Radiated Tortoise VOMITS

[Radmaster]

Hi guys my 2 year old radiated tortoise has been regurgitate / vomiting for the pass 9 days...he still eats but his apatite is small. i watch him very carefully and he always vomits around 1 hour he eats, and the stuff he vomits out are always the exact stuff he ate 1 hour ago. The vomit does not contain any blood, just a lot of bubbles and FRESH bite size hibiscus leaves and flowers I fed him 1 hour ago... this means the food wasnt even going to digest and hes throwing up..... he has lost 10 grams from 160 g-150 g... I am seriously worried, what can i do.....

 

[Big Ol Tortoise]

Try chopping the food up. He may be swallowing really big pieces he can't handle.

 

[Radmaster]

Try chopping the food up. He may be swallowing really big pieces he can't handle.

I was thinking the same thing which I just implemented it today, lets see how it goes..... but I had him for 1 year now, he never had this problem before..do u think parasites play a role as well?

 

[zovick]

I was thinking the same thing which I just implemented it today, lets see how it goes..... but I had him for 1 year now, he never had this problem before..do u think parasites play a role as well?

The vomiting could possibly be caused by a large number of pinworms or some other type of worms in the gut. Have you taken a stool sample to a vet for examination?

Other more serious problems causing this type of response would be an intestinal blockage, a cryptosporidium infection, or possibly intranuclear coccidiosis. None of these three are good.

When the tortoise defecated most recently, was the stool normal or was it watery and runny? How warm is the tortoise kept, both in the daytime and at night?

Bill Z

 

[Radmaster]

The vomiting could possibly be caused by a large number of pinworms or some other type of worms in the gut. Have you taken a stool sample to a vet for examination?

Other more serious problems causing this type of response would be an intestinal blockage, a cryptosporidium infection, or possibly intranuclear coccidiosis. None of these three are good.

When the tortoise defecated most recently, was the stool normal or was it watery and runny? How warm is the tortoise kept, both in the daytime and at night?

Bill Z

I always kept them outdoor, day time around 32 degrees Celsius, night time around 26 degrees. The poop is not watery but its not as solid as the other radiates, its a bit like wet clay and a bit lighter in color. if its pin worms/ parasites are there any products you would recommend? in my part of the world (Vietnam) there are no reptile/tortoise vets

 

[MPRC]

My initial thought is that there may be a blockage. If the food goes down and has no where else to go it comes back up. Smaller bites may help. I'd also suggest blending it with something very moist to help prevent dehydration. A HEALTHY tortoise can go a long time without food, but dehydration can be deadly and it sets in faster.

Are there other non-reptile vets who may be able to do an x-ray and see what is going on inside of the tortoise?

 

[zovick]

I always kept them outdoor, day time around 32 degrees Celsius, night time around 26 degrees. The poop is not watery but its not as solid as the other radiates, its a bit like wet clay and a bit lighter in color. if its pin worms/ parasites are there any products you would recommend? in my part of the world (Vietnam) there are no reptile/tortoise vets

The drug of choice for pinworms is oxfendazole (Benzelmin), but it may be difficult to find. Fenbendazole (Panacur) works almost as well and is generally more readily available.

Before trying to worm the tortoise, though, it would be a very good idea to soak it in warm water for 20 minutes a couple times a day to see if you can get a stool sample to take to a vet and have it checked for parasites (any vet should be able to recognize parasites or their eggs in the stools). If none are seen, worming the tortoise in its present condition is not really going to help anything and may further stress it unnecessarily. If you do get a stool sample, don't delay in getting it to the vet promptly. They are best checked fairly soon after you get them.

The tortoise may very well have an obstruction/blockage which is causing the vomiting because the food cannot go anywhere except back out of the tortoise the same way it came (as mentioned by MPRC above). Soaking the animal as I suggested to obtain the stool sample may also help it to pass whatever is causing the blockage (if that is possible) and is worth trying for a couple of days.

Has the tortoise ever been kept on sand as a substrate? What is it kept on presently? Those answers may provide a clue as to whether an obstruction is likely or not.

Bill Z

 

[Radmaster]

The drug of choice for pinworms is oxfendazole (Benzelmin), but it may be difficult to find. Fenbendazole (Panacur) works almost as well and is generally more readily available.

Before trying to worm the tortoise, though, it would be a very good idea to soak it in warm water for 20 minutes a couple times a day to see if you can get a stool sample to take to a vet and have it checked for parasites (any vet should be able to recognize parasites or their eggs in the stools). If none are seen, worming the tortoise in its present condition is not really going to help anything and may further stress it unnecessarily. If you do get a stool sample, don't delay in getting it to the vet promptly. They are best checked fairly soon after you get them.

The tortoise may very well have an obstruction/blockage which is causing the vomiting because the food cannot go anywhere except back out of the tortoise the same way it came (as mentioned by MPRC above). Soaking the animal as I suggested to obtain the stool sample may also help it to pass whatever is causing the blockage (if that is possible) and is worth trying for a couple of days.

Has the tortoise ever been kept on sand as a substrate? What is it kept on presently? Those answers may provide a clue as to whether an obstruction is likely or not.

Bill Z

Thank you very much for the detailed advice, this really helped me, I blended the food yesterday and he seems to be more willing to eat ( he gained 5 grams) after the meal and showed no signs of vomiting...yet. I keep him on majority grass and slate/stone and perhaps 5 % of the area has a sand pit however i never feed them on sand, always on stone slates. I plan to keep feeding him the blended for another 5 days to see if he regains his weight.

