Please Help! (Loose stool)

I recently bought a 1.5 year old leopard tortoise. The guy said he fed him greens, mazuri tortoise diet, and squash and what not. But he came to me with some pretty serious diarrhea. I have been feeding mostly grass with collard greens, mustards greens, arugula, dandelion leaves, etc. the guy keeps telling me that his change in diet (which if he is telling the truth shouldn’t really be a change) and his new setup. This is my first tortoise and I don’t know if stress from being shipped and in a new environment could really cause this diarrhea. I soak him every morning until he poops and he constantly has fresh new water in his enclosure. He also came with a nick on his underbelly and this guy is trying to tell me that him and all his clutch mates had that “birthmark”. What do you guys suppose it is?

Keep feeding what your feeding, don’t listen to him. Keep in soaking him. Try getting pictures of the poop. I’ll let other experienced members answer the other questions you have.
Good luck!

iAmCentrochelys sulcata said:

Keep feeding what your feeding, don’t listen to him. Keep in soaking him. Try getting pictures of the poop. I’ll let other experienced members answer the other questions you have.
Good luck!

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yeah, if you saw how this guy shipped him to me you wouldn’t believe anything he said either. It was 50 degrees and he didn’t include a heat pack. I do have a photo of his stool! He was also shipped to me in a snake bag and he had diarrhea everywhere and it went through the bag and all over the newspaper in his box. It was horrific. Oh and I should add I do have an appointment setup for him, but with all the covid stuff going on it isn’t until mid June. ?

Your enclosure look Great! Do you have a lid for it? To increase the humidity more.
The stool was probably pretty wet because of the foods the previous owner was Feeding.

iAmCentrochelys sulcata said:

Your enclosure look Great! Do you have a lid for it? To increase the humidity more.
The stool was probably pretty wet because of the foods the previous owner was Feeding.

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I actually didn’t even mean to add all those photos it just kept adding photos! LOL I do not have a lid but I spray it down when it needs to keep humidity up. It sounded like he may have been feedin 1/3 greens, 1/3 veggies, and 1/3 mazuri tortoise diet. So clearly going over board with the last two. I will include a photo of his setup for everyone else to see. I also have spaghnum moss in a hide for him for a humid hide if he wants. He’s not a fan of his current hide though so I plan to get him a half log or somethin too.

You’ll need a closed chamber to keep the humidity up to prevent Pyramiding, perhaps Plexiglass or a plastic lid.

Besides parasites, another reason for loose stool is lack of fiber. I grab a handful of tall grass and cut it off, then I cut, cut, cut that handful off in tiny quarter to eighth inch pieces and mix it in with the cut up, wet food. Mazuri isn,t causing the loose stool. It contains lots of fiber.

Yvonne G said:

Besides parasites, another reason for loose stool is lack of fiber. I grab a handful of tall grass and cut it off, then I cut, cut, cut that handful off in tiny quarter to eighth inch pieces and mix it in with the cut up, wet food. Mazuri isn,t causing the loose stool. It contains lots of fiber.

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i was just saying I didn’t believe him feeding 1/3 of the last two was good enough. I’m feeding him lots of grass and greens, mazuri tortoise diet, and a little bit of weeds. He came to me with loose stool.

Tokyo said:

I recently bought a 1.5 year old leopard tortoise. The guy said he fed him greens, mazuri tortoise diet, and squash and what not. But he came to me with some pretty serious diarrhea. I have been feeding mostly grass with collard greens, mustards greens, arugula, dandelion leaves, etc. the guy keeps telling me that his change in diet (which if he is telling the truth shouldn’t really be a change) and his new setup. This is my first tortoise and I don’t know if stress from being shipped and in a new environment could really cause this diarrhea. I soak him every morning until he poops and he constantly has fresh new water in his enclosure. He also came with a nick on his underbelly and this guy is trying to tell me that him and all his clutch mates had that “birthmark”. What do you guys suppose it is?View attachment 295399

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The mark on the plastron (underside) of your tortoise is nothing to worry about. It is part of the "umbilical scar" which is sometimes seen where the yolk sac was during the tortoise's development in the egg. When the baby tortoise hatches, the yolk sac is absorbed into the belly and depending upon how that area heals over, sometimes a wrinkle or two remain visible in the shell for a while. As the tortoise grows to adulthood, that area will become less and less noticeable.

The tortoise actually looks pretty healthy, is not at all pyramided, and has good solid new growth lines.

