months, but it is necessary.
BorisBertheas
New Member
So I will start doing this, asap...Does this mean that I don't have any reason to worry? Can you tell me where I can find these things you have suggested,ie;What store? Thank you,also how long can he go without pooping,before I should worry? And how often should I soak him? Thank you again
_The_Beast_
Active Member
If you're in Vancouver and don't have access to safe weeds (it's been snowing in BC), Safeway, Save-On, Whole Foods, and Superstore will likely carry a lot of the mentioned greens, including radicchio, endive, arugula, and dandelion greens. If they don't, check an Asian grocery store like T&T. Long term you can grow your own.
I asked this question above, need the answer.
If he not pooping or not passing urates?
You made it sound like he isn't passing urates every time he poops. Not that he wasn't pooping.
So which is it?
Not passing urates all the time is not a worry.
Not pooping for a long time can be a worry.
This time of year the forum is loaded with posts on why a tortoise is not active, eating, lethargic, pooping normal, etc, etc. Advice about proper heat is most always immediately offered and appropriate, However... Activity levels in tortoises and turtles is triggered by light more so than heat. Especially temperate species. Light duration. Light intensity. UVA levels. Proper heat without proper light will often just lead to a tortoise that will eat and be semi-active when waken or soaked, but it still will not be functioning properly metabolically.
I would suggest you go through your enclosure conditions and pay attention to lighting.
BRIGHT light on 14 hours per day is essential. Almost all enclosures I see are not lit anywhere close to bright enough. I would suggest at least 250 lumen per sq ft of enclosure space.
Ensure there is some source of UVA in your lighting provided. At least 4-6 hours midday. Light without UVA for tortoises is like you seeing in dim, black and white only. Tortoise vision, and their circadian cycles and circanual rhythms are triggered by UVA more than anything else.
Being in a more northern location these things are more important to you than ever. By far the most of these type posts are from folks living in very northern locations.
I would suggest you go through your enclosure conditions and pay attention to lighting.
BRIGHT light on 14 hours per day is essential. Almost all enclosures I see are not lit anywhere close to bright enough. I would suggest at least 250 lumen per sq ft of enclosure space.
Ensure there is some source of UVA in your lighting provided. At least 4-6 hours midday. Light without UVA for tortoises is like you seeing in dim, black and white only. Tortoise vision, and their circadian cycles and circanual rhythms are triggered by UVA more than anything else.
Being in a more northern location these things are more important to you than ever. By far the most of these type posts are from folks living in very northern locations.
BorisBertheas
New Member
Not pooping or passing urates
Okay, after rereading, I did notice your concern with both. So no urate not a big deal. Not pooping, make the changes suggested and see if things don't change for the better.
BorisBertheas
New Member
He has basking bulb from zoo med...and uvb hood which is repisun...Uva? Not sure
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BorisBertheas
New Member
Appreciate all the help...I inherited him,and if you read past posts from me,you'll see that this has been super emotional,and hard. Love the Lil guy...so I question everything!!! I have bought him everything under the sun. But he's set in his ways. I kno sweet potato isnt the best,however he won't eat unless sweet potato is somewhere on his plate. However,I only gave him spring mix today...and I seen that he was eating it! So I'm happy about that. He always uses the bathroom when soaking,however the last 5 times he has not! I'm just worried to death. He's a sweet guy,and I question the fact that I'm not right for him cause I don't kno alot. Want best life for him period. Whether that's with me..or someone else? Super hard
BorisBertheas
New Member
Thank you for help...I'll try what you said and get better food- just that he usually will not eat at all,if it isn't romaine and sweet potatoes somewhere. He used to like strawberries when my mom had him. But won't touch them now...just worried. Seems like most of the vets have no clue about tortoises-just a waste of money,and it's stressful. I live in Vancouver,Washington- if anyone is ever here...I would pay,just to have someone come and check the lightening thing...I have gun to tell temp...and therm, hydro Temps in enclosure...but they always say something different. Can't ever get things to match up. I kno it shouldn't be this hard. However I've had brain tumor removed out of my head,so I'm not as sharp as I used to be...just want him to be okay and have a good life. Even if I have to give him to someone who knows what they are doing! Just don't kno if I'm hurting him,and that hurts my heart.
Glad he doesn't eat strawberries any more, fruit should not be fed to him.
You have to work at it to get him eating the better foods. My post above in the beginning tells how to get him to switch over to better foods.
Switch the substrate out and use orchid or fir bark. Get a clay saucer, kind used for under plant pots for water. Get one that is big and he can fit into.
Get a incandescent flood bulb for basking
Tube florescent for uvb
Ceramic heat emitter for added day heat and night heat.
Get a infrared temp gun and digital thermometer.
Try to get humidity to 30-50% by dampening the substrate after you switch it out.
If you follow all the instructions and get things changed to the right stuff, you will see improvements and he will be healthier.
Basking temp 95-100.
Over all day temp 75-80
Night temps 70
Make it bright during the day.
Once you get everything needing changing and he starts eating better foods then work on getting a proper sized enclosure. An adult Russian needs a minimum of a 4x8. An enclosure like one picture can work inside with a tarp for the floor and is cheap.
You have to work at it to get him eating the better foods. My post above in the beginning tells how to get him to switch over to better foods.
Switch the substrate out and use orchid or fir bark. Get a clay saucer, kind used for under plant pots for water. Get one that is big and he can fit into.
Get a incandescent flood bulb for basking
Tube florescent for uvb
Ceramic heat emitter for added day heat and night heat.
Get a infrared temp gun and digital thermometer.
Try to get humidity to 30-50% by dampening the substrate after you switch it out.
If you follow all the instructions and get things changed to the right stuff, you will see improvements and he will be healthier.
Basking temp 95-100.
Over all day temp 75-80
Night temps 70
Make it bright during the day.
Once you get everything needing changing and he starts eating better foods then work on getting a proper sized enclosure. An adult Russian needs a minimum of a 4x8. An enclosure like one picture can work inside with a tarp for the floor and is cheap.
BorisBertheas
New Member
He has all the above....except he has coconut soil and a few pine shavings mix as substrate. His enclosure is big,at least from what I've seen bigger than normal...I'll send pic. And Double check what you suggested. Please look at pic,and thank you so much..I'll give update soon
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BorisBertheas
New Member
Pine should not be used. The coconut coir is fine but the pine needs to go.
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