Hi, my poor baby Sulcata seemed to not be eating as much and definitely getting more lethargic over time. I took him to a local vet and after an X-ray she determined he had a large bladder stone. At that time we decided to change his diet and soak him daily in warm water for 30-60 minutes per day. Yesterday, we took him for a one month follow up and it looks like the stone has moved a little however more have formed unless what I am seeing is stool. He is still only about 2 inches, never really grew and under shell is pretty soft. I'm not sure what to do, being so small could he even survive surgery? Does anyone have insight to offer?
Sulcata, 2 year old, bladder stones!!! HELP!!
- Thread starter Katrina L
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Maggie Cummings
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Please someone help this girl, while I take my thoughts to another thread...she needs help, now
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It being so small I don't know how to help . All i can add is soak in carrot baby food and warm water as much as possible . It sounds like your baby was started to dry . It could also have eaten small rocks if you have small rocks around him . Not saying you let your Tortoise eat rocks . But tortoises will eat small stones if they can get to them . I really wish I knew more on how to help you . Let's see what @Tom has to say . @Yvonne G maybe able to help if she see's this . I have never had this problem .
Do you have a good uvb lamp ? They need the uvb and vitamin d3 to metabolize the calcium .
Do you have a good uvb lamp ? They need the uvb and vitamin d3 to metabolize the calcium .
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Can you post pictures of your setup ? We need to know what temperatures you have in the setup hot side,cool side,basking,and nightly lows . Pictures of your lighting will help also .A list of foods you are feeding and are you adding calcium to it's food .
What does your vet seem to think about the stones? That is an amazing amount of build up for such a small tortoise.
He's really only two inches? That is tiny! How old is he?
What can you tell us about how he is housed? Maybe we could see a pic of his enclosure?
He's really only two inches? That is tiny! How old is he?
What can you tell us about how he is housed? Maybe we could see a pic of his enclosure?
Hey everyone! Thank you so much for you attention and assistance with my issue. Here is the run down......
I have two sulcata's (Turbo and Nitro) that i got March 2014 from a flea market in Miami, FL so they are both about two years old. I have to admit, from the beginning, i did not have a lot of knowledge as far as hydration but I was set up as far as their enclosure and diet went.
Diet: Mostly hibiscus leaves and flowers, collards, turnip greens and quickly stopped feeding spinach and kale about 6 months into the process because one they did not eat it and two i realized it wasn't the best for them. They were never fed pellets, or any chemistry made formula other than calcium carbonate and vitamin D3 supplements that i sprinkle on their food.
Enclosure: 120gallon tank (it's like a mansion). We have four bulbs, two UVB lamps and two heat lamps to make sure it covers the entire enclosure. Temperature ranges from 90-105F during the day and 70-85F at night. I have heating pads under the tank to help keep moisture as well as cypress mulch pieces and moss under the cypress...about 10 total thermometers and and one humidity gauge.
After about a year of having the tortoises, one was 4 inches, growing and thriving....and the other was 2 inches and never grew. I initially took him to a a "re-known" reptile DVM in Jacksonville, FL. Before listening to my entire story, he immediately told me this is a bullying issue and the tortoises needed to be split up. So what did i do as a new naive reptile owner? i listened to him. I separated the two in completely opposite tanks so that i could more closely monitor them. After 3 months, i decided to put the tortoises back together because nothing had changed.
Another 6 months went by and my tortoise was still not improving. As far as hydration goes, i previously soaked all of their food in water to help increase there water intake and only soaked for one hour a week from 1-1.5 years old. I decided to try another reptile DVM and after an X-ray she immediately diagnosed him with a bladder stone. I was told to change his diet to a more variety of greens, squash and corn as well as soaking him for an hour a day until a follow up in 3 months. Well my 3 month follow up was yesterday and he seems to have either developed more bladder stones and/or is constipated and unable to pass stool. He is definitely more lethargic, really only wakes up and moves in the hot water. I have not seen any feces or urine from him in about a month. After my most recent visit, i was told to go to the University of Florida vet school for better evaluation and if surgery was going to be the greatest out come my vet did not have the tools small enough.
So here i am! Sad. Low and behold, my other tortoise (Nitro) is still doing well. eating, drinking and thriving. There was never a bullying issue to begin with a it didn't seem like a stressful situation. They always slept together, they ate food at the same time, the shared the same sleeping spot, and i never got that vibe. I named the poor little guy Turbo because he was so feisty in the beginning and FAST. I'm a little sad that i did not fully educate myself on hydration with captive tortoises because i may have been able to save him had i known very early on. My best option may be to donate him to the vet school so that they can perhaps perform the surgery on him and also get education?? I do not want to pay $3000 for this poor little guy that may not make it.
What do you guys think? I will post a picture of the tank as well as more pictures of Turbo and Nitro together.
thanks so much
katrina
I have two sulcata's (Turbo and Nitro) that i got March 2014 from a flea market in Miami, FL so they are both about two years old. I have to admit, from the beginning, i did not have a lot of knowledge as far as hydration but I was set up as far as their enclosure and diet went.
Diet: Mostly hibiscus leaves and flowers, collards, turnip greens and quickly stopped feeding spinach and kale about 6 months into the process because one they did not eat it and two i realized it wasn't the best for them. They were never fed pellets, or any chemistry made formula other than calcium carbonate and vitamin D3 supplements that i sprinkle on their food.
