Russian tortoise throwing up

[Lindsay Chen]

so recently my russian tortoise has been gagging and she only threw up once, but after that she hasnt been eating and i have no idea whats going on because i feed her escarole and carrots, and i dont know what the problem is HELP!

 

[rachels-torts]

I'm not quite sure what the matter is... Do you feed her anything else besides those two foods? Like pellets or any other veggies? What kind of lighting is she under?

 

[Lindsay Chen]

I also feed her collard greens and im not sure what type of lighting it is:/

 

[Lindsay Chen]

im just really scared because she hasnt been eating recently, and sometimes she suddenly sucks into her shell like her eye is bothering her or something

 

[russian/sulcata/tortoise]

it would be really helpful if you post some pics of the enclosure the tortoise and the lights.

 

[dmmj]

Tortoises aren't designed to throw up like mammals. So we have to look at why they do. They usually throw up, when they have ingested something that is toxic, or disagrees with them. I am pretty sure your tortoise got a hold of something, he threw up, and he prob. won't feel like eating for awhile. for now hydrate, and watch him, if he got rid of what ever it was, his eating habits, should return to normal.

 

[crimson_lotus]

I hope your tortoise feels better.

This is just a general thing, but variety is key to any tortoise diet. Too much of any particular thing can be bad, in fact, I was told that carrots and kale are rich in certain things so you shouldn't feed them very often.

 

[Ciri]

Are the foods you've been feeding her organically grown? If not, that could be the problem. Did much come out when she threw up? It does take a lot for a tortoise or turtle to throw up. Do you have a reptile vet you can call to ask whether she needs to be brought in?

I had one box turtle who threw up asparagus, so I never gave it to her again. That was years ago, and it was not organic. She was okay. But I had a tortoise who ate a poisonous mushroom and didn't survive. In that case, getting them to the veterinarian as quickly as possible is essential. I hope she's feeling better soon.

 

[Ciri]

Since it is a holiday weekend, if it were me I would get her into a reptile veterinarian today if possible. Otherwise it's unlikely that one would be available before Monday. Depending on what caused her to throw up, getting the help sooner rather than later could be pretty important.

If you're not able to get her in today, I would suggest getting some activated charcoal and putting it in her water. This way she will drink it and absorb it through the cloaca. Soak her in the charcoal water two times a day – early and late, four or more hours before or after food. (Charcoal can absorb contaminants, so if she got something poisonous in her system hopefully this would help her.) Although it is later than optimum timing for giving this to her, it could be helpful.

 

[rachels-torts]

I would recommend trying to get a hold of a veterinarian asap. He most likely has an upset stomach and just like you and I, probably doesn't feel like eating much. Tortoises react different to different foods like us too. Mine doesn't like collard greens and when she ate kale for the first time she didn't want to eat and had a very loose stool. So now I make sure to give her a variety of nutritious greens that I know she'll eat.