Help my New Aldabra don't poop since arrived 5 days ago.

How to make Aldabra Poop ? Whats wrong with my aldabra ?


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taufanss

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Dear brothers and/or sisters in forum, please help my Aldabra, ( @ALDABRAMAN , @Yvonne G , @wellington )

I have followed this forum for a month as silent spectator, My name is Taufan from Semarang, small city in Indonesia, the climate is warm and humid. It seems to me that everybody here very welcoming, nice and dedicated. Thanks to god, I found this forum.

In my life I never take care of any tortoise, I only has a dog once which already passed away 10 years ago due to old age, and never ever has anymore pet since. Because I am afraid of getting too much attachment, If I lost it. Then, recently I learned that tortoise can life very long life and easy to take care so I decided to purchase some.

I have just purchased 2 adult aldabra, I bought from a guy i met in facebook forums, who claimed that he take care of them since baby both approximately 60 cm, weight unknown exactly. The owner claimed that one is female approx. 25 kg 9 years old, one is male approx 35 kg 6 years old. The owner said that he gave them pointed leaf lettuce, carrot, and small sweet corn on cob, since 1 years old until now. And they live on the roof of the owner shop at 4th floor approx 50 m2, all tiles with no grass and plant to browse around.

Before I made decision to purchase I checked the nose it was clear. I checked the mouth is a bit watery but not to much so I think its fine. I check the eye it looks sharp and well. I checked their respond, though they are shy to people, when I touch their schute, they stand tall, I saw the female have H back leg, but the male have a bit sprayed back leg. I also asked the owner to provide food for them, I saw they ate very well. I saw their poop in the corners but its look like soft stool, the owner said its because already soften by the pee.

Then I made payment, I bought a huge fiberglass tub, some pampers for the substrate along the way, and arrange a private car and driver to transport them. They were transported for 18 hours drive.

They arrived at my house at Sunday 1st of July 2018, I straightly put them at my back yard (approx 200 m2). I offer them food which is same from the last owner (pointed leaf and carrot, without corn on cob). They refuse to eat my offer, but they start to walk around my back yard and they start to eat all the plants that I prepared last month (Mulberry, Grape, and Dandelion), I tried to grow my own tortoise greens. Though, they destroy my back yard I am just glad because it sign that they are in not too much stress. I also asked my maid to wash them, they seems to like it, so we wash them everyday for 2 mins.

Monday and Tuesday,
They tend to walk on the sunny side. They climb, walk, sit, move around and around to all perimeter.
I try to offer them fresh vegetable that I can find in my town, Pak Choy, Gai Lan, Carrot, Timothy Hay (I can't find any pointed leaf lettuce in my town). They start to eat small portion but they tend to leave the hay.
I start to detect a lot of water coming up from their eyes. Also I very small foam in the side of male aldabra mouth. I realized that they didn't drink at all, then I tried to call them to the pond that I prepared for them to soak and drink, only the male come and tried the water just little and leave the pond. Then for the female I tried to pour some water on her food tray and offer her, but she didn't touch it.

Wednesday and Thursday,
They start to eat well, but I don't know how much portion is right for them yet. I tried to gave them total 3 kg of mix vegetables and small portion of chopped Alfalfa King Timothy Hay (1,5 kg each). Seems that the watery eye is already done and I cant anymore foam in his mouth as well.

But I forgot, that the worst thing is I can't find any poop in my back yard. So both of them are not poop at all since sunday they arrived at my back yard. I don't know what to do.

Friday (Today),
I pour warm water in the pond, I called some friends to lift the tortoise and tried to soak them inside the pond, but they refuse, just go out straight away from the pond.

I stresses out and try to find a vet in my hometown, but actually I am really not confident with all the vet in my hometown, they usually take care of dog and cat only, I don't think they will know what to do with the tortoise. Still I called one of the vet I asked her to come to my house. When she came she only check the tortoise using small tube to the anus hole and put glycerin.

After the doctor back, I tried to force soak the tortoise inside the fiberglass tub (i mention earlier) with warm water so they cant get out. We tried to hold them for 30 min inside, but still not release their stool. They seem don't like it at all. I am afraid they are in stress.

Please somebody help me with some advice. I apologize if my english is bad, I hope you guys can understand my writing.




Best Regards,
Taufan S
 

wellington

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Hello and Welcome. The diet you are trying to provide sounds much better then what they were getting.
Do not feed corn any more. Do feed as much of the grass, and plants you planted for them. If you can get orchard hay or even some alfalfa hay it's not as hard and twiggy as the Timothy hay. In the mean time try soaking the Timothy hay to soften before feeding and see if that helps. Chop carrots finely as an Aldabra just died with a carrot getting stuck.
Their care before you was poor. If you can keep trying too soak them that would be good, at least until they start drinking or using the pond.
They do need too eat a lot. If they can graze all day then they should be getting enough too eat. However, if you don't have that much for them to graze on, then also give them a big pile of food too. If you can find Mazuri tortoise diet add some too their diet. Until you see them drink, also add in some romaine lettuce and some finely chopped cucumber or some water melon 3-4 times a week to help keep them hydrated along with trying to soak them. Once they start to drink, you can back way off on the three.
Otherwise they need time to get adjusted to their new better home. Everything will be new to them
seeing they were sadly raised on a hard roof their whole life and not fed properly.
@ALDABRAMAN @Yvonne G can offer more.
Good luck and keep us posted.
 
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no one

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Hello and a warm Welcome to the Forum Taufan!! Your English if fine, no problem following you what so ever. *smile*
I don't have any experience with large Tortoises. But I can imagine they need to settle in.
Hope everything works out with your Aldabras!! You will get the right help here, that I know for sure.
 

TriciaStringer

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Welcome! I loved reading about your tortoises. It sounds like you are improving their lives greatly. I don’t have experience with Aldabras but wanted to say hello. I’d love to see some pictures of them in their new yard.
 

daniellenc

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They may be too hot hence the watery eyes do they have lots of shade?
 

taufanss

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Hello and Welcome. The diet you are trying to provide sounds much better then what they were getting.
Do not feed corn any more. Do feed as much of the grass, and plants you planted for them. If you can get orchard hay or even some alfalfa hay it's not as hard and twiggy as the Timothy hay. In the mean time try soaking the Timothy hay to soften before feeding and see if that helps. Chop carrots finely as an Aldabra just died with a carrot getting stuck.
Their care before you was poor. If you can keep trying too soak them that would be good, at least until they start drinking or using the pond.
They do need too eat a lot. If they can graze all day then they should be getting enough too eat. However, if you don't have that much for them to graze on, then also give them a big pile of food too. If you can find Mazuri tortoise diet add some too their diet. Until you see them drink, also add in some romaine lettuce and some finely chopped cucumber or some water melon 3-4 times a week to help keep them hydrated along with trying to soak them. Once they start to drink, you can back way off on the three.
Otherwise they need time to get adjusted to their new better home. Everything will be new to them
seeing they were sadly raised on a hard roof their whole life and not fed properly.
@ALDABRAMAN @Yvonne G can offer more.
Good luck and keep us posted.


Thank you so much Mr Wellington...

I will order alfalfa hay, I will soak the hay and vegies before offering to them, I will also buy watermelon tommorow and offer them straight away. Actually, they dont have much to graze at the moment, because I just redo my backyard and lot of things haven’t finished. I will offer them market food until all my plants are settled.

I will keep the update..
 

taufanss

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Thank you all..

Hello and a warm Welcome to the Forum Taufan!! Your English if fine, no problem following you what so ever. *smile*
I don't have any experience with large Tortoises. But I can imagine they need to settle in.
Hope everything works out with your Aldabras!! You will get the right help here, that I know for sure.
Thank you debora.. Nice too meet you.. Yes.. I am sure I will..
I can see they are still keep walking around and explore.. They even haven’t find the house/shelter I made for them. Its really hard to lure them to their shelter. They are so heavy, I cant lift them up by myself.
I am still figuring how to make them settle in their shelter.


Welcome! I loved reading about your tortoises. It sounds like you are improving their lives greatly. I don’t have experience with Aldabras but wanted to say hello. I’d love to see some pictures of them in their new yard.
I really hope so.. I’ll do the best I can for them. I want to live long life with them. I will post the picture shortly. From day one I met them.


They may be too hot hence the watery eyes do they have lots of shade?
Yes.. They do have shades. My back yard are devided into 2 parts. Half of the yard get all day sun with several small shrubs to let them shade. and the other half for all day shaded. I’ll post the picture from 2nd floor tommorow.
 

taufanss

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1st July 2018 - Transporting the Aldabra from Jakarta to Semarang Indonesia - 18 hours road trip
 

taufanss

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6th July 2018 at 4pm - Try to soak one of my Aldabra with warm water for 30 mins. I only did to the one that are not being put glycerin. Because it seems to be stressfull, I just can’t watch the other one suffer like this.

@wellington @ALDABRAMAN @Yvonne G

Are we doing it wrong ?
 

wellington

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Your kids are adorable.
They don't look to be in bad shape at all, that's good.
Be sure to use a low sided large water bowl that's at least 2 inches deep to give them water. Tortoises will usually extend their heads out into the water so needs room to do that.
Your soaking method is what we do. I would still soak them 2-3 times a week until you see them
drink on their own. A lot of torts don't like it at first. Is the pond for them easily seen too them, not a bunch of rocks or logs in the way and easily to get in and out for them? Tortoise don't drink a lot of different times during the day. Maybe a couple, not as much as most animals. Possibly you just haven't seen them drink?
 

Toddrickfl1

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Welcome to the forum! Two Aldabra for you first tortoise! Man that's my dream tortoise one day! They look great. Happy Torting!
 

Olddog

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Clearly you are enriching your Aldabras' lives. Will post some thoughts on giant tortoise nutrition on Galapagos Tortoise thread soon. Hopefully will be of assistance.
 
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