Enclosure: 120gallon tank (it's like a mansion). We have four bulbs, two UVB lamps and two heat lamps to make sure it covers the entire enclosure. Temperature ranges from 90-105F during the day and 70-85F at night. I have heating pads under the tank to help keep moisture as well as cypress mulch pieces and moss under the cypress...about 10 total thermometers and and one humidity gauge.
After about a year of having the tortoises, one was 4 inches, growing and thriving....and the other was 2 inches and never grew. I initially took him to a a "re-known" reptile DVM in Jacksonville, FL. Before listening to my entire story, he immediately told me this is a bullying issue and the tortoises needed to be split up. So what did i do as a new naive reptile owner? i listened to him. I separated the two in completely opposite tanks so that i could more closely monitor them. After 3 months, i decided to put the tortoises back together because nothing had changed.
Another 6 months went by and my tortoise was still not improving. As far as hydration goes, i previously soaked all of their food in water to help increase there water intake and only soaked for one hour a week from 1-1.5 years old. I decided to try another reptile DVM and after an X-ray she immediately diagnosed him with a bladder stone. I was told to change his diet to a more variety of greens, squash and corn as well as soaking him for an hour a day until a follow up in 3 months. Well my 3 month follow up was yesterday and he seems to have either developed more bladder stones and/or is constipated and unable to pass stool. He is definitely more lethargic, really only wakes up and moves in the hot water. I have not seen any feces or urine from him in about a month. After my most recent visit, i was told to go to the University of Florida vet school for better evaluation and if surgery was going to be the greatest out come my vet did not have the tools small enough.
So here i am! Sad. Low and behold, my other tortoise (Nitro) is still doing well. eating, drinking and thriving. There was never a bullying issue to begin with a it didn't seem like a stressful situation. They always slept together, they ate food at the same time, the shared the same sleeping spot, and i never got that vibe. I named the poor little guy Turbo because he was so feisty in the beginning and FAST. I'm a little sad that i did not fully educate myself on hydration with captive tortoises because i may have been able to save him had i known very early on. My best option may be to donate him to the vet school so that they can perhaps perform the surgery on him and also get education?? I do not want to pay $3000 for this poor little guy that may not make it.
What do you guys think? I will post a picture of the tank as well as more pictures of Turbo and Nitro together.
thanks so much
katrina
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Well your vet was right about the bullying issue . Tortoises are loners they don't like or need a playmate . That's one problem . Splitting them up is a must like now . Setup your sick Tortoise in a closed chamber . Bump the temperature up a little and start baby food carrot soaks with warm water .
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Please go to the sulcata section and ready the threads at the top . Tom has a care sheet that will be very helpful .
While he may have been right about the bullying issue, that will not cause a bladder stone. he eats, drinks and loves to sleep with his play mate. if he was bullying, don't you think he would avoid the other tortoise and not choose to sleep with him?
M
Maggie Cummings
Guest
No, this is not a bullying issue. This is too cool a temp and not enough hydration. My advice.....
Go to "GoFundMe" you can write about Turbo and people who care, send money to help out. I did get the 3 grand for Bob's surgery.
Now, you won't like this but you need to know.
Start the GoFundMe today.Have your Vet call around and find someone to do the surgery. You NEED to do something NOW! I suspected Bob was sick in April. But like you I didn't have 3 grand. I did get the money, but it was a combination of a crappy Vet, and wasted too much time. He was dead in 3 months. He was 17 yrs old, total access to water, weighed 117 pounds and he had a bladder stone that weighs 1.5 pounds. Stop trying to figure out what to do about money and start working on getting it today. It's easy, you just sign up, write your story and caring people help. The more time you waste the less time Turbo has to get better.
Keep us posted please....and whatever you do, don't use Dr Burgess in Beaverton Oregon. Good luck.
Turbo has some hope if you get started right away, otherwise.....it'll turn out bad.
Go to "GoFundMe" you can write about Turbo and people who care, send money to help out. I did get the 3 grand for Bob's surgery.
Now, you won't like this but you need to know.
Start the GoFundMe today.Have your Vet call around and find someone to do the surgery. You NEED to do something NOW! I suspected Bob was sick in April. But like you I didn't have 3 grand. I did get the money, but it was a combination of a crappy Vet, and wasted too much time. He was dead in 3 months. He was 17 yrs old, total access to water, weighed 117 pounds and he had a bladder stone that weighs 1.5 pounds. Stop trying to figure out what to do about money and start working on getting it today. It's easy, you just sign up, write your story and caring people help. The more time you waste the less time Turbo has to get better.
Keep us posted please....and whatever you do, don't use Dr Burgess in Beaverton Oregon. Good luck.
Turbo has some hope if you get started right away, otherwise.....it'll turn out bad.
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You have to learn tortoise behavior . Just because it doesn't look bad it is . One Tortoise always grows while the other suffers . The weaker one will get the left overs the bigger one let's him have . It's not only what you see its stress on the weaker one . He tries to get away but can't . Soak soak soak try feeding foods high in water like cactus to get things moving . I wouldn't think doing surgery on a two inch Tortoise would go over well . But if you have the cash you can try . Hydration as a baby is key . The breeder you got them from may have started them to dry . We call it hatchling failure . Eating to much calcium and not having d3 will cause stones plus not have enough moisture . I don't really know if a surgery on this tortoise could even be done .
