1 Year Old Losing Weight

[HoneyBea23]

I was hoping to could get some advice about my baby Hermann’s tortoise who has been having smaller-size bowel movements and has lost 3 grams in weight (if the electric scale is not faulty). They are otherwise eating well (although being a bit more picky) and are climbing and walking around normally. The cause of my worry is that a couple weeks ago I noticed a small hair sticking out of their rectum, so I tried to gently pull but it seemed stuck — so I left it! I wasn’t able to see it again either on their body or anywhere in the enclosure. Do you think I have cause to worry? There are no longer any reptile vets in my area so I will have to travel for them and the bill will be extortionate since I am in a smaller city in Canada. Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated since I’m not sure if I’m overthinking the situation!

 

[TeamZissou]

3 grams isn't a ton of weight loss; it's probably about as much as a bowel movement. What are you current temperature and humidity levels? Not sure what the "hair" could be, possibly an undigested fiber from a plant/leaf. It's been a couple weeks since this post, how has your Hermann's doing lately?

 

[HoneyBea23]

Hi there! Thanks so much for your reply. I realized that he was barely eating his mazuri for a few days which contributed to his weight loss — so I switched up his diet with some organic greens and his weight is back to normal now after a couple weeks! He’s still active and doesn’t show any signs of being affected by the ingested hair thankfully!