Rescued Tortoise's Poo

[Travillion93]

I hope this isn't too graphic. On other reptile forums that I belong to it is common to see people posting pictures of their reptile's poo to receive feedback on it's appearance.
Since I am new to tortoises and my little lad is a rescue, I thought I should take a photo of his most recent bowel movement and post it here to see if there might be any concerns. He has been with me for just two days now. While he was at the rescue he had only had one bowel movement and it was not pleasant and quite small. This one was a little bit bigger and more 'compact.'
Thanks for looking and I apologize if I ruined anyones appetite!

 

[Travillion93]

Sorry I didn't mean to post this thread twice, not sure why that happened. If you post responses in this one it would be appreciated. Thank you!

 

[JoesMum]

It's rather small. Twice daily soaks and lots of leafy greens needed!

 

[Travillion93]

It's rather small. Twice daily soaks and lots of leafy greens needed!

Thank you for your response. The little tort is 2.5" long by 2" wide, very small and young. The poop was about 1.5cm's in diameter. I give the tortoise a warm baby food bath in the morning followed by a warm water bath in the later afternoon. He/she has constant access to spring mix and dandelion greens. I have not seen him/her eat however I assume they must have considering it pooped this morning. Are there any vegetables or fruits that might encourage a larger appetite? I have read that mushrooms, banana, mango and sweet potato can be good ones. If this is true, how should I go about feeding it to a tortoise this small? Ground up, shredded, mushed, whole? Also keep in mind that it's eyes are closed 80-90% of the day, only ever opening for a short while after the warm baths.

 

[JoesMum]

What species are we talking here? Sorry if I don't pick up your reply until later; I live in the UK and so it's bedtime. I will come back to this if the USA "night shift" don't

 

[Travillion93]

JoesMum, here is my introductory thread. He/she is a redfooted tortoise.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hello-rescue-time.93249/#post-868529

 

[Yvonne G]

I had to look back at your previous posts to determine what kind of tortoise we're talking about. The species is important to know when we're looking at poop, because, as in your case, redfooted tortoise poop looks different from Russian tortoise poop. It all depends upon what the tortoise eats (naturally). My RF and YF tortoise poop looks black or dark green, holds its shape and is moist. It looks nothing like yours. What have you been feeding your redfooted tortoise?

 

[Travillion93]

Thank you for your response Yvonne.
Please remember that the tortoise has only been in the rescue's and mines care for just over a week now. We have been feeding spring mix, dandelion greens, occasional kale and the following fruits have been fed in minimal amounts: banana, apple, strawberry and blueberry. The fruits were fed in hope that it would coax the red footed tortoise to eat something. I should also mention that all salads have been supplemented with Calcium w/ D3. The tortoise has also now received several strained carrot baby food baths, as per your recommendation on my previous thread. I researched red footed tortoise poop before posting to compare, and that is what worried me, so I posted this thread to find answers. Could it be possible that what ever the tortoise had been eating prior to being dropped off at the rescue is still working its way out of its system?

I just want to share/ remind everyone that this tortoise is a rescue. It was dropped off anonymously at R.R.R.A. (local reptile rescue) where I volunteer. We took it to the vet immediately and were given a precise 'treatment' plan. Over 6 days of being treated this recommended way, it was showing no signs of improvement. I then offered to adopt it, and take it on as my full responsibility so it could receive the attention it needs. I have been on this site since day 1, putting countless hours into research and recovery. I am giving it my very best, having already put nearly $200 of my own money into providing an appropriate habitat with all of the essentials. I am willing to accept all constructive criticism, and will not hesitate to provide the care needed. So if you have any knowledge of what else I can do, please do not hesitate to tell me. And if you believe I am doing something wrong, do not hesitate to tell me either!

Thank you,

Travis

 

[lismar79]

Has this baby been checked fo parasites?

 

[Travillion93]

Hello Lismar79,
Yes a fecal float was done and nothing showed up.

