URGENT!! 2 yr old sulcata is sick. Please help!!

[alan88k]

One of my 2 yr old sulcata baby Sully is not eating for weeks now. It's puking white stuff while I soak her in warm water for 3 continuous days now. She didn't has appetite at all.
I could see that she's struggling to puke out something out coz she was shock-retract her limbs n head in and out of its shell. she also squeaking loud.

Please can anyone help me here by giving any advice? No reptiles vet is available in my Area!

Much appreciate guys for any input here.

Alan K
Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu)

 

[Dizisdalife]

Did you see that come out of her mouth?

 

[Pearly]

Sounds like a very sick tort. 3 days of throwing up! Wow! Poor baby! Can only imagine how miserable she must be feeling. I think 3 day vomit stretch warrants serious medical check. If no reptile vet, I'd beg any vet to help her out. I am new to reptiles but know thing or two about human medicine and base my opinion on human experience. Is she drinking? Was she healthy prior to this? Has she been in contact with any sick animals? How about parasites? What's her poop like? Urinating? How is her activity/behavior? Overall appearance?

 

[alan88k]

Did you see that come out of her mouth?

Yea, this was the thing she threw up during soaking in warm water.

Sounds like a very sick tort. 3 days of throwing up! Wow! Poor baby! Can only imagine how miserable she must be feeling. I think 3 day vomit stretch warrants serious medical check. If no reptile vet, I'd beg any vet to help her out. I am new to reptiles but know thing or two about human medicine and base my opinion on human experience. Is she drinking? Was she healthy prior to this? Has she been in contact with any sick animals? How about parasites? What's her poop like? Urinating? How is her activity/behavior? Overall appearance?

Yes she did drink in water, more of like sipping in water just to throw out these stuff. I saw it this morning coz I put my eyes close just to monitor her reaction. She did poop n pee also. But as I said, she didn't taking in food for weeks so the poop was like so thin n little. She looks so weak, she has totally no interest in eating, sleeping most of the time. But this is the third day I soak her in warm water n give her sun bath n monitoring her myself, I could see a little improvement from her. At least she's willing to move now. Just the thing I need to justify the reason behind this, n what's the real sickness she's undergoing by having symptoms like this?

Appreciate it.

Alan K.

 

[ascott]

One of my 2 yr old sulcata baby Sully is not eating for weeks now. It's puking white stuff while I soak her in warm water for 3 continuous days now. View attachment 141334She didn't has appetite at all.
I could see that she's struggling to puke out something out coz she was shock-retract her limbs n head in and out of its shell. she also squeaking loud.

Please can anyone help me here by giving any advice? No reptiles vet is available in my Area!

Much appreciate guys for any input here.

Alan K
Malaysia (Kota Kinabalu)

Those look like urates..however they don't come out of the mouth..they come out of the other end...I would suggest warm water soaks at least 2 or 3 times per day for a couple of weeks...what type of substrate are you using in the enclosure? What is the type of food offered?

 

[dmmj]

If a tortoise is throwing up something is very wrong be they are not really designed to do so. I suspect she ate something that didn't agree with her or something midly toxic which is why no eating I would do soaks for now if she declines more than go to a vet

 

[Dizisdalife]

Those look like urates..however they don't come out of the mouth..they come out of the other end...I would suggest warm water soaks at least 2 or 3 times per day for a couple of weeks...what type of substrate are you using in the enclosure? What is the type of food offered?

They looked like urates to me too. The squeaking sounds and head and limbs moving are behaviors of a tortoise trying to eliminate a large, hard urate. Not eating for weeks might be husbandry related. Pictures of the habitat and description of the diet and general care might give some clue as to what is going on. Adding baby food (carrot or squash) to the soaks may get some nutrients into this little one.

 

[alan88k]

Those look like urates..however they don't come out of the mouth..they come out of the other end...I would suggest warm water soaks at least 2 or 3 times per day for a couple of weeks...what type of substrate are you using in the enclosure? What is the type of food offered?

Definitely not urates. The texture of urates is more like crushable n easier to melt in hand when u press it. This is definitely look a lot like our own mucus. The texture is jelly-like.
I have been using coconut bedding since I have them. (I actually raise 3 sulcata tortoises since November 2013; but I lost 1 more than a year ago due to birth defection)

I provide them vege like lettuce, all leafy vege, n they love them. It shouldn't be any wrong coz my other sulcata which is living in the same enclosure has been fed for exactly same food as well. N that guy is growing extraordinarily well n big.

If it's food which cause the problem, the situation shouldn't be so big difference between 2 sullies. As I said, one guy is growing well n this one now is really looking so sick ;(

 

[alan88k]

They looked like urates to me too. The squeaking sounds and head and limbs moving are behaviors of a tortoise trying to eliminate a large, hard urate. Not eating for weeks might be husbandry related. Pictures of the habitat and description of the diet and general care might give some clue as to what is going on. Adding baby food (carrot or squash) to the soaks may get some nutrients into this little one.

