Please, make sure that you have an excellent Vet team if you are looking into this. I am not sure how large your Tort is. I have a 70 ld Sulcata who needed a stone removed but it was just too large. I had the best team, latest technology but because of my boy's size and the size of the stone, it was impossible to remove. God bless the vet team, they tried for 5 hours to break it up into small pieces using a laproscoipc procedure. (Not exactly the technical term :/ ) It was very costly, but he is our baby and we wanted to give him a chance at having the best life ever. The procedure was not successful but he lived another two years! Today, we are preparing to say goodbye. He has stopped eating or trying to get to his favorite sunny spot in the yard and we fear that the stone is finally taking it's toll. We meet with our Vet team today. If we had caught the stone sooner he would have had a much better chance of having at least some of it removed. Especially if you have a young tort, I would recommend it as long as you have a team that knows what they are doing. The fact that my Shelldon is only going to live 1/10th of his life expectancy breaks my heart. Good luck to you and you tortoise. If you start a go fund me, my husband and I will contribute!Anyone know how much a tortoise bladder stone removal is? I may have to get that done on my tort and worried about the cost breaking the bank, thanks!
Would xrays be the best way to catch it early ?@Yvonne G
Is this most common in Sulcata?
It sounds like an $75 xray every few years could be money well spent.
That's what I'm assuming.Would xrays be the best way to catch it early ?
Sulcatas and desert tortoises.@Yvonne G
Is this most common in Sulcata?
It sounds like an $75 xray every few years could be money well spent.
That thing was huge. I was wondering, my tortoise right now is still small enough where I can soak him. But when they become so large and you can't just put them in a tub of water anymore, what options do we have to help keep them hydrated. Is constructing a shallow body of water outside with a plastic liner or something the way to go?Sulcatas and desert tortoises.
Thats a great idea, does the temperature of the water coming out play any kind of role? The water in our tap when it when it comes out is always super cold.Last year I ran a lawn sprinkler outside over part of Vlad's yard so he could get some extra moisture while he was out grazing [emoji16] I plan to continue that once the weather here warms up and he can get out
Not saying it's as good as a soak but it's one way to get some extra hydration
My sister has a dug out spot in the back yard she keeps filled with water. I have a lid from a garbage toter I use for my large tortoise. He drinks on his own every day (I see him).That thing was huge. I was wondering, my tortoise right now is still small enough where I can soak him. But when they become so large and you can't just put them in a tub of water anymore, what options do we have to help keep them hydrated. Is constructing a shallow body of water outside with a plastic liner or something the way to go?
Same here - I typically only did this when the temperature was in the 80s or so. Vlad didn't seem to mind the cool water, but I didn't want to risk anything if it wasn't warm/hot outThats a great idea, does the temperature of the water coming out play any kind of role? The water in our tap when it when it comes out is always super cold.
Thats a good idea. I have kind of wondered what I would use for a water dish when he gets huge. The lid from the garbage toter sounds like it would work great. I'm a little ways away from where he will be too big to soak yet, but I figured I better start getting a game plan together since he is growing like a weed.My sister has a dug out spot in the back yard she keeps filled with water. I have a lid from a garbage toter I use for my large tortoise. He drinks on his own every day (I see him).
I’m so sorry to hear this. This is what happened to my 10 year old sulcata. We didn’t get to the surgery stage. We had to get her a little stronger for the surgery and she didn’t make it. Again, so sorry to hear this but what a great effort you made for himPlease, make sure that you have an excellent Vet team if you are looking into this. I am not sure how large your Tort is. I have a 70 ld Sulcata who needed a stone removed but it was just too large. I had the best team, latest technology but because of my boy's size and the size of the stone, it was impossible to remove. God bless the vet team, they tried for 5 hours to break it up into small pieces using a laproscoipc procedure. (Not exactly the technical term :/ ) It was very costly, but he is our baby and we wanted to give him a chance at having the best life ever. The procedure was not successful but he lived another two years! Today, we are preparing to say goodbye. He has stopped eating or trying to get to his favorite sunny spot in the yard and we fear that the stone is finally taking it's toll. We meet with our Vet team today. If we had caught the stone sooner he would have had a much better chance of having at least some of it removed. Especially if you have a young tort, I would recommend it as long as you have a team that knows what they are doing. The fact that my Shelldon is only going to live 1/10th of his life expectancy breaks my heart. Good luck to you and you tortoise. If you start a go fund me, my husband and I will contribute!
I imagine the size of the tortoise pry plays a role in it too. Seems like I have read in other post, the larger the tortoise, the longer they can retain their core body temp.Same here - I typically only did this when the temperature was in the 80s or so. Vlad didn't seem to mind the cool water, but I didn't want to risk anything if it wasn't warm/hot out
Holy cow, that poor thing. I can't even imagine what it would feel like to try to pass something like that. Is it more dehydration, or diet that plays a role in this?Just to give you a perspective on how big stones are, this is a Texas tortoise, about 9" SCL. The stone is too big to pass through the opening between top and bottom shell:
View attachment 234503
This rescue was given to me because he wouldn't eat and had lost a whole lot of weight. His arms had no meat on them at all, just skin draped over bone. Needless to say, it was way too late to save him.