Possible impacted Russian tortoise?

[Sineadsq]

Hi

I’ve been reading up loads on here over the last week and I fear we may have an impacted tortoise 🙁 he hasn’t been eating well for weeks and I haven’t seen anything other than tiny tiny poos in his cage and even that I haven’t seen in ages. I have another thread going about this and does seem as though we’ve been given incorrect information regarding substrate ect. So I have tried to change everything. I have spoke to the pet shop ( this is a specialist exotic animal pet shop in the UK) I have bought him in 3 times and they just say he looks fine. He eats a little but is really is such a small amount few mouth fills here and there. He walks around and can be quite alert at times but he digs down in to his corner and just likes to stay there until we get him out and under the light.

I have tried to get a vet appointment and it’s almost impossible here as no one is taking on new pets. I’m so concerned about him and just don’t know what to do. I’m going to ring around the vets again tomorrow to see if anyone will see him but can anyone give any advise on the meantime. I’ve seen some one was giving there tortoise lactolose? Is this sage to try?
Thanks so much for any advise you can give

 

[DoubleD1996!]

Well if he's passing manure it doesn't sound like impaction. What are your temps like? He may be simply trying to brumate which is common this time of year.

 

[Tom]

Hi

I’ve been reading up loads on here over the last week and I fear we may have an impacted tortoise 🙁 he hasn’t been eating well for weeks and I haven’t seen anything other than tiny tiny poos in his cage and even that I haven’t seen in ages. I have another thread going about this and does seem as though we’ve been given incorrect information regarding substrate ect. So I have tried to change everything. I have spoke to the pet shop ( this is a specialist exotic animal pet shop in the UK) I have bought him in 3 times and they just say he looks fine. He eats a little but is really is such a small amount few mouth fills here and there. He walks around and can be quite alert at times but he digs down in to his corner and just likes to stay there until we get him out and under the light.

I have tried to get a vet appointment and it’s almost impossible here as no one is taking on new pets. I’m so concerned about him and just don’t know what to do. I’m going to ring around the vets again tomorrow to see if anyone will see him but can anyone give any advise on the meantime. I’ve seen some one was giving there tortoise lactolose? Is this sage to try?
Thanks so much for any advise you can give

This is a long read, but it may help shed some light:

Tom's Brumation Thread

Every fall we get bombarded here on the forum with all sorts of questions and problems regarding hibernation and tortoises "slowing down" for winter. The purpose of this thread is to talk about all aspects of this subject, to dispel some of the myths and mysteries, and give a "how to" list of...

tortoiseforum.org

I agree with DoubleD. Sounds like normal brumation prep behavior for this time of year. You have to decide if you want to keep him up, or brumate him, and then take the correct steps for either.

 

[Sineadsq]

Thanks for your replies he’s only just 1 year and the pet store said he was too small for brumation? He is only a little thing.
I do know what you mean if something come out but these were soo so small I had dig up the entire substrate to find it. And even that was from at least 2 weeks ago probably longer . He’s been back from the pet shop over a week now and definitely hasn’t pood since then. He didn’t pop there either. I’m definitely thinking the worst. I feel like it’s been months since I seen a proper big pop from him. I say big they were never huge but you couldn’t miss them.

 

[Tom]

Thanks for your replies he’s only just 1 year and the pet store said he was too small for brumation? He is only a little thing.
I do know what you mean if something come out but these were soo so small I had dig up the entire substrate to find it. And even that was from at least 2 weeks ago probably longer . He’s been back from the pet shop over a week now and definitely hasn’t pood since then. He didn’t pop there either. I’m definitely thinking the worst. I feel like it’s been months since I seen a proper big pop from him. I say big they were never huge but you couldn’t miss them.

Pet shops give terrible care advice and most of them have no idea what they are talking about.

Your tortoise knows what time of year it is. The thread lists what to do if you don't want your tortoise to brumate, and also what to do if you decide you do want your tortoise to brumate.

What you CAN'T do is nothing. What you are doing now isn't working. Your tortoise isn't pooping much because your tortoise isn't eating much. You are in limbo territory. Conditions aren't quite right for being up, active and eating, but they also aren't quite right for brumation. You have to make a decision and go one way or the other.

 

[zolasmum]

Pet shops give terrible care advice and most of them have no idea what they are talking about.

Your tortoise knows what time of year it is. The thread lists what to do if you don't want your tortoise to brumate, and also what to do if you decide you do want your tortoise to brumate.

What you CAN'T do is nothing. What you are doing now isn't working. Your tortoise isn't pooping much because your tortoise isn't eating much. You are in limbo territory. Conditions aren't quite right for being up, active and eating, but they also aren't quite right for brumation. You have to make a decision and go one way or the other.

Hello from Devon. I find with our Hermanns tortoise that dandelion leaves are the best thing to encourage a good poo -and he will eat them in preference to anything else. If you cut some up into very small bits, he may be encouraged to eat it, and that might get things moving.
Angie

 

[Sineadsq]

Pet shops give terrible care advice and most of them have no idea what they are talking about.

Your tortoise knows what time of year it is. The thread lists what to do if you don't want your tortoise to brumate, and also what to do if you decide you do want your tortoise to brumate.

What you CAN'T do is nothing. What you are doing now isn't working. Your tortoise isn't pooping much because your tortoise isn't eating much. You are in limbo territory. Conditions aren't quite right for being up, active and eating, but they also aren't quite right for brumation. You have to make a decision and go one way or the other.

Thank you. I’m going to try and get a vet appointment to put my mind at rest too. Even if it’s just an X-ray to confirm not constipated or impacted.

I had decided not to hibernate and apart from keeping the ambient room temperature higher I wasn’t aware I needed to do more. I will certainly read over the information you sent this evening and see what more I need to do doing.

 

[Sineadsq]

Well if he's passing manure it doesn't sound like impaction. What are your temps like? He may be simply trying to brumate which is common this time of year.

Temperature under heat is about 95 and rest of the table about 70-75. He will only sit under his lamp for a few minutes before he walks back off to his cold end and burrows himself under again.

 

[Sineadsq]

Hello from Devon. I find with our Hermanns tortoise that dandelion leaves are the best thing to encourage a good poo -and he will eat them in preference to anything else. If you cut some up into very small bits, he may be encouraged to eat it, and that might get things moving.
Angie

Thanks for your advise, dandelion leaves is the thing we offer the most but he barley touches them. He eats lettuce over anything but I know this isn’t a good diet. I will try again tomorrow cutting them up smaller and see what happens.