The analog disc type thermometers are not reliable so don't even pay attention to what they say. Just go by the digital and temp gun.
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
- Start date
You are about 100 miles from me, I am in Corvallis Oregon...Think about this. He can only eat what you feed him. If you feed him a good diet, that's what he has to eat. You have to be stronger than he..tough love, you feed a good diet, he eats a good diet...
BorisBertheas
New Member
Love this mini
Ok..ty
BorisBertheas
New Member
Oh thank you so much- I've tried that before,he just refused to eat,However,maybe I didn't try long enough. I really am gonna do everything that I'm being told to do. Just got scared and gave in when he went week without eating. I really want the best for him!!! Thanks for responding 😀
BorisBertheas
New Member
Okay...thank you so much @wellington Youve been responding since late last night,and i truly appreciated all your help,and knowledge!
BorisBertheas
New Member
I know it's hard. Believe me, I have been where you are...you simply have to be strong. Look at it this way you show your love for him by staying strong. Tortoises can go for a long time without eating...months, now they shouldn't but they can.. so you can stay strong for ...maybe 2 weeks. I bet he will eat within 2 weeks, but you must do your part and make an appetizing meal,,,including sweet potato......if you do your part and he still doesn't eat...I'll bring you a double cheeseburger and look at your tort...ok?
BorisBertheas
New Member
Okay deal!!!! Thank you so much...your a blessing,appreciate you so much 💗
Alex and the Redfoot
Well-Known Member
Basking bulb gives some UVA and so does the UVB lamp. You might add a LED light strip from a hardware store (cold or neutral daylight, color temperature around 6000-6500K) as well, to make the enclosure brightly lit.
The ZooMed terrarium hood comes bundled with a Reptisun 5.0 UVB tube. If mounted too high, it doesn't give UVB levels required for your guy. What's the mounting height above the substrate?
Just in case: UVB is totally filtered by plastic and glass. I can't clearly see from photos, if it's over the plastic or not.
Also, he needs a shallow terracota saucer with fresh water (large enough to get into).
As with new foods - you can fine chop romaine lettuce and add little by a little the new greens (or you can even use the blender). Some foods are more readily eaten than others - e.g. radicchio, arugula or chickory might work "from the start".
BorisBertheas
New Member
Thanks yes he has all the above..water to get into and I soak him. Radicchio is in his spring mix...could he need a new uvb light to use bathroom? He's still not going to bathroom at all. Been soaking him every other day..nothing-i kno bulb needs to be changed every 8 months...so I'm not sure what to do? And there's only a Lil spot with glass on top the rest is open so not blocking the rays. Any advice on the bathroom tip? And how long is it time to worry?
BorisBertheas
New Member
Also his repisun is 10 not 5
Alex and the Redfoot
Well-Known Member
ReptiSun 10.0 is a correct lamp. Lamps last from 6 months to several years - it depends on lamp's maker and how long a day it is run. With 8 months of 12 hours a day, it *probably* needs replacement. There is a device - Solarmeter 6.5 which helps to tell for sure if UV level is enough (it's expensive but you'll save on lamps later on).
UVB is vital for absorbing calcium, however, as far as I know, it's not necessary for food digestion and excretion. Correct temperatures and excercise are needed for that.
I think a month without food is a reason to worry. What else can be done:
1. Ensure that temperatures are correct. And ambient light (not UVB) is on 14 hours a day (check posts by Wellington and Markw84 above).
2. If he still has a good appetite - great. You can try Mazuri Tortoise Diet (type 5M21, not LS!) as a supplement to his diet - mush wet pellets with greens. This could help with introducing new food types. Very little to no of sweet potato.
3. For the peace of mind you can do an X-ray to rule out any serious impactions issues. Don't let vet do any injections, just an X-ray.
BorisBertheas
New Member
Ok...hes eating just not pooping or passing urates. Soaked again last night. Don't kno if this matters or not...but he used to keep his tail on the leftside...and now I see he keeps it on the rightside...just thought I'd let you kno this...so how expensive is x-rays? And you said no injections,right...im gonna look for a vet that knows about exotics...I've been to vet in the passed,and it was total waste of money! So guess I'll start looking for a vet. Thank you for your help- I'm beyond exhausted...Enjoy your day..and I'll keep you posted
Apparently they have additives to aid in digestion. Only thing he ate when we got him was romaine. i started by adding mushy pelletts to lettuce so would stick. I also cut up 1 lg frozen strawberry 1x week mix in w pellets and calcium powder. Make sure moistened not dry. Not mushy. They are all different. Mine wont touch a cucumber. Loves bokchoy so i added dandelion leaves and I found when he ate more dandelions he had less urites.
Dandelions are good for us humans as a detox of kidneys
Soaks also help stimulate poops and fresh appetite
We took ours to vet after 2 weeks not hardly eating or coming out of hide.
He had improper diet and improper lighting.
He was growing too fast wo proper metabolizing of bone to keep up which resulted in mild beginning of shell rot and having larger than normal growth rings that were a little soft.
Vet had us doing daily soaks w betadine till water looked color of light tea. I would first soak him in just water wait for poop clean bath dish then do the betadine soak for 15 minutes. Vet said it was ok if he ingested small amount.
Soaks 3x week
Always romain bokchoy and dandelion leaves
Sprinkle of calcium powder
Always a tablespoon of Mazuri pellets
Always fresh water dish cleaned and filled daily
I keep trying differnt things but he seems resistant to change
An example is dandelion flowers
I kept putting 1 or 2 in his food dish but he didnt touch for 2 weeks straight.
