Diarrhea in 4YO Burmese Star

agnes&theo

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Hi everyone.

My four year old, male Burmese Star tortoise has had diarrhea that I found in their enclosure. We cleaned him up and he drank some water in the bath for dehydration and was awake, alert, and wanted to run around and eat. His tail was all matted in poop though. There was no diarrhea the next day, but he had diarrhea again today. It's runny, darkish brown, with a gel-like consistency.

His mate/friend, another 4-year-old Burmese Star, is healthy with no diarrhea.

His diet consists of dandelion greens, whet grass, hibiscus leaves, endive, radicchio, chard, occasional carrot shavings, and sometimes collard greens (if I can sneak them in without him noticing). I sometimes give him little bits of banana, like halves of quarter sized pieces. He is good about drinking water and gets a bath twice a week. Normal urates. No weight loss.

We have a call into our zoo vet, but they're on holiday today so we won't get a callback for about 24 hours. Just wanted to know your thoughts.

Thanks!
 

Ben02

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Hi everyone.

My four year old, male Burmese Star tortoise has had diarrhea that I found in their enclosure. We cleaned him up and he drank some water in the bath for dehydration and was awake, alert, and wanted to run around and eat. His tail was all matted in poop though. There was no diarrhea the next day, but he had diarrhea again today. It's runny, darkish brown, with a gel-like consistency.

His mate/friend, another 4-year-old Burmese Star, is healthy with no diarrhea.

His diet consists of dandelion greens, whet grass, hibiscus leaves, endive, radicchio, chard, occasional carrot shavings, and sometimes collard greens (if I can sneak them in without him noticing). I sometimes give him little bits of banana, like halves of quarter sized pieces. He is good about drinking water and gets a bath twice a week. Normal urates. No weight loss.

We have a call into our zoo vet, but they're on holiday today so we won't get a callback for about 24 hours. Just wanted to know your thoughts.

Thanks!
Hi, I would definitely take a poop sample to a vet....... may need to make arrangements to accommodate the runny poop:D
 

dmmj

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Diet or parasites are usual cause of diaheria. I do not keep stars so not sure about diet. Until your vet sees him just keep an eye and soak
 

Tom

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I'd run a fecal on both and I'd separate them. They should never live in pairs. It is very stressful on both of them. Long term chronic stress like this can hamper the immune system and allow all sorts of problems to take hold.

Other tortoises are not seen as "friends". They are seen as invaders, trespassers, competitors and combatants.
 

Markw84

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Loose stools and diarrhea is normally a result of either simply diet or it can be a sign of parasites - particularly flagellates / amoebas. A stool sample with your vet will tell you if that is an issue. The mucus you mention would tend to also lead me to believe flagellates are an issue.

Diet is the most common cause. Especially when offering foods that the internal gut flora is not adjusted to. The sugars in banana or other fruits is a good example. A simple change in diet can be as well. Burmese Stars are actually grass eaters. The long fiber in grass is very good for their systems and without it their gut flora will change. I like to include perhaps 25% grass in the diet. My outdoor adult Burmese Stars spend a great deal of time grazing on grass in their enclosure even though there are lots of other plant choices there.
 

Tom

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Loose stools and diarrhea is normally a result of either simply diet or it can be a sign of parasites - particularly flagellates / amoebas. A stool sample with your vet will tell you if that is an issue. The mucus you mention would tend to also lead me to believe flagellates are an issue.

Diet is the most common cause. Especially when offering foods that the internal gut flora is not adjusted to. The sugars in banana or other fruits is a good example. A simple change in diet can be as well. Burmese Stars are actually grass eaters. The long fiber in grass is very good for their systems and without it their gut flora will change. I like to include perhaps 25% grass in the diet. My outdoor adult Burmese Stars spend a great deal of time grazing on grass in their enclosure even though there are lots of other plant choices there.
Interesting notes Mark. I've noticed that my Burms have an affinity for grass too. I include it in their diet in similar percentages to yours. Some days they get none and other days their food is half grass. I also use several different types of grass. They eat it all.
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

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I don’t have Burm’s but if I feed too much cactus and/ or aloe to my Leopards they get watery poo .
So I cut up some Timothy hay up in 1/4 inches or 1/2 inches pieces and sprinkle it on their food , that will make them better . It works so well I have started doing it daily now . And even my Russians eat it . And Russians don’t eat grass . But try it you’ll see it helps ![emoji217]
 

agnes&theo

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Just wanted to send an update. I was able to be worked into our zoo vet the next day. Our male was positive for an overgrowth of flagellates and a few types of other worms. We think he got it from grazing outside or from some produce. He (and his mate) are on a treatment of Metronidazole. There has been no more diarrhea and he has perked up quite a bit. Thanks for all the input and advice!
 

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C2thaJ

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I'd run a fecal on both and I'd separate them. They should never live in pairs. It is very stressful on both of them. Long term chronic stress like this can hamper the immune system and allow all sorts of problems to take hold.

Other tortoises are not seen as "friends". They are seen as invaders, trespassers, competitors and combatants.
Hey Tom, I’m new to the tortoise forum and fairly new to tortoise keeping. I’ve noticed while reading through Burmese Star related threads that you say never to keep them in pairs. Are you saying to always keep them solitary, never in a group setting? Does this also ring true when keeping them in larger outdoor pens, say 30ft x 20ft?
 

Tom

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Hey Tom, I’m new to the tortoise forum and fairly new to tortoise keeping. I’ve noticed while reading through Burmese Star related threads that you say never to keep them in pairs. Are you saying to always keep them solitary, never in a group setting? Does this also ring true when keeping them in larger outdoor pens, say 30ft x 20ft?
Glad you asked. Welcome to the forum.

Platynota are one of the best species to keep in groups. You can have multiple adult males and females in any combination and they do fine. I never see any fighting or dominance. I got my group in 2013 and in all that time I have seen a female mount another female two times, and that is it. Other than those two inconsequential events, they have co-existed beautifully for all these years and produce over 200 babies.

Singles are fine. Pairs are a no go. Groups work great.

More here:
 

C2thaJ

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Glad you asked. Welcome to the forum.

Platynota are one of the best species to keep in groups. You can have multiple adult males and females in any combination and they do fine. I never see any fighting or dominance. I got my group in 2013 and in all that time I have seen a female mount another female two times, and that is it. Other than those two inconsequential events, they have co-existed beautifully for all these years and produce over 200 babies.

Singles are fine. Pairs are a no go. Groups work great.

More here:
Thank you for the information and the clarification!
 

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