This particular radiate has a defected right front foot (like a stubble with no toes and claws and around 20 % shorter) his ex-owner's dog chewed on him last year but i nursed him back to health when the owner sold it to me for a lower price months ago. I notice that he cant claw and tear his food into smaller bits like the other Rad. Torts.

His beak is also a bit irregular withe the right side being a bit thicker than the left. I think this combination makes it harder for him to eat.... but he was eating find until last week, anyways thank you so much for the advice, I will update you when I see some results.

 

[Radmaster]

My initial thought is that there may be a blockage. If the food goes down and has no where else to go it comes back up. Smaller bites may help. I'd also suggest blending it with something very moist to help prevent dehydration. A HEALTHY tortoise can go a long time without food, but dehydration can be deadly and it sets in faster.

Are there other non-reptile vets who may be able to do an x-ray and see what is going on inside of the tortoise?

Thanks, i will make sure he is hydrated. I will check for a vet with an xray.

 

[allegraf]

How is he doing?

 

[TammyJ]

I would also like some news here!

 

[Radmaster]

(Here is 'Goku' eating some pumpkin/strawberry and powdered V. D3+calcium. He doesnt seem to eat his greens yet, pumpkin seems to be his favorite) The little guy is still alive, I took him to the vet which he stayed for 10 days ( very pricey), he has a few parasites from checking his feces. he is eating better now however he still does vomits sometimes but not as often. The vet says it might take him a while to recover because his digestive system might have been damaged by the parasites and needs to recover.

 

[Gillian M]

(Here is 'Goku' eating some pumpkin/strawberry and powdered V. D3+calcium. He doesnt seem to eat his greens yet, pumpkin seems to be his favorite) The little guy is still alive, I took him to the vet which he stayed for 10 days ( very pricey), he has a few parasites from checking his feces. he is eating better now however he still does vomits sometimes but not as often. The vet says it might take him a while to recover because his digestive system might have been damaged by the parasites and needs to recover.

Hi and hope your cutie Goku has recovered. By the way, he's gorgeous. GOD bless.

 

[Radmaster]

Just want to ask if there is infact an internal blockade (perhaps he ate something he shouldn't have) what should I do?

 

[mark1]

I have very little experience with tortoises , but a bit of experience with blockages ......... a blockage for a month I think you'd have a very sick , and I would guess probably dead tortoise if not near dead ........ did they x-ray him ? never seen it done in a tortoise , but they can introduce barium into the gut and watch it move through ....... the only for sure cure for a blockage I know of is surgery ......... I've seen a section of dead bowel cause similar problems , surgery is the only solution for that ......I would guess damaged bowel would cause similar symptoms , and time may be what it needs to recover .........

 

[Gillian M]

Just want to ask if there is infact an internal blockade (perhaps he ate something he shouldn't have) what should I do?

That could be a probability.

How is he now? Better I hope.

 

[TammyJ]

Still watching and hoping for the best. But if he has a blockage in his system he will keep vomiting up anything he eats, or it will stay in him and he will get worse if he cannot defecate.

 

[Souptugo]

I hope he is doing well too. Mine ate rocks and was impacted for a week. I found soaking him in warm water and hand feeding him food I continuously dipped in water made him pass the rocks. So far no more rocks in his poo.

 

[Radmaster]

I have very little experience with tortoises , but a bit of experience with blockages ......... a blockage for a month I think you'd have a very sick , and I would guess probably dead tortoise if not near dead ........ did they x-ray him ? never seen it done in a tortoise , but they can introduce barium into the gut and watch it move through ....... the only for sure cure for a blockage I know of is surgery ......... I've seen a section of dead bowel cause similar problems , surgery is the only solution for that ......I would guess damaged bowel would cause similar symptoms , and time may be what it needs to recover .........

It's been nearly 2 months now, he doesn't seem sick or anything but he just seems very picky with his food. he has clear eyes and does defecate every 2 days or so. I really hope its not a blockage becuase a tortoise his size will not survive surgery. (the vet haven't given him an x-ray)

 

[Radmaster]

I want to share with your 3 pictures of Goku. Today I fed him some pumpkin (again because he does not eat anything I feed him, he would nibble on some hibiscus flowers and leaves but only 1-2 bites, his main diet now is only pumpkin. he refused romaine lettuce, grass, carrots and other leafy greens)

Now the 1st picture is him opening his mouth really wide (no its not because he is taking a bite of his food), he tend to do this every time before he eats... Goku's head would fully stretch out with his mouth wide open and move his head around like he's choking on something, sometimes he gurgles saliva out and sometimes even pieces of food he ate comes out, he would do this for around 20 seconds before he starts eating. Maybe that is why his apatite isn't great...

https://s28.postimg.org/yy9erb5jf/20170120_183028.jpg

The 2nd and 3rd picture is his poop. I can see fine pieces of pumpkin and the poop is lighter in shade due to his pumpkin diet i presume however its solid now which is an improvement. But I cant help but notice a little translucent gooey white stuff and one end of his poop, can anyone tell if that is normal? And does his feces look healthy?

https://postimg.org/image/m7bq3s4nr/

https://s30.postimg.org/ypkc59c0x/20170201_150243_001.jpg