Russian tortoise prolapse

[Casey Bryant]

Hi everyone,
I recently purchased my russian tortoise from petco not even two weeks ago and he now has a prolapse. What worries me is the cost of a vet , and also if I should take him back to petco plus this happened Saturday so no vet is available until Monday that deals with tortoises.
I have used pellets instead of any sand or bark substrates.

 

[Blakem]

How long has the organ been out? Can you post a picture?

 

[wellington]

You need to keep it moist, do not let it dry out. Make a paste of sugar and water and apply to it. If it dries out, or does not go back in you will have to take it to the vet. You could call petco and see if they will take it to the vet for you. However, I'm not sure if they would of just put him down. The pellets need to go, they are not a good substrate. Read the caresheet under the Russian section for proper housing. @Yvonne G can give further advice

 

[Yvonne G]

You're lucky to have purchased the tortoise at Petco, as they should bear the cost of helping you with the prolapse. As has been said, keep it moist. If you allow it to dry out the tissue will die.

Prolapses happen because the tortoise is straining. It may be constipation, worms, egg bound, stone impaction - any number of things. So you can't just fix the prolapse because without fixing what caused it in the first place will allow it to happen again. So he/she needs x-rays to see if there are stones or eggs, and a fecal exam to check for worm eggs. If it's constipation, you can feed moist foods like aloe and cactus, and work with mineral oil.

With the pad of your finger, gently try to push the prolapse back inside. If you can get it back in, you'll have to hold it in for several minutes until the tortoise relaxes and stops pushing.

 

[Casey Bryant]

Thanks for the reply, I will get rid of the pellets, and I will make sure to bring it up with petco and have them cover costs of vet if possible. I will make some calls if I can't get the prolapse back in on my own,
Also is it okay to soak the tortoise in warm water in the mean time to help not dry out?

 

[Yvonne G]

Yes, not only ok, but recommended.

 

[Casey Bryant]

Here is a picture of him, it's gotten a little worse since yesterday, I'll try what you all recommended with sugar and water paste. Thank you all so much for the help!
First tortoise so many new things to learn are before me.