Concerned about poo

Alith7

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leading with this: yes, I know when in doubt consult your vet, not the internet, but before I take a half day off work and make a panicked run to the vet I thought I would check first if this is normal. Have only been a tortoise owner for a little over a year so not super experienced.

My tortoise pretty much stopped eating about a week ago and hasn't really left her log. I had thought she was just pouty because we gave her her bath, and while she was soaking replaced all her bedding and filled in her holes. She's always pouty after either of those things and both at once might have sent her into a super sulk. (It's happened before) however, this morning she was out and walking around, so I ran outside and grabbed every dandelion I could find to coax her to eat (this late in the summer that's not a lot). And she was happily munching away. When I came back through later to check on her she was back in her log and left me this present on her plate. (See picture, sorry kind of gross)

I've never seen her poo like that. I've seen her mucusy liquid only ones but they're always clear/white. This is a new one. Just want to see if this is possibly normal for a tortoise after not eating for a bit or if what I thought was her sulking was really her being sick. :(
 

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Kasia

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Hi we need more information about your setup. What are your temperatures/ humidity/ enclosure substrate? What is you tortoise diet and is he an adult? What is his story/is he a rescue or are you his first owner? How often do you soak him?
 

Alith7

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Hi we need more information about your setup. What are your temperatures/ humidity/ enclosure substrate? What is you tortoise diet and is he an adult? What is his story/is he a rescue or are you his first owner? How often do you soak him?

House temp is kept about 72 degrees I'm not sure on the temp under her lights because my thermometer broke, but I did just replace the mercury vapor bulbs.

Not sure on humidity either, but she gets bathed regularly, and she her own little pool for soaking or drinking on her own schedule.

Substrate is Cypress Mulch.

Diet is a mix of lettuces depending on what looks the best at the grocery store. Usually I buy heads of endive, radicchio, escarole, red leaf & green leaf to give her a good variety. When they have decent quality stock, I'll add in some mustard greens or turnip greens along with occasional yard scores like dandelions (flowers and greens), clover, roses (flowers and leaves). She also gets a small pinch of shredded yellow squash. When I can't get good head lettuce, or she's not eating a lot (like right now), I get an organic spring mix making sure there's no arugula or spinach in it. All her lettuce gets washed, and when I get yard treats, I only pick either from my own yard, or another yard where I know 100% that no chemicals have been used.

She is pretty much / almost an adult. She was a rescue (we bought her April, 2016). We took her to the vet immediately after we got her because we knew she had been malnourished and not taken care of very well. The vet originally thought she was an adult because she was pretty big and weighted almost 5 pounds. On her 1 year check up a few months ago she weighed over 8 pounds and had gotten a LOT bigger. The original owners thought she was maybe 5 years old based on what the pet store told them. But I don't 100% trust that of course.

She gets bathed about 1-2 times a week, and we leave her soak until she's ready to get out (she starts trying to climb the sides of the tub). Some days that's all of 5 minutes, some days she soak for 30 mins. Before we put her little pool in her table, we bathed her at least 3 times a week.

I think that about covers it. My profile picture was after we had had her for about a month and half, and i've attached a current picture. I messaged my husband yesterday excited that she had been out and about.
 

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Kasia

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Hi :)
8 pounds or 8 ounce? ~230 grams?
Your diet/soaking regime sounds just fine. Check your temperatures, their crucial. If his too cold he will not be active/eating/digesting properly. If his too hot it's the same. I assume that if he was OK for a long time in your current setup so it's probably not the problem but start from double checking. You must have a working thermometer/temp gun.:) That poop for me looks more like dark brown pee/diahorea. If you have correct temps, give him one more week. If he does not eat soak him daily. If he doesn't not improve by then go to the Vet's check stool for parasites and do basic blood work to see how his kidneys and liver are doing. Is he swollen? Previous bad care could leave him in worse state then you assumed.
Russian care sheet is pinned on top of this section, you will find correct temperature/humidity range in it. Keep us updated.:)
 
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Alith7

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Hi :)
8 pounds or 8 ounce? ~230 grams?
Your diet/soaking regime sounds just fine. Check your temperatures, their crucial. If his too cold he will not be active/eating/digesting properly. I assume that if he was OK for a long time in your current setup it's probably not the problem but start from double checking. That poop for me looks more like dark brown pee/diahorea. Give him one more week. If he does not eat soak him daily. If he doesn't not improve by then go to the Vet's check stool for parasites and basic blood work to see how his kidneys and liver are doing.
8 pounds! about 3.6kg. The vet said she looks really healthy, and not overfed, so keep doing what we're doing. He was pretty impressed with how much she grew. He guessed that she was really malnourished prior, and all the really good food let her catch up with her growing.
Ok, I'll go with that plan. The not eating part I wasn't super worried about, she does that every once in a while, but I was concerned about what she left on the plate. And yes, it was more brownish, if it had been reddish like blood I would have just taken her straight to the vet. I didn't see any obvious parasites, but doesn't mean they're not there.
I'll also stop tonight and get a new thermometer and put one on the hot side and one on the cool side.
 