Then 1 day he tried and ever since he devours them up?
No rhyme or reason. Gosh sorry if too much response. Mostly I am learning thru trial n error that variety in diet keeps our torts healthy. I found some pressed tomothy hay but he only likes on occasion and when i dice small. Think it helps digestion. I believe they self regulate more than just temps I think they know when they need certain foods too. But only after they cant have the one one they have developed a habit with. Hence Im not giving up on squash or other foods. Best of luck. Hope nothing too serious on no pooping for awhile...
BorisBertheas
New Member
Will not eat Matsuri pellets! Or any other pellets for that matter! Update tho..he has used bathroom in his soaking water one time! He's been sleeping alot....So still watching him,where can I buy those dandelion greens? And bokchoy? Appreciate your help. So do you think I need to soak in benedyne?
Alex and the Redfoot
Well-Known Member
Hi!
If you mean Betadine (iodine) soaks - NO. Never. Betadine should be applied once, only locally to desinfect damaged areas of the shell (used in cases of injuries or shell rot).
What's sometimes recommended to boost weak tortoises are Pedialyte and "baby carrot food" soaks. For the animals who are fainting and can't eat themselves. It's not your case (and I sincerely hope won't be).
Mazuri once-twice a week, moistened and mushed with greens. It's a good as a supplement, not daily food. Mazuri 5M21 is what most tortoises like, while Mazuri LS is often ignored. If he doesn't like it - add it gradually, little by a little, starting with barely noticeable amount.
Bokchoy is the same as "chinese cabbage", can be found in the grocery stores and it's not a perfect staple food. Dandelion greens sometimes can be found in "organic food shops". Having varied diet is always preferred. But, please, no fruit or berries. Sometimes "ethnic stores" can have cool things to feed, like opuntia pads ("nopales") in Mexican stores. Also, there are dried flowers/grass mixes used as a topping for grocery shop greens (like the ones from KapidoloFarms). You can take a look at the answers on the first page of your thread for suggestions about diet and stores.
If you mean Betadine (iodine) soaks - NO. Never. Betadine should be applied once, only locally to desinfect damaged areas of the shell (used in cases of injuries or shell rot).
What's sometimes recommended to boost weak tortoises are Pedialyte and "baby carrot food" soaks. For the animals who are fainting and can't eat themselves. It's not your case (and I sincerely hope won't be).
Mazuri once-twice a week, moistened and mushed with greens. It's a good as a supplement, not daily food. Mazuri 5M21 is what most tortoises like, while Mazuri LS is often ignored. If he doesn't like it - add it gradually, little by a little, starting with barely noticeable amount.
Bokchoy is the same as "chinese cabbage", can be found in the grocery stores and it's not a perfect staple food. Dandelion greens sometimes can be found in "organic food shops". Having varied diet is always preferred. But, please, no fruit or berries. Sometimes "ethnic stores" can have cool things to feed, like opuntia pads ("nopales") in Mexican stores. Also, there are dried flowers/grass mixes used as a topping for grocery shop greens (like the ones from KapidoloFarms). You can take a look at the answers on the first page of your thread for suggestions about diet and stores.
Alliegator28
New Member
I had a similar and scary situation a couple years back he was also not pooping and I could tell something was wrong and he even pucked oh poor little guy mine had eaten moss , he never uses hides of any kind but I had created a humid area for him and I did not know but he had eaten some of the moss and he was very sick , this was before you could find information so easily . I feed him by hand for a while once he started moving again , best of luck it’s so hard on us when we feel this way my guys picky too . He might have got hold of something
_The_Beast_
Active Member
In Vancouver, Safeway, Save-On, Whole Foods, and Superstore generally carry a lot of the mentioned greens, including bok choy, endive, and dandelion greens. If they don't, check an Asian grocery store like T&T. It might help to look up pictures of what the foods look like online so you know what you're looking for. I believe those stores often put radicchio, endive, bok choy, and dandelion green near each other (open lettuce and greens section), while spring mix, arugula, and other boxed greens will be clumped together.
For Mazuri, if you're offering the LS pellets I'm not surprised. But many like the 5M21 pellets, which a big chubby pellets you'll want to soak in some water. In Canada, you can often only find the 5M21 kind in really big bags, not small reasonable ones.
And congrats on the bathroom success!
You in Washington or BC?
NO BETADINE SOAKS EVER!!! That Vet... holy sh*t...do not go back...going to the Vet ain't gonna help anyway...go over your lighting? Is it correct? Your heating, is he warm during the day, and lower the temp at night? Russians really don't graze as do, for instance Sulcata, Russians eat weeds and leaves and that sorta stuff...grass and lettuces don't get it...but I have had Russians in the past who ate Spring Mix, I add radicchio, bok choy, dandelions, they grow outside, and whatever else is available, soak him daily in strained carrots, every day! When you soak him make the water just a little deeper so maybe he has to hold his head up and he will swim kinda stressed looking, but generally that is poop making for sure. You don't need a Vet...make sure you wake him up every morning for a carrot soak, soak at the same time daily you need to establish a routine. Feed breakfast, after his morning nap offer him a snack...do the same thing the same way, at the same time daily, oh and just take some scissors and cut the food up some. Timothy hay has too many stems and generally is not fresh...tortoises don't like it...go to your local feed store for horses and the like. Ask the guy if you can have a bag of the shake after the bales are gone...fresh soft locally grown grass hay...he will LOVE it... I hope this helps...
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