That's the main concern for me now, my sick sully has not been eating for weeks now n the stuff she poop is so vague n thin. She looked like trying so hard to puke sth out of her lungs, after she sipped the water during soaking time.

 

[Dizisdalife]

Urates can vary from milky, creamy like mucus to gritty and even solid like a rock. I have never seen a tortoise puke and understand it to happen only in extreme circumstance. Your tortoise could have an obstruction. Having an x-ray would quickly determine if this is the case. An obstruction would likely cause the tortoise to stop eating and explain the violent movements. Until you can get an x-ray you need to keep soaking in case there is an obstruction. I suggest that you separate the sick tortoise from the healthy one.

 

[Yvonne G]

Separate them immediately and set up the sick one in a smaller, hospital tank. Heat the tank to an overall temp of 85F degrees. Soak the tortoise daily in warm water for at least a half hour, longer is even better, but keep a close watch to make sure he doesn't drown.

 

[Pearly]

Good morning. Once again I'm new to reptiles but what you describe sounds like a very sick animal that needs medical attention. You sound pretty sure that she is throwing up... Agree with the xray suggestion, but if that's not possible definitely get the vet involved. Vet will ask all kinds of detailed questions and look/palpate your pet. If money is a concern be honest with the vet. There are often things that can help the animal that can be done without blood work and imaging studies, which are very costly. Throwing up for 3 days- definitely NO GOOD!

 

[samsmom]

could the healthy tort be bullying the sick one? also sounds like maybe constipation?

 

[alan88k]

Urates can vary from milky, creamy like mucus to gritty and even solid like a rock. I have never seen a tortoise puke and understand it to happen only in extreme circumstance. Your tortoise could have an obstruction. Having an x-ray would quickly determine if this is the case. An obstruction would likely cause the tortoise to stop eating and explain the violent movements. Until you can get an x-ray you need to keep soaking in case there is an obstruction. I suggest that you separate the sick tortoise from the healthy one.

I doubt that's the case too! I have made appointment to a vet tmr. Hopefully the sickness can be determined n sort it out asap by doing X ray.

 

[alan88k]

Separate them immediately and set up the sick one in a smaller, hospital tank. Heat the tank to an overall temp of 85F degrees. Soak the tortoise daily in warm water for at least a half hour, longer is even better, but keep a close watch to make sure he doesn't drown.

I have already separated them. I soak her everyday now for at least an hour. I have been monitoring her all the time once she's in soak.

 

[alan88k]

could the healthy tort be bullying the sick one? also sounds like maybe constipation?

It's definitely looking much more serious than constipation. I have seen how she looks like when she's constipated once last time. It's not like how she act now.

As I said in previous post, I've separate them in different chambers to avoid bully case.

 

[ascott]

Definitely not urates. The texture of urates is more like crushable n easier to melt in hand when u press it. This is definitely look a lot like our own mucus. The texture is jelly-like.
I have been using coconut bedding since I have them. (I actually raise 3 sulcata tortoises since November 2013; but I lost 1 more than a year ago due to birth defection)

I provide them vege like lettuce, all leafy vege, n they love them. It shouldn't be any wrong coz my other sulcata which is living in the same enclosure has been fed for exactly same food as well. N that guy is growing extraordinarily well n big.

If it's food which cause the problem, the situation shouldn't be so big difference between 2 sullies. As I said, one guy is growing well n this one now is really looking so sick ;(

Urates look very different in each individual tortoise..you said the tortoise threw up the white material..did you actually see it come from its mouth with your own eyes while it happened?

 

[alan88k]

Urates look very different in each individual tortoise..you said the tortoise threw up the white material..did you actually see it come from its mouth with your own eyes while it happened?

Yes i saw it with my own eyes. It was coming out from her mouth. There were 2 big balls of that white stuff. But as long as raise them, I've never seen such texture as urates excreted by them.

 

[ascott]

Yes i saw it with my own eyes. It was coming out from her mouth. There were 2 big balls of that white stuff. But as long as raise them, I've never seen such texture as urates excreted by them.

If two mucus type blobs came from the torts mouth then if it were me I would suspect a respiratory infectin of some type and I would try to collect that if the tort does it again for testing..but my first thing would be as Yvonne suggested..keep the tort in the warmer enclosure and get a vet to test him for infection..if the tort is showing this outward illness then antibiotics are likely a necessary aid..

 

[alan88k]

If two mucus type blobs came from the torts mouth then if it were me I would suspect a respiratory infectin of some type and I would try to collect that if the tort does it again for testing..but my first thing would be as Yvonne suggested..keep the tort in the warmer enclosure and get a vet to test him for infection..if the tort is showing this outward illness then antibiotics are likely a necessary aid..

Thanks for ur input ascott. I've already sent poor sully to the vet I found here n she has been retained for observation. I've told the vet everything i observed n request for X ray as well. Any progress I'll keep u guys updated.