Kasia

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8 pounds! about 3.6kg. The vet said she looks really healthy, and not overfed, so keep doing what we're doing. He was pretty impressed with how much she grew. He guessed that she was really malnourished prior, and all the really good food let her catch up with her growing.
Ok, I'll go with that plan. The not eating part I wasn't super worried about, she does that every once in a while, but I was concerned about what she left on the plate. And yes, it was more brownish, if it had been reddish like blood I would have just taken her straight to the vet. I didn't see any obvious parasites, but doesn't mean they're not there.
I'll also stop tonight and get a new thermometer and put one on the hot side and one on the cool side.
Can I ask for pics?:) I have never seen such a big Russian. Mine is over 30 years old and weighs 800 grams...:)
 

Kasia

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If he's soaked that much/hydrated it should not be brown if everything is working fine. Keep an eye on it. I forgot to ask does he have a constant water access in his enclosure?
 

Alith7

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yes she does.
she has a little pool that we made for her out of a plant tray. it's about an 1" deep and I keep it about half full with fresh water.
 

Kasia

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yes she does.
she has a little pool that we made for her out of a plant tray. it's about an 1" deep and I keep it about half full with fresh water.
Super, I will be waiting for those pics/ put something for size comparison:) foot/geat big shoe? :)
 

Alith7

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Ok. So my husband corrected me. It WAS around 800 grams. Not 8 lbs. I just weighed her and she's a little over 2 lbs. assuming my scale is accurate. She's still pretty big for a Russian. So here is a nice pic with a tape measure and the side of her pool. I thought she was going to book right back to her hide be she stretched out and posed so I could take a nice picture.
 

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Kasia

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Ok. So my husband corrected me. It WAS around 800 grams. Not 8 lbs. I just weighed her and she's a little over 2 lbs. assuming my scale is accurate. She's still pretty big for a Russian. So here is a nice pic with a tape measure and the side of her pool. I thought she was going to book right back to her hide be she stretched out and posed so I could take a nice picture.
Not a huge monster but lovely little Russian:)
 

Alith7

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Sorry, got tied up with work. She's doing ok. still not eating, but she's moving around and digging and burrowing. gave her a bath yesterday and she pooped a little. looked healthy. No more ugly ones.

I got new thermometers for her table. the cool side gets to about 78 and the hot side gets to about 87 during the day. at night drops to about 74. I don't have anything right under her light, but the hot side thermometer is about 6-8 inches away from the center. So I don't think it's a temp thing.

I'm starting to think just a phase she's going through. Pouty about something i would guess. If I remember right, they can go through long periods without eating, as long as they're getting water. we're out of dandelion season for now, but the hibiscus should be blooming soon and i'm going to try to get some alfalfa flowers this weekend to try to bribe her to eat something. I'm assuming if she was hungry she'd eat?
 

Kasia

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78F could be bit warm for her. Mine likes it on the cooler side so 72-74F ambient and basking about 95F. It's summer and when it gets warmer (I don't have AC) he feels miserable and a see that his less active. If I were you I would get her tested at least for parasites. If you pick his food outside parasites are always an option.
 

Alith7

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She has two lights that we run, one is a direct down for a basking light, the other is higher and less direct as a general warming light. but that's not a bad idea. In the winter we keep the house cooler so both lights are needed, and we do have AC so figured we'd need it still, but that would make sense. I'll turn off the other light for a few days and see if that helps.

Most of her food comes from grocery store, but you're right about the wild snacks.
I'll get in touch with the vet.
Thank you for the input!
 

Alith7

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Just an update on Penny.
The day before we went on vacation last month, she decided she was done with her half-hibernating, and started eating again.
This was a post vacation update:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/tortoise-throwing-a-temper-tantrum.160491/

She is back to her normal crabby self. Eating 2 and sometimes 3-meals a day if we let her, digging up a storm and back trying to find China in the bottom of her table.

Thank you for all the input on her. This is only our second year of being tort parents and never would have thought she'd half hibernate in the middle of summer. Apparently she didn't like the heat.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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Just an update on Penny.
The day before we went on vacation last month, she decided she was done with her half-hibernating, and started eating again.
This was a post vacation update:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/tortoise-throwing-a-temper-tantrum.160491/

She is back to her normal crabby self. Eating 2 and sometimes 3-meals a day if we let her, digging up a storm and back trying to find China in the bottom of her table.

Thank you for all the input on her. This is only our second year of being tort parents and never would have thought she'd half hibernate in the middle of summer. Apparently she didn't like the heat.
So glad Penny is back to her old self.:):tort:
It's called aestivation, the summer version of hibernation or brumation.
 

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