my adult greek tortoise pumpkin hasn’t poo’d in quite a few days and i see him trying to poo but really struggling, his wee shoots out and then he backs up and is almost squeezing hard but nothing comes out, any advice on what foods might help him? i have been bathing him a lot but he’s never poo’d in the bath jus wee’d only had him under a month!
poorly?? (constipated?)
- Thread starter annie17
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You have a full sized Greek kept in an enclosure that is too small in an environment that is too dry.
This tortoises needs to be properly hydrated to poop, just like you, and exercise and a high fibre diet helps, just like you.
Rabbit pellets are not a suitable substrate. Your tortoise needs an earthy substrate like coco coir such as this from Amazon which can be mixed with water until all of it is damp right into the corners and down to the bottom. You cannot do this with rabbit pellets and your enclosure will need lining with a heavy duty plastic sheet or pond liner fabric to protect it.
Your tortoise needs regular soaks of at least 20 minutes in warm water; I suggest daily at the moment . Use a large washing up bowl, or even clean the bath and use that as walking around will help to get the poop going. The water needs to be deep enough to com just up over the join between the shell and the plastron (undershell). I finding soaking to be most successful first thing in the morning before the tort has warmed up properly.
Make sure there’s a large terracotta plant saucer in the enclosure as a water dish. Site it in the middle of the enclosure so it isn’t stomped through so easily.
Serve all food wet to improve hydration.
Serving food on a flat slate or the wrong (rough) side of a tile helps with beak maintenance.
What are you feeding your Greek? Is he getting enough variety and fibre?
This tortoises needs to be properly hydrated to poop, just like you, and exercise and a high fibre diet helps, just like you.
Rabbit pellets are not a suitable substrate. Your tortoise needs an earthy substrate like coco coir such as this from Amazon which can be mixed with water until all of it is damp right into the corners and down to the bottom. You cannot do this with rabbit pellets and your enclosure will need lining with a heavy duty plastic sheet or pond liner fabric to protect it.
Your tortoise needs regular soaks of at least 20 minutes in warm water; I suggest daily at the moment . Use a large washing up bowl, or even clean the bath and use that as walking around will help to get the poop going. The water needs to be deep enough to com just up over the join between the shell and the plastron (undershell). I finding soaking to be most successful first thing in the morning before the tort has warmed up properly.
Make sure there’s a large terracotta plant saucer in the enclosure as a water dish. Site it in the middle of the enclosure so it isn’t stomped through so easily.
Serve all food wet to improve hydration.
Serving food on a flat slate or the wrong (rough) side of a tile helps with beak maintenance.
What are you feeding your Greek? Is he getting enough variety and fibre?
thank you, that’s an old picture of him in his home, he has coco coir and cypress mulch now atm in his home, he’s fussy with food and has just really been eating romaine lettuce not iceburg and green beans, i have dry food for him but he doesn’t touch it & yeah shall bath him more regularly
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Bambam1989
Well-Known Member
I know you have been working hard to improve the care for your tort.
I believe the substrate may still be a little dry.
There is very little fiber in lettuce and the protein content is pretty high in green beans (not good for them). My theory is going to be that he is not getting enough fiber in his diet.
Here is a handy website that lists foods and helps keepers with knowing how safe plants are and has a handy search.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/index.php#.WhRJEzOIbqA
Do you have a yard available that may have some weeds. We can help ID them.
Sounds like you may have a picky tort. If you offer him something new he may refuse to try it. Tough love is handy when this happens. He will eat when hungry.
Or you can try chopping up the food so he can't pick out the new stuff.
I believe the substrate may still be a little dry.
There is very little fiber in lettuce and the protein content is pretty high in green beans (not good for them). My theory is going to be that he is not getting enough fiber in his diet.
Here is a handy website that lists foods and helps keepers with knowing how safe plants are and has a handy search.
http://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/index.php#.WhRJEzOIbqA
Do you have a yard available that may have some weeds. We can help ID them.
Sounds like you may have a picky tort. If you offer him something new he may refuse to try it. Tough love is handy when this happens. He will eat when hungry.
Or you can try chopping up the food so he can't pick out the new stuff.
thank you for getting back to me! yeah i’m really trying to get him healthier and happier as he wasn’t looked after well previously. have you got any idea what i could do to make the substrate less dry? the coco has tried up because of the heat lamp! yeah i’m looking to find him so better food, however find it hard finding it in shops (from the uk) and atm there are no weeds or anything as it’s winter, but yeah earlier i chopped everything up and mixed together with the dry food so he had to eat abit !
but great news left him to have a soak for about half an hour earlier and he finally pooped and it was a lot! so very happy with that & he seems happier now he has done that ! but any advice would really help me
thank you ! yes i have started to, at first i was worried that the water would be too hot and hurt him however i notice the water cools down very quick so i tend to do it more warmer
You're most welcome.
I tend to keep checking the temperature of the water, due to the fact that it drops very quickly in Winter. In this case I change it.
(By the way I have a Greek tort too).
Please keep us updated.
of course ! how old is your tortoise? also what do you feel your tort as i’m struggling in finding what for him to have! i’d love to know more about yours and pick up on some tips and advice
Bambam1989
Well-Known Member
For soaks, I use an old plastic tub with a tiny hole in the bottom corner. I set it in the sink and as the water seeps out I trickle warm water in. I know the water temp is just right when he stretches his legs out in relaxed look.
To help keep the moisture and heat in you should create a top/lid for the pen..
To help keep the moisture and heat in you should create a top/lid for the pen..
One cannot tell the age of a tort unless one knows his/her "date of birth" so as to speak.of course ! how old is your tortoise? also what do you feel your tort as i’m struggling in finding what for him to have! i’d love to know more about yours and pick up on some tips and advice
Oli is doing fine.
Torts do not like change at all. Therefore, they take time to adapt to a new place, environment, weather, owner and so on. Don't panic. You'll get the help you need here. And do not hesitate to ask any question when in doubt.
One cannot tell the age of a tort unless one knows his/her "date of birth" so as to speak.
Oli is doing fine.
Don't panic. You'll get the help you need here. And do not hesitate to ask any question when in doubt.
thank you, yeah very true! just want him to be happy and healthy
thank you ! also because he is an adult i want to use a table without a lid as feel like he’s about 50 so he needs a big table, i was thinking maybe get him 2 heat lamps or something
Bambam1989
Well-Known Member
I believe the recommended size for your type of tort is around 4x8 ft. Heat and evaporation rises, so without some kind of lid on an indoor enclosure you will struggle to maintain temps and humidity.
Coco coir can retain quite a bit of water. When wetting the substrate don't just mist, poor the water in and stir it around with your hands, then lightly press it back smooth.
If you are restricted to buying grocery greens then I myself can't make any recommendations since I only feed from my yard.
he’s currently in a 5ft one thing ! and okay thank you, shall do that
Hard to tell, but he looks like 20 to me.
Anyway, he needs MUCH more space, adult Greeks are not really suited to be kept indoors. Can you build him an outside enclosure next year?
Hard to tell, but he looks like 20 to me.
Anyway, he needs MUCH more space, adult Greeks are not really suited to be kept indoors. Can you build him an outside enclosure next year?
i could do, however i just get worries it’ll be too cold and i would need to really know how to do it sufficiently but for now it’s winter and far too cold for him to be outside, when it’s summer he can wonder around the garden but i wouldn’t want him to sleep out there over night
