sick russian

[chase thorn]

hello, I am new to the forum and i knew this would be the appropriate place to ask. i for lack of better word, "rescued" a poor male russian tort from a very bad pet store today. One of the employes told me they have been feeding the tortoises Crickets and Frozen broccoli. i knew that was a horrible diet for a russian. his nose is clear and he is breathing fine, his eyes are clear and his nose is clear as well. his beak seems perfect. He has no shell deformities. i have just noticed as i put him in his bin that his feces are very liquidly and is a very light tan color. i am not sure if that is from his diet of if that can be another reason. he seems ok weight wise on the fact of his size, almost a little heavy. i am new to owning a russian tortoise but i have two adult sulcata tortoises, so i have a general knowledge of care towards them.

i am just wondering what i can do to keep him as healthy as possible and to make him better he is very active and is a very fast little dude! i am planning on taking him to the vet soon to get him tested. any information would be very helpful.

thank you

 

[dmmj]

That sounds like a diet related problem (his stools), what do you plan on feeding him?
I feed mine a variety of flowers and leaves from various plants.

 

[lynnedit]

If he is active and his eyes and nose are clear, he may be healthier (somehow) than you think. Their stool can change with diet as you probably know, and his diet was weird.
Soak him daily for a few days, they get so darn dehydrated in the pet stores. Start giving him weeds/flowers/spring mix, etc., and take him to the vet for a fecal test as you have planned. Make sure he has access to a cuttlebone and either sun or a UVB bulb to bask.
You sound like you know what you are doing!

 

[chase thorn]

well i have a wide verity i am planing on feeding him... carrots, sweet potato, romaine lettuces, dark leafy greens, etc... but do you think i can get him back to normal?? im just very worried that is all...

additional info: he is in a 50 gal rubbermaid, with a zoo med powersun uva/uvb bulb with natural mulch as substrate and a cubble bone.

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum... I think the poop problem is from the diet he was being feed at the pet store, with a better diet thing will go back to normal.

 

[chase thorn]

here are a few pics of .... well i haven't named him....

 

[ascott]

He is a cutie

 

[Missy82]

He looks in great shape so cute!

 

[chase thorn]

i think "crush" suites him.

 

[bikerchicspain]

It's probably a mixture of diet and parasite induced.

Change his diet and get him to your local rep vet to get wormed.
Glad to here that he is going to get looked after properly now.

 

[chase thorn]

Thank you for the replies, i am not to sure when i can get him into a rep vet, but i am going to ASAP! i just need to figure out how much it's going to cost me! and i am looking into that now. i am just worried about his stress level and over all health. today i built him a nice tortoise table and got him more substrate. he has been eating some fresh greens, i have not witnessed him eating but the food isn't just vanishing into thin air

But is there anything i can do to keep him healthy for now? what will the vet do to him?

 

[Laura]

let him settle in. dont bother him too much. make sure he gets a nice warm water soak, then let him be. He needs a nice secure place to hide.
You can try a tablespoon of canned pumpkin. Not the pie filling.. jst plain.
that might help firm him up a bit.

 

[chase thorn]

let him settle in. dont bother him too much. make sure he gets a nice warm water soak, then let him be. He needs a nice secure place to hide.
You can try a tablespoon of canned pumpkin. Not the pie filling.. jst plain.
that might help firm him up a bit.

i soaked him once yesterday and once to day. ( just to make sure he is well hydrated) and i will have to try that! thank you

---

for the vet.... should i do exam? or just fecal test, or both...

 

[Kolorbl1nd]

Hi,
I am new on the forum and as a russian tort mommy. I also rescued mine from a pet store. Everything was perfect with mine when I went to the vet except he had pin worms. Diet and lighting are key. I'm so glad that you are taking better care of your tort.

 

[Yvonne G]

If you change his diet to dark, leafy greens, you will see an improvement in the feces.

But, it would be a good idea to take a sample of the slimey stool to the vet because it might be flagellates and he may need to be de-wormed. The stool check doesn't cost too much.

 

[chase thorn]

hey! so day two and his stool is fine! its not runny and he is liking his new set up. He is eating a lot as well!

i will keep an update on him as soon as i get results from the vet!
Thank you everyone!

 

[lynnedit]

hey! so day two and his stool is fine! its not runny and he is liking his new set up. He is eating a lot as well!

i will keep an update on him as soon as i get results from the vet!
Thank you everyone!

Yes, get the fecal test done, but the fact that he is eating well already is remarkable. Most torts hunker down and won't eat in a new set up. He must have been desperate for the good stuff!
Stick to the weeds, dark leafy greens, grape leaves and flowers like Hibiscus, nasturtium, etc., avoid fruits/tomato except very rarely.
He is a lucky fellow!

 

[chase thorn]

will do! i do not plan on giving him hardly any fruit if any fruit at all( maybe as a small treat)! i have feed him a pile his size today and it was gone in a matter of minutes! i also have a ton of weeds in a field close to my house! i am very surprised how active he is! he has no signs of stress really! he loves his new bulb! i returned my 160w for a 100w, the 160 seemed to strong. i had the light about 17'' away from the substrate... i feel safer having a 100w, and he seems to like it a lot more!

 

[Laura]

mst vets will do just a fecal.. BUT if its positve and they find parasites .. legally... they have to see the animal before they can prescribe or sell you meds..

 

[chase thorn]

one more question!!
is a 4' x 2' indoor enclosure large enough for a 4'' russian?
what is the ideal size?