Good luck with your new tortoise.

zovick said:

The mark on the plastron (underside) of your tortoise is nothing to worry about. It is part of the "umbilical scar" which is sometimes seen where the yolk sac was during the tortoise's development in the egg. When the baby tortoise hatches, the yolk sac is absorbed into the belly and depending upon how that area heals over, sometimes a wrinkle or two remain visible in the shell for a while. As the tortoise grows to adulthood, that area will become less and less noticeable.

The tortoise actually looks pretty healthy, is not at all pyramided, and has good solid new growth lines.

Good luck with your new tortoise.

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Ok thank you! I’ve heard about them absorbing the yolk sac, but I guess I’ve never heard or seen anything about the scarring. He looked good other than that and the stool to me. That’s why I was asking if this really could be just due to stress? If what the guy is saying is true about the diet he had him on it doesn’t vary much from what I’ve had him on other than less veggies on my end. And he never mentioned feeding him grass and that’s a huge part of what I’ve been giving him. Maybe he just needs time to adjust to his new home and the diarrhea will go away?

Tokyo said:

Ok thank you! I’ve heard about them absorbing the yolk sac, but I guess I’ve never heard or seen anything about the scarring. He looked good other than that and the stool to me. That’s why I was asking if this really could be just due to stress? If what the guy is saying is true about the diet he had him on it doesn’t vary much from what I’ve had him on other than less veggies on my end. And he never mentioned feeding him grass and that’s a huge part of what I’ve been giving him. Maybe he just needs time to adjust to his new home and the diarrhea will go away?

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Hi again, Tokyo.

There is some stress involved with moving animals to a new environment, but I am not sure that stress causes diarrhea in reptiles.

I think it is more due to a change in the water and possibly some slight change in the foods being offered. I bred Collies for many years, and whenever someone bought a puppy from me, I gave them some of the food I had been feeding it as well as about a gallon of my water so the puppy could gradually be transitioned to totally new water and food without getting loose stools. The water in different locations may have different bacteria in it and until the animal is adjusted to the new bacterial load, it could cause loose stools.

If you want to do something proactive, get some Bene-Bac powder (the type for birds and reptiles) and put it on the food you are offering. This introduces beneficial bacteria to the animal's digestive tract and should help it digest its food more thoroughly. I would put this on the food for about 2-3 days in a row initially, then wait a week and start putting it on the food about once once every ten days or two weeks. Here is a link to the product:

I bred tortoises for over 50 years, and used Bene-Bac frequently. It is a good product.

I think that you should simply continue with the diet you mentioned above and give the tortoise some Bene-Bac and a little time to adjust to his new surroundings. If the stools don't improve after a couple more weeks, you can take a sample to your vet to have it checked for parasites.

Good luck!

zovick said:

Hi again, Tokyo.

There is some stress involved with moving animals to a new environment, but I am not sure that stress causes diarrhea in reptiles.

I think it is more due to a change in the water and possibly some slight change in the foods being offered. I bred Collies for many years, and whenever someone bought a puppy from me, I gave them some of the food I had been feeding it as well as about a gallon of my water so the puppy could gradually be transitioned to totally new water and food without getting loose stools. The water in different locations may have different bacteria in it and until the animal is adjusted to the new bacterial load, it could cause loose stools.

If you want to do something proactive, get some Bene-Bac powder (the type for birds and reptiles) and put it on the food you are offering. This introduces beneficial bacteria to the animal's digestive tract and should help it digest its food more thoroughly. I would put this on the food for about 2-3 days in a row initially, then wait a week and start putting it on the food about once once every ten days or two weeks. Here is a link to the product:

Bene-Bac Plus Bird and Reptile Powder (10oz.)

Bene-Bacn Plus Small Animal Powder contains concentrated FOS and live, naturally occurring microorganisms. Bene-Bac Plus is recommended any time an animal experiences changing nutritional or environmental conditions.

affordablevet.net

I bred tortoises for over 50 years, and used Bene-Bac frequently. It is a good product.

I think that you should simply continue with the diet you mentioned above and give the tortoise some Bene-Bac and a little time to adjust to his new surroundings. If the stools don't improve after a couple more weeks, you can take a sample to your vet to have it checked for parasites.

Good luck!

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Thank you! I used to work with working K9s and dealt a lot with importing dogs. So I know how all of that can affect them. I wasn’t so sure how it would all affect a tortoise. I will definitely try the bene-bac! And since he came with the diarrhea... it was all over in the bag he came in... I didn’t think it was due to anything new I was giving as he had it prior to me giving him any water or food.

zovick said:

Hi again, Tokyo.

