Bethany Douglass
New Member
Hello everybody! I am the new owner of a ~5 year old Hermann's tortoise who is full of energy and has a healthy appetite. We received him about 2 weeks ago, and have him set up in a 12 sq ft enclosure filled with organic, pesticide free top soil and cypress mulch with proper hides, hot/cool sides, and ready access to drinking and soaking water. We check his temps daily with a thermometer inside his enclosure as well as a temp gun, and keep his humidity at the appropriate levels. We have been feeding him the best diet we can (I am in the process of growing my own grass, weeds, and clover) - he gets fresh organic greens such as turnip, mustard, collard, and dandelion every day, every other day we cut his amount of greens in half and add soaked Mazuri tortoise diet with dried organic weeds (such as thistle or clover). I have soaked him twice since we've had him, and we take him outside as often as we can to enjoy the sunshine. I am trying to get an answer from my HOA about the grass outside, and if it isn't treated with pesticides I will let him graze out there (he did once on accident, and I stopped him once I saw it).
Last week, while soaking him, he defecated in his soaking water. It was incredibly smelly, and very runny with bits of leaf in it. I dried him off and set him back in his enclosure, and figured it was just from the soaking. Since then, he has pooped regularly (about once a day) and it is always slightly runny and has a fairly green tinge to it. It is also fairly smelly. When we first got him, he didn't poop as much and it was always quite solid. I know diarrhea is a sign of poor health, but he is eating normally and doesn't seem to have any other symptoms. However, he has been a lot more active of late, walking fairly quick laps around his enclosure and "trying to escape" particularly in the evenings.
I apologize for the wall of text - I am just so worried about my little guy. I will most likely call the vet in the morning and schedule a fecal test, but I just wanted to see if anybody had any advice/opinions until I can get in to see them. I am not sure if this is illness, stress from the relocation (he was shipped to me), or diet related, or possibly something different altogether! Thank you in advice for any help.
Last week, while soaking him, he defecated in his soaking water. It was incredibly smelly, and very runny with bits of leaf in it. I dried him off and set him back in his enclosure, and figured it was just from the soaking. Since then, he has pooped regularly (about once a day) and it is always slightly runny and has a fairly green tinge to it. It is also fairly smelly. When we first got him, he didn't poop as much and it was always quite solid. I know diarrhea is a sign of poor health, but he is eating normally and doesn't seem to have any other symptoms. However, he has been a lot more active of late, walking fairly quick laps around his enclosure and "trying to escape" particularly in the evenings.
I apologize for the wall of text - I am just so worried about my little guy. I will most likely call the vet in the morning and schedule a fecal test, but I just wanted to see if anybody had any advice/opinions until I can get in to see them. I am not sure if this is illness, stress from the relocation (he was shipped to me), or diet related, or possibly something different altogether! Thank you in advice for any help.