She ate a piece of wood.

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blackbird

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Hey all, just had a quick question and wanted to run it by someone more experienced than I.

My CDT just pooped a piece of wood almost 1" long and 1/3" wide. For reference, her shell size is roughly 8-9" long and she was rescued and registered just last year. She has some shell damage due to malnutrition from whoever her previous owner was, but has been a lot healthier and has put on at least an inch and a half since we got her.
She lives indoors (for now) and has a habit of trying to eat rocks and dirt, among other things, so whenever she's outside I watch her like a hawk- that said, it looks almost like a piece of black mulch.

She's been a little sluggish lately, but she always is when it gets cool and rainy as it's been the past few weeks here in Southern California. Otherwise she's been totally normal, no bleeding and she doesn't look bad, however I'm definitely a bit worried since I hear torts are good at hiding illness. Any thoughts/recommendations?
 

wellington

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I don't know much about that species. However, I would make her an outdoor pen that has nothing in it that she could eat that isn't good for her. I would also soak her in warm water for 20-30 minutes a day in the tub. The warm water, and the running around a tub and trying to get out of it will help her get things moving inside and maybe she will be able to more easily poop any more that might be in her. Others will have more ideas. Good luck, I hope the one piece is all that's in her.
 

mainey34

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I would say keep an eye on her. Watch for unusual behavior. Struggling to poop. Try warm soaks. For issues with eating rocks..i use miner-all...i swear by it...you have to order it online...
 

blackbird

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The soaks are something I've already been doing- she gets about a half hour in a warm water soak every other day, but I can definitely make it every day.

I supplement with calcium powder 2-3 times a week, should I stop doing that if I get the miner-all?

She gets supervised outside time about 2-3 times a week as well right now.. the temperatures here have been dropping into the 30s and 40s overnight, but since there's not really any place in our backyard for her to burrow (and also because of all the rain, lol) I haven't set up a pen for her to just stay outside. I'm a little unsure of how to make it work without a major overhaul to get rid of all the cement pavers and red mulch. *headdesk*

Do I need to rush her to the vet or just keep a close eye on her?
 

wellington

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I would keep a close eye on her. No need for a vet yet. If anything changes for the bad, then I would seek a vet visit.
 
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