Help! Speedy ate a camera lens!

[speedysmom]

I can't believe this! My daughter is taking a photography class at school and she was taking pictures of Speedy (our Sulcata tortoise, her special pet). While she was taking the picture, Speedy at the camera lens! She tried to get it out of his mouth, but her bit her and swallowed it. It was plastic between 1 and 1.5" in diameter. He apparently swallowed it whole.

I don't know of anything that we can do. She is very afraid that this will kill him. Any ideas?

I'm still in shock.

Speedy's mom

 

[dmmj]

I though this was a joke at first. Sulcatas eat all type of things, how big is speedy? If he is big enough it may just pass in a few days, if he is smaller it might not pass, and then a vet visit will most likely be needed, The main thing is how big is speedy in relation to the lens.

 

[speedysmom]

Speedy is pretty big - at least 15" from front to back of the bottom of his shell. So far he is behaving normally - he's got a little shelf in the corner of his pen that he hides under and he's there and responsive to being touched. Further irony is that my husband is on his way to Cornell vet hospital with one of our dogs - this happened about 15 min after he left. If he had left later we could have brought them both...

Have you ever brought your tortoise to a vet? Can they do anything?

Thanks for the reply -

 

[Yvonne G]

In my OPINION, if it was small enough to fit through his throat, then its probably going to pass right on through. It might cause a blockage, though. You can wait a day then get an X-ray. Then in another day or so, get another X-ray. This will show if its moving through his system. If it's not moving, he may need surgery. Mineral oil might help lubricate the "pipes," but wait a day or so because their digestive system moves more slowly than our does.

 

[speedysmom]

Thanks for the advice! His poops are reasonably large in diameter, so maybe he will pass it. Can surgery be done on a tortoise? This is my daughter's pet - I don't know much about them myself. I am the one who looks for help on line when something goes wrong!

 

[Jacqui]

Yes they can have surgery done on them. I also believe it should be able to pass naturally. If he was mine, I'd be feeding foods that would help clean his system out at a higher rate and also be sure he is well hydrated.

Keeping fingers crossed for you and Speedy. So how did the pictures turn out?

 

[dmmj]

I guess we will have to wait and see what "develops"?

 

[speedysmom]

Ha! You guys are funny! I think he ate the lens before she got a picture. I asked her why she got so close and she told me she was doing "macro" photography.

Suggestions about lube-ing food?

I told my daughter that she is on "poop patrol" until further notice.

 

[Annieski]

Aloe is a very good "lube-food". Introduce a little at a time with the "normal" diet. You still want the high fiber for the stool to have "bulk", the aloe is just to keep the "waste removal" process moving.