 

[lismar79]

Perhaps this is the end result of the poor care he got before you. Hopefully you will get him to eat soon & he can fill up on a healthy diet to become regular. Have you tried mazuri tort food? Comes in small bags at petstores, feed stores, or even amazon. Soak a few pellets in water till soft & put in front of tort. Few resist it.

 

[lismar79]

Keep the fruit soft would probably be best. When mine was sick, I made a "mash" of soften squash & mazuri by putting in a food processer. Saves them the energy & gets more in them before they tire out.

 

[Travillion93]

Thank you for the information provided Lismar.
Is ZooMed's forest tortoise pellets comparable? I can't find mazuri pellets anywhere in Canada. Naturally I would have it shipped from a US vendor but the shipping is nearly double the cost of the product, and US-CAN dollar is crap! If ZooMed's pellets aren't recommended, then I will go ahead with it, just don't want to dig into the wallet toooo deep.
And is butternut and acorn squash alright? I have both on hand.

 

[Nicoled]

Where are you from in Canada? I live in northern Alberta and I, too, have yet to find mazuri. I have the zoo-med pellets but I'm reluctant to give them to my redfoot. The previous owner swore that she would only eat these pellets and bananas. She didn't poop for over two weeks when we got her and finally had her first poop in the tub while soaking. It was rock hard. Since I got her I've given only greens and the occasional piece of fruit and hard boiled eggs. I sprinkle Repashy on daily. She wouldn't eat the greens for about three days in the beginning, but then she got the hang if it. She now poops very regularly and it's good poop... If there is such a thing.

 

[mikeh]

I don't think the tortoise will eat Zoomed pellets right now. Its not the most enticing food for many. I would not feed it to sick hatchling as it does not pass/digest easily. Mazuri would prob be better. Any appropriate food will do right now. Very ripe almost spoiled fruit (cantaloupe, papaya, berries, cooked sweet potato/yam) mashed and mixed with some finely chopped greens is prob best option to get it start eating.

Offer food right after the while eyes are open to increase chances of eating.

Pay attention to humidity levels, CHE dries out moisture in the air. I would aim higher then vets recommended. You can aim for 90% and you will be lucky if you get 60-70% under CHE.
Temps 75-80F at night, not 65F.

The crease at the front of the shell is normal and not from poor care. The shell looks very nice. Can you take a good picture (in brighter light, not using flash) of the plastron showing true colors.

As recommended , sun can do miracles, temperature permitting.

 

[Yvonne G]

Adding some bulk to the diet might help to tighten it up a bit. Cut up some grass so you can hide the grass in his other food. See if that helps.

 

[Travillion93]

You guys have all been exceptional help! I am truly grateful.
@Nicoled, I live in Vancouver BC. Looks like if I want to get these mazuri pellets I will have to order them from a US vendor.

I'll get right on adding papaya and mango to his diet. Those two fruits keep coming up, so it sounds like a must! And I'll be sure to get some grass into the mix. Is regular lawn grass fine (pesticide free), or am I supposed to be looking for something special?

And I'll get some more photos after work today, around 3:30pm PST.

 

[Travillion93]

@mikeh, here are a few more photos. If they are not good enough I can take more.

His plastron is VERY soft:


Near the front is where the crease is, and the back left side is slightly sunken:


I have another concern. While offering a mango, banana, papaya and kale puree I noticed the little guy had blown bubbles from his nostrils. Then he made a sound, almost like a wheezing noise, but not quite. I'm not entirely sure how to describe it, but he gaped his mouth at the same time. For a moment I thought that was it, the last breath, but his eyes remained opened and he continued to breath and move (slowly). He may have gotten a very small amount of the puree into his system, but I can't be certain.

 

[Yvonne G]

Regular grass from the yard is fine.

The crease at the front of the carapace is from when he was scrunched up inside the egg. It will go away eventually.

The nares ends up in the roof of the mouth. Sometimes food or whatever plugs it up in there and you may get bubbles or a bit of a noise. Nothing to get excited about just yet.

 

[Travillion93]

@Yvonne G, Oh I assure you I was not excited, more like terrified! I thought that he was passing away right before my eyes. It was horrifying. Also do you have a general idea of how old this little tort might be?