There is some stress involved with moving animals to a new environment, but I am not sure that stress causes diarrhea in reptiles.

I think it is more due to a change in the water and possibly some slight change in the foods being offered. I bred Collies for many years, and whenever someone bought a puppy from me, I gave them some of the food I had been feeding it as well as about a gallon of my water so the puppy could gradually be transitioned to totally new water and food without getting loose stools. The water in different locations may have different bacteria in it and until the animal is adjusted to the new bacterial load, it could cause loose stools.

If you want to do something proactive, get some Bene-Bac powder (the type for birds and reptiles) and put it on the food you are offering. This introduces beneficial bacteria to the animal's digestive tract and should help it digest its food more thoroughly. I would put this on the food for about 2-3 days in a row initially, then wait a week and start putting it on the food about once once every ten days or two weeks. Here is a link to the product:

Bene-Bac Plus Bird and Reptile Powder (10oz.)

Bene-Bacn Plus Small Animal Powder contains concentrated FOS and live, naturally occurring microorganisms. Bene-Bac Plus is recommended any time an animal experiences changing nutritional or environmental conditions.

affordablevet.net

I bred tortoises for over 50 years, and used Bene-Bac frequently. It is a good product.

I think that you should simply continue with the diet you mentioned above and give the tortoise some Bene-Bac and a little time to adjust to his new surroundings. If the stools don't improve after a couple more weeks, you can take a sample to your vet to have it checked for parasites.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

Quick question. I overnighted the Bene bac. It’ll be here in the morning. How do you give it to them? Put it on their food, in the water?

I've had tortoises shipped to me, and also transported them several hours.
The younger ones sometimes experienced loose/runny stool, which continued for a few days, no doubt due to changes in water, food, and environment.
It always went away with time. Just keep providing appropriate diet & housing, the Bene-Bac can't hurt (haven't used it on reptiles, so won't comment further), and your tortoise should be fine.
Of course, seek a veterinarian's opinion if in doubt!

A few things:

• Its common practice to ship them in snake bags. This keeps them contained and prevents them from literally digging out of their box during transport. I use socks, but same difference.
• Likewise, newspaper is a common packing material. I don't see a problem there. I use Bermuda hay, but it does the same thing.
• They all poop all over the place in transport. Its always a mess. I soak mine for 60+ minutes before packing to try and empty them out, but they still poop more in transit.
• Most regular leopards aren't big grass eaters. They can eat it, and you can train them to eat it, and its certainly good to add fiber to a diet of store bough greens, but I don't consider them to be grass eaters, like a sulcata or a South African leopard.
• Inconsistent stools are normal when you move them. This can be on again and off again for a month or more in some cases.
• No good will come from taking this tortoise to a vet, and harm is likely. Best to leave the tortoise at home and just take in a stool sample if you are concerned about parasites. If you decide to take it to the vet anyway, don't let them give the tortoise any "vitamin injections".
• Leopard tortoises are very adaptable when it comes to diet. I wouldn't worry too much about what it was being fed. It sounds like it was decent. There are many ways to feed them "right".
• I see the dent on the plastron. Looks like it might just be from the way this tortoise was started. Nothing to worry about.

I agree with Mr. Zovickians assessment that this is a pretty good looking leopard with some very smooth growth. I think you've got a good one. I don't think the growth will stay looking that good if you house it with an open top. Spraying the surface of the substrate does very little to help ambient humidity. You need a closed chamber. Check this out:

Tom said:

A few things:

• Its common practice to ship them in snake bags. This keeps them contained and prevents them from literally digging out of their box during transport. I use socks, but same difference.
• Likewise, newspaper is a common packing material. I don't see a problem there. I use Bermuda hay, but it does the same thing.
• They all poop all over the place in transport. Its always a mess. I soak mine for 60+ minutes before packing to try and empty them out, but they still poop more in transit.
• Most regular leopards aren't big grass eaters. They can eat it, and you can train them to eat it, and its certainly good to add fiber to a diet of store bough greens, but I don't consider them to be grass eaters, like a sulcata or a South African leopard.
• Inconsistent stools are normal when you move them. This can be on again and off again for a month or more in some cases.
• No good will come from taking this tortoise to a vet, and harm is likely. Best to leave the tortoise at home and just take in a stool sample if you are concerned about parasites. If you decide to take it to the vet anyway, don't let them give the tortoise any "vitamin injections".
• Leopard tortoises are very adaptable when it comes to diet. I wouldn't worry too much about what it was being fed. It sounds like it was decent. There are many ways to feed them "right".
• I see the dent on the plastron. Looks like it might just be from the way this tortoise was started. Nothing to worry about.

