Vet recommendation Please help

[BabyMo]

Hello everyone!
I'm a new owner of leopard tortoises. One of them has very watery poop. It was never a solid stool. It looks like he has diarrhea. It's been a month now. I want to get a fecal test just to be safe. Would you guys recommend any vets that you guys are familiar with? (Someone recommended Doctor Laila but I couldn't find her. ) Could you guys share your experience with exotic vets? how expensive are they? Do you guys deworm your tortoises every year? Thank you for your answers! Much appreciated!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Where is ROSEMEAD?
Maybe someone nearby has a vet that they can recommend
And no. Don't treat for worms or any parasites unless you're sure that it's your issue.
I have a 9 year old Redfoot tortoise that has never been wormed and has never seen my vet. And I have had others that had to go see her several times just weeks apart. A few of those did get treated for parasites. But they were sick

 

[wellington]

What is the diet? How big are they? Are they housed together? What are all the temps and what is the humidity? What kind of substrate?

 

[BabyMo]

What is the diet? How big are they? Are they housed together? What are all the temps and what is the humidity? What kind of substrate?

Hii wellington, they are separate now. They are about 1 year old. Temps are cool - 80~83. Hot - 95-105. Humidity is 40-50. I use natural pine wood substrate. They only like lettuce or butter lettuce. I have tried to feed mazuri, collard green, and muster green, but the little guy just refuses to eat them.

 

[BabyMo]

Where is ROSEMEAD?
Maybe someone nearby has a vet that they can recommend
And no. Don't treat for worms or any parasites unless you're sure that it's your issue.
I have a 9 year old Redfoot tortoise that has never been wormed and has never seen my vet. And I have had others that had to go see her several times just weeks apart. A few of those did get treated for parasites. But they were sick

Hi ZEROPILOT, Could you share more of your tortoise parasite experience? How the poop looks like. I have called the store where I originally got the tortoise. They tell me it's normal and that I should not worry about it. But I see a big difference between the healthy poop and the very watery one. Both tortoises are eating the same. I don't think high-water veggies caused the watery poop issue. Planning on getting some poop testing kit to test it myself because the vets I have been calling are about 60 to test the poop and if I need medication, it will be another 150 to see a doctor for the prescription. (also worried if they don't have experience with tortoises)

 

[wellington]

You have to better their diet. The diarrhea could be from too much lettuce, it's mostly water.
Get humidity upto 80% too.
Get better and more variety of food items and chop it up fine and mix with the normal diet items chopped up fine. As they get used to eating this, use less old diet and more better stuff. Its a slow process but you have to stick with it until they are eating a lot of different things and better items. It's part of your responsibility.
Try radicchio, ground up cactus pads, dandelion greens, arugula, endive, thistle weed, mulberry leaf, hibiacus leaf and flower, grape leaf, just a few to start with.
Mazuri be sure its soaked to mush and smear small amounts onto the pile of greens.

 

[Tom]

Hello everyone!
I'm a new owner of leopard tortoises. One of them has very watery poop. It was never a solid stool. It looks like he has diarrhea. It's been a month now. I want to get a fecal test just to be safe. Would you guys recommend any vets that you guys are familiar with? (Someone recommended Doctor Laila but I couldn't find her. ) Could you guys share your experience with exotic vets? how expensive are they? Do you guys deworm your tortoises every year? Thank you for your answers! Much appreciated!

Just like people and dogs, tortoises sometimes get diarrhea. Is it something they ate? A viral "bug" they caught? Stress related? Who knows.

One year old does not tell us their size. Torts grow at vastly different rates and for a variety of reason. When they are kept too dry, they grow much slower. How much does each of them weigh in grams.

Your tortoises need more fiber in their diet.

Pine wood is not a good substrate. Are you sure it isn't orchid bark? Are you talking about pine shavings, like for small animals to live in? If yes, that is not appropriate for them.

Do you have any moss or plastic plants in the enclosure?

Here is the correct care and feeding advice:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[BabyMo]

You have to better their diet. The diarrhea could be from too much lettuce, it's mostly water.
Get humidity upto 80% too.
Get better and more variety of food items and chop it up fine and mix with the normal diet items chopped up fine. As they get used to eating this, use less old diet and more better stuff. Its a slow process but you have to stick with it until they are eating a lot of different things and better items. It's part of your responsibility.
Try radicchio, ground up cactus pads, dandelion greens, arugula, endive, thistle weed, mulberry leaf, hibiacus leaf and flower, grape leaf, just a few to start with.
Mazuri be sure its soaked to mush and smear small amounts onto the pile of greens.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Hi ZEROPILOT, Could you share more of your tortoise parasite experience? How the poop looks like. I have called the store where I originally got the tortoise. They tell me it's normal and that I should not worry about it. But I see a big difference between the healthy poop and the very watery one. Both tortoises are eating the same. I don't think high-water veggies caused the watery poop issue. Planning on getting some poop testing kit to test it myself because the vets I have been calling are about 60 to test the poop and if I need medication, it will be another 150 to see a doctor for the prescription. (also worried if they don't have experience with tortoises)

Wattery poop can be caused by several things.
A tortoise that needs to see a vet because of parasites is a tortoise that is lethargic and one that has passed live worms in the poop.