Got a sickee....

[John Ramos]

I have one of my Russians with something not working. He's very lethargic, always sleeping. He let out a poo this morning is was runny, sort of a yellowish-beige color. He's not eating well either, just a tiny bit.

I don't have a clue what to do.

Thanks

 

[dmmj]

Odd colored poo ( green or yellow) usually indicates a lot of parasites, plus with the lethargy, that is what I suspect. Was a fecal ever done? WC, or CB?

 

[John Ramos]

No haven't done any of that, wouldn't know where to start.

 

[dmmj]

I would suggest you do a fecal test for parasites, a vet can do it, and see if your tortoise does indeed have a parasite bloom.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Would you take your kid to the doctor if he was as sick? Well?

 

[John Ramos]

Easy.............Girl, I was asking a question to have someplace to start.

Parasites, I have a place to start.

John

 

[ascott]

Also, this is a species that naturally sleeps this time of year....so you will likely be dealing with that drive as well.....

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I received a baby RF with parasites who in turn, shared them with a RF in the pen next door. After expensive vet trips, I now ad some diatomaceous earth to my feed about twice a month as a prophylactic. (Food grade) It has been approved of by my vet as well. I credit it for the continued good health of my tortoises...And it's inexpensive. Parasites can not build an immunity, either.

 

[Maggie Cummings]

Easy.............Girl, I was asking a question to have someplace to start.
Parasites, I have a place to stary John

I'm sorry if my answer was not to your approval; you asked a question, I answered. In just a few words I gave you my advice.
First off I am not a girl, that reeks of chauvinism, I am old enough to be your Grandmother.
I DID give you a place to start. A vet exam. Tortoises are sick for a long time before you can tell they are sick because sickness shows weakness and they are prey animals. If your Vet has never seen your tortoise she will probably not do a fecal. They like to see the whole animal fist. If he's been seen before they'll probably do one.
But David is just guessing. We need to know your husbandry practices to give decent advice. Doe's he have a spiral bulb? What are your temps? How long is his light on for? Stuff like that....Personally. I would take him to the Vet. Why take chances???

 

[johnsonnboswell]

Have you removed this tortoise from the others & set up a hospital for it? Start there. Fresh substrate, new expensive UVB bulb, alone.

You can use a rubbermaid tub or something cheap & fast.

 

[John Ramos]

Have you removed this tortoise from the others & set up a hospital for it? Start there. Fresh substrate, new expensive UVB bulb, alone.

You can use a rubbermaid tub or something cheap & fast.

Yup, all of the above right down to Rubbermaid! Ha

Anyway, in my research on the subject I ran into a Rescue/Vet who sent me this. Maybe of some use to others, but with all of the normal disclaimers thrown in.

=======================================
Panacur, (Fenbendazole)

You need about 35 MG per 1.2 pounds, every day for say 5 days, and repeat dose in 2 weeks for three days in a row.
=======================================
This is for pure powder which I have a .001g scale for.

Mixing with Pumpkin mash, getting him to eat this may be another problem, any success using anything else? I was thinking of smearing it on some romaine which he likes and see if it will go down.

My beast weighs 1.2 lbs.

Anyway...John

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I think that putting it on ANYTHING that he'll eat is good. That's what my vet gave me, also. I put it in my Mazuri.

 

[John Ramos]

I think that putting it on ANYTHING that he'll eat is good. That's what my vet gave me, also. I put it in my Mazuri.

Was it the powder? Just sprinkle it on?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

No. Drops. The powder I'd mix with some Mazuri and a little water. I've never seen anything not get eaten when mixed with that stuff. I think that the means of delivery is not important. Just get it down.

 

[John Ramos]

No. Drops. The powder I'd mix with some Mazuri and a little water. I've never seen anything not get eaten when mixed with that stuff. I think that the means of delivery is not important. Just get it down.

I guess if you got it from a VET, you got the Brand Name version, the one I'm getting is the pure generic version 100%, a powder. I read someplace that pumpkin worked so I'll try that. Maybe even sprinkle it on some of the dehydrated fruit stuff, he eats that sometimes. I can't get them to eat the Mazuri, they just turn up their whatever you call it at it.

Dogs are easy because they think it's their last meal and eat everything, wish torts were the same in that respect. Haha!

 

[crimson_lotus]

Be careful with the dried fruit, Russians should only eat a tiny bit if at all. They cannot process the sugar content well. Their diet should mostly consist of leafy greens.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi John:

I wouldn't de-worm this tortoise unless you know for sure parasites are present. If the tortoise is suffering from some other illness, the worming medication might cause him to be very sick and even die. The stuff we use to de-worm animals is actually poison. Don't use it unless you know for sure you need it.

This is the time of year tortoises want to hibernate. I just might be that that's what's going on. And the poo might have been what was left over inside his digestive tract. Might not, too. That's why Maggies suggestion of a vet visit was so important. We can sit here and guess all day long, but a qualified tortoise vet will be able to tell you for sure.

 

[John Ramos]

Hi John:

I wouldn't de-worm this tortoise unless you know for sure parasites are present. If the tortoise is suffering from some other illness, the worming medication might cause him to be very sick and even die. The stuff we use to de-worm animals is actually poison. Don't use it unless you know for sure you need it.

This is the time of year tortoises want to hibernate. I just might be that that's what's going on. And the poo might have been what was left over inside his digestive tract. Might not, too. That's why Maggies suggestion of a vet visit was so important. We can sit here and guess all day long, but a qualified tortoise vet will be able to tell you for sure.

Thanks Yvonne, I value your opinion, don't worry, I'm on top of it. It's the same with dogs, you don't de-worm unless you absolutely need to.
I'm just making sure I have all my ducks in a row. They do runny poops from time to time but I never saw one that had this color and he's been sort of lethargic too.

I'll figure it out. I've found some of these rescue people are better than vets at times, they see some really weird stuff and fix it. And with a vet, you get "yes he has them" and you're back at fixing it anyway. I'm just going to keep watching him and see what the poop looks like, if it turns white and/or solid, it was a temporary thing. I'm not going to medicate unless he needs it.

Thanks

 

[dmmj]

Keep us updated on his diagnosis, and progress, ok?

 

[John Ramos]

Keep us updated on his diagnosis, and progress, ok?

Sure, will do Captain Awesome! Aharr!