Pancake gut microbes…need to be replaced

Eric53

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Dec 6, 2014
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Need suggestions on best way to reintroduce gut microbes to my adult female pancake. Background info first: This tortoise was infected with flagellates. Gave her the meds/treatment suggested by the Vet (a 5 day treatment) and the 5 day regamin did get rid of all the flagellates but the problem is the meds also got rid of all the good microbes as well. Now, three months later she is quite a bit more active, which is good, but not only does she not eat like a normal Pancake (she eats almost everyday now) but the poop instead of coming out like cigar-shaped pellets is more like a diarrhea (which is better than it was in the first month…that first month the kale & greens I fed her came out pretty much undigested). So that's why I've waited over three months to do anything other than observe. Okay, first month she pooped more or less undigested kale; now the pooped kale has the appearance of being digested but has the consistency of diarrhea. My other tortoise (also female and she has always - up till now anyway as I do not want to introduce the one I'm treating till it is healthy) has always been healthy and has never had flagellates and her poop has always been cigar-shaped & firm as a healthy Pancake should be. To summon up I need to get my new tortoise healthy before I introduce her to my healthy tortoise. As my vet (I live in Anchorage, Alaska) seems to be too busy & and he is also not sure how to proceed in getting healthy microbes back in her gut, I've ben looking around on my own & and when I decide what to do, I'll do it myself without bothering with a Vet. Here is what I think I'm going to do and I'd like to see what you all think of my proposal. I'll liquify some of the poop from my healthy pancake and inject it into her stomach (I'm already familiar - becoming an expert really after 5 days of injecting meds to get rid of the flagellates). (One more note: My healthy Pancake poops about once a month while the unhealthy one poops diarrhea about two times a week.) Any of you who have had any experience with replacing *needed* gut microbes let me know what you did if you will.
 

Eric53

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Dec 6, 2014
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Further note: When I say injecting into her stomach I mean by use of a small plastic syringe I'd slip pass her beak into her throat squeeze out the meds into her stomach… But I'm more than willing to try anything else as long as it has a good chance of working.
 

MPRC

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Personally, I use a product called Nutri-Bac any time my pets are wormed. I use it a few times after each worming and no one seems to notice it in their food. It's just a white powder like calcium that I mix into a little babyfood or put on something wet so it sticks.
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

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About 10 years ago I did the same thing , so I was mad at my vet who had sully' and my tort was a leopard tort ! He said relax he got me some poo from his torts checked it for parasites and I mixed it into my leopard torts food and she is still doing great!
 

Eric53

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Dec 6, 2014
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Personally, I use a product called Nutri-Bac any time my pets are wormed. I use it a few times after each worming and no one seems to notice it in their food. It's just a white powder like calcium that I mix into a little babyfood or put on something wet so it sticks.
Thanks LaDuke, I'm leaning toward what GT144 asit is in line with what i was thinking…but all the same I'll read up on Nutri-Bac and so we shall see.
 

Eric53

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Dec 6, 2014
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About 10 years ago I did the same thing , so I was mad at my vet who had sully' and my tort was a leopard tort ! He said relax he got me some poo from his torts checked it for parasites and I mixed it into my leopard torts food and she is still doing great!
Sounds good. And what at this point seems the way to go, but I'll hold off for a few days see what other responses we will get on my post. Thanks.
 
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