I agree with Mr. Zovickians assessment that this is a pretty good looking leopard with some very smooth growth. I think you've got a good one. I don't think the growth will stay looking that good if you house it with an open top. Spraying the surface of the substrate does very little to help ambient humidity. You need a closed chamber. Check this out:

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

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I know and understand some people use snake bags to ship. My whole point was to just say that the diarrhea was so severe it covered the entire bag and a lot of newspaper inside. His packaging was poor in part because he made it himself. He tried to build his own styrofoam insert and it was all collapsing in and a mess. And he put in no heat pack when it was in the 50s. He never sent us the tracking number even after we asked several times and tried to call. I too thought the tortoise looked great as far as his shell goes other than the nick on his underbelly. (But now I know what it’s from) I know dogs and how all of the traveling and new environments can cause loose stool so I was just curious how it all affected tortoises. I’d rather not take him to the vet, but because they are booking over a month out I wanted to be sure I had a spot should I need it. I do think it’s a good idea to just take in a stool sample If the diarrhea persists this badly. I’m going to try the bene bac and keep doing what I’m doing. Thanks for all the advice everyone.

Tokyo said:

I know and understand some people use snake bags to ship. My whole point was to just say that the diarrhea was so severe it covered the entire bag and a lot of newspaper inside. His packaging was poor in part because he made it himself. He tried to build his own styrofoam insert and it was all collapsing in and a mess. And he put in no heat pack when it was in the 50s. He never sent us the tracking number even after we asked several times and tried to call. I too thought the tortoise looked great as far as his shell goes other than the nick on his underbelly. (But now I know what it’s from) I know dogs and how all of the traveling and new environments can cause loose stool so I was just curious how it all affected tortoises. I’d rather not take him to the vet, but because they are booking over a month out I wanted to be sure I had a spot should I need it. I do think it’s a good idea to just take in a stool sample If the diarrhea persists this badly. I’m going to try the bene bac and keep doing what I’m doing. Thanks for all the advice everyone.

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Ive never had a tortoise shipped to me, but as Tom said all tortoise have inconsistent stools. Got my adult tortoise 2 yrs ago and they drover over here (less than an hr) the basket they brought her in was FULL of diarrhea. Black liquid. This continued for weeks. I have a Sulcata. Change of location is HUGE for tortoise species. I would not give the Bene Bac... no need. You’ve got the proper diet. I would stay away from all vet recommended products and “supplements”. Most s**t is made for other animals or even humans, and vets just try it out on tortoises.

A

All that? Any of that supposed to be in a tortoise diet?

queen koopa said:

AView attachment 295551

All that? Any of that supposed to be in a tortoise diet?

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since it’s just good bacteria I don’t see why it would be a problem. I did notice a tiny improvement in his stool this morning. So that makes me hopeful. Im brand new to tortoises and I just wanna make sure I’m doing the best I can for him. I’ve done a lot of research and watched a lot of videos. But like with just about any other animal out there everyone seems to have different opinions on how to “properly” care for the animal. So it can be confusing and a little overwhelming at times.

Tokyo said:

since it’s just good bacteria I don’t see why it would be a problem. I did notice a tiny improvement in his stool this morning. So that makes me hopeful. Im brand new to tortoises and I just wanna make sure I’m doing the best I can for him. I’ve done a lot of research and watched a lot of videos. But like with just about any other animal out there everyone seems to have different opinions on how to “properly” care for the animal. So it can be confusing and a little overwhelming at times.

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Hello Tokyo,

You are correct. There is virtually nothing in the Bene-Bac other than beneficial bacteria which the animal needs in its gut to digest its food properly. The Bene-Bac was first recommended to me in the mid-1990's by a well known REPTILE VET who back then had been the only person in the US to keep several species of very rare SE Asian turtles and tortoises alive in the US. Many of the animals had experienced horrendous conditions in Chinese food markets before he received them and were severely debilitated. He felt it was instrumental in their care, so I didn't hesitate to use it and I am a health care provider (for humans) myself for whatever that is worth.

It is completely safe and it works. All you need to do is sprinkle the powder on the food you are giving the tortoise. I would recommend giving it to the tortoise after it has been soaked on the first food of the day so as much of it as possible is eaten. Give it for two days, then wait about 10-14 days and repeat as needed.

You will get many opinions here. Don't be unduly swayed by the alarmist ones.