Can probiotics help regulate poop?

[Maryalice]

My now 6-month old sulcata, Frankie, is gaining weight, but is pooping at most, 2 times per week. I have been mixing more cucumbers or squash as well as mineral oil drops in his food. I believe he is well hydrated: 30-45 minute daily soak, access to water 24/7, humidity ranges from 80%-100% day and night, and temps at 31C-35C. I don't think think diet or husbandry is a problem, as my other baby sulcata, Harriet, who is 4 months old has exactly the same diet and husbandry (but in a different enclosure), poops regularly. I suspect that Frankie's irregular pooping is due to digestive issues that may have resulted from his antibiotic shots more than 2 months ago (to address his RI problem). So I am thinking of giving him additional probiotics. Can i give him probiotics for birds and small pets? Or should i give only the probiotics for reptiles? I can only get this probiotics for reptiles online and it is shipped from China or another country. There is also peobiotics for humans, but am afraid it won't be safe for tortoises. Advices are most welcome.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to your question, but it sounds reasonable to me to do so. I know antibiotics do upset their digestion.

 

[Maryalice]

Thanks Yvonne. Will try to do that. At the moment. I do not have access to Nutribac, as the only local seller said they are out of stock. I also found out that the probiotics for birds has tuna extracts, so I don’t think my vegan tortoises should take them. So I will give Frankie more Exoprime (tortoise food that has probiotics, which i give them twice a week, alternating with Mazuri) and soak more with Zoomed electrolytes, which also claims to have probiotics. Will also try to look at other locally available probiotics even for farm animals.

 

[ZenHerper]

Search also for this brand:

PETAG Bene-Bac Plus Bird & Reptile Gel Supplement, 15-g tube, 1 count - Chewy.com

Buy PetAg Bene-Bac Plus Bird & Reptile Gel Supplement, 15-g tube, 1 count at Chewy.com. FREE shipping and the BEST customer service!

www.chewy.com

 

[Maryalice]

I found a local online seller for this. I hope he still has some on stock. Thanks.

 

[Maryalice]

Just an update: I got the Bene-bac Plus For Reptiles, put 1 gram of gel on a piece of soaked mazuri, then wrapped it in a small piece of romaine and gave it to Frankie without any other food. So of course he gobbled it all up. Then I gave him his regular breakfast. When I soaked him about 2 hours later, he pooped 3 big well-formed poops. And later in his hide, i found another 3 new poops. So it seems Bene-bac has started working. Will observe him in the next few days if his pooping has become regular.

 

[Maggie3fan]

It seems to help if you keep them on a regular routine...meaning feed at the same time everyday...I turn on the lights giving a few minutes to warm up, then soak and feed. That's just an example, I had a constipated tortoise a couple of years ago...xray show compact colon, so a laxative...several large poops and irregular again...this tortoise has also received antibiotics...it's a problem alright

 

[Yvonne G]

Just an update: I got the Bene-bac Plus For Reptiles, put 1 gram of gel on a piece of soaked mazuri, then wrapped it in a small piece of romaine and gave it to Frankie without any other food. So of course he gobbled it all up. Then I gave him his regular breakfast. When I soaked him about 2 hours later, he pooped 3 big well-formed poops. And later in his hide, i found another 3 new poops. So it seems Bene-bac has started working. Will observe him in the next few days if his pooping has become regular.

Good to know, thanks.

 

[Maryalice]

It seems to help if you keep them on a regular routine...meaning feed at the same time everyday...I turn on the lights giving a few minutes to warm up, then soak and feed. That's just an example, I had a constipated tortoise a couple of years ago...xray show compact colon, so a laxative...several large poops and irregular again...this tortoise has also received antibiotics...it's a problem alright

Yes, that is exactly what has been happening to Frankie -- after a day of huge poops he would go back to being constipated again for a week. Now that I have given him Bene-bac, I am hoping he would be more regular. Today, however, he barely touched his breakfast. Yesterday he nibbled on a few grasses during his yard stroll. We are quite regular in feeding them. I think his tummy is still adjusting to the probiotics. Will keep observing. Thanks for